Lotus’ Sametime 1.5 is data collaboration software for the enterprise. It has
three main components: the server, a client application, and an SDK. Compatibility with
AOL’s Instant Messenger, T.120 support, browser access, and multiple
security/authentication options headline the feature set. Sametime is designed to work in
Lotus Domino and Notes environments, but it is nearly as functional as a standalone
product, which is the type of installation we evaluated. This product is well suited for
applications like a help desk, multi-location project team, or training class. Lotus
includes a “Top 10” list of ways that Sametime improves Microsoft’s
NetMeeting. We expect Outlook support to be included in upcoming versions.
INSTALLATION
The physical “installation” of Sametime is essentially non-existent. As long as
your data network is already in place, implementing Sametime is only a software issue.
Minimum system requirements for the Sametime server include a Pentium 166, 128 MB RAM, 300
MB of extra disk space, a 64 MB swap file, Windows NT Server 4.0 and Service Pack 3, and
any 4.x version of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Client PCs also require a 4.x
browser, plus a TCP/IP connection and (optionally) a 4.6.x version of Lotus Notes. The
server software runs as an NT service.
Chapter two of the installation manual has separate sections for installing the
Sametime in a Web-only environment and in a Domino environment. There’s also a
special section of this chapter for upgrading from Sametime 1.0. The manual notes that
Sametime should be installed on its own computer (not shared with a Domino server, Web
server, etc.) and that multiple servers should have their own dedicated PCs. Also, before
installing the software, be sure that your browser is using HTTP 1.1, disable screen
savers and virus protection tools, and close all other applications, including the
browser. Beyond these steps, installation in the Web-only environment involves only a
setup wizard. To install the client application, users browse to the IP address of the
server and download the executable file. The entire process of configuring a server and a
few client computers took about an hour. In an enterprise, one of the decisions
you’ll need to make is whether the end users should install their own clients or have
the MIS staff do it. Our testing indicates that it’s easy enough for mildly technical
employees to handle, provided you give them decent instructions.
Installation in the Domino environment is more complicated because of the integration
steps, but the instructions divide the process into ten steps. As long as an experienced
Domino administrator is available, we don’t think the process will be difficult, just
more tedious than a Web-only install, because of the registration and data synchronization
steps.
DOCUMENTATION
As we’ve indicated, the 40-page installation manual is well organized. The
administrator’s manual is more substantial, totaling 197 pages and 13 chapters.
Unfortunately, this book ships only in an Acrobat version, so we had to print it for
evaluation. We hope that future versions of this product ship with actual books.
There is also a release notes file, which surprised us with its size: 80 pages, and six
chapters. All three manuals had a good supply of screen shots and non-technical
explanations, but the release notes manual was the most impressive, featuring a chapter
titled “Things You Need To Know,” plus chapters for troubleshooting,
documentation updates, interoperability, and a history of product changes. We wish all
product manuals were so thorough.
One feature about the Sametime documentation that is very impressive is the Web
integration. By accessing the Sametime portion of the Lotus Web site, all of the manuals
are online, including a comments form page where anyone can submit their opinions of the
instruction manuals. The form asks what you were looking for, what you hoped to find,
whether or not the information met your needs, etc. This is another feature that we think
every product should offer: documentation accountability. It shows customers that Lotus
cares about more than just the sale.
FEATURES
Sametime exists to improve teamwork. It accomplishes this goal through the liberal
exchange of information. For end users, the Connect client and the browser interface are
the main places where this happens. For administrators, the Web interface is all
that’s needed. The highlights are below.
Client
We like the Connect client because it’s very small and very useful. On the surface,
it doesn’t show that much. You can only see who else is online and your own status.
But clicking on the “people” and “options” pull-down menus provides
access to several other features, as does right-clicking on your name or another
user’s name.
The people menu includes seven sections: features (send message, share applications);
users (add, remove, edit nickname); groups (add/remove personal groups, edit group
content); connections (reconnect, logoff, access welcome page/meeting center/discussions);
AOL Instant Messenger (logon, register, find password, go to AOL.com); lists
(import/export); and exit.
The options menu is equally detailed, featuring five sections: user status (active,
away from desk, do not disturb); status messages (edit); client view (who can see me
online, show all users, sort list, show nicknames); client window behavior (always on top,
launch on startup, automatic login); and preferences.
The preferences choice activates its own GUI with five tabs. The Alerts tab includes
options for handling user activation (blink the Sametime icon or play a .WAV file);
receiving new messages/invitations (bring a message to the front, blink the window, play a
.WAV file); and adding a new person or group (display a message box). The Messages tab
includes options for secured messages and what to do if messages can’t be secured
(ask if it’s okay or send unsecured messages directly) and for invitation messages
(customizable text for chat invitations and application-sharing invitations).
The Status tab specifically handles status-related messages and, in our opinion, should
be an option within the messages tab. Its choices are active messages, away messages, and
do not disturb messages (all customizable text) and automatically change user status (from
active to away after several minutes of inactivity, or from away to active when you use
the mouse or keyboard). The AOL Instant Messenger tab includes options for the host name,
port name and proxy type (none, SOCKS, HTTPS). Finally, the Sametime connectivity tab has
options for the host IP address, port number, application sharing port, and proxy type
(none, SOCKS, HTTPS, HTTP).
Browser Interface
The browser interface is as useful as the client software, but it’s better organized.
The “welcome” Web site is divided into two vertical panes. The left pane shows
quick links; the right pane explains what those links do.
The first link provides access to the Meeting Center. The Meeting Center is where users
schedule and attend online collaboration sessions. This interface features a calendar with
several views from which the user can choose. When configuring a meeting, users choose
options like a descriptive name, the start/stop times, whether or not the meeting should
repeat, and whether you want to have applications, use the whiteboard feature, or use
NetMeeting. You can also include attachments, set a password, use encryption (but not with
NetMeeting, which has its own security features), list the meeting in the calendar (or
not) and set whether all users can join the meeting or just observe its happenings.
The discussions link allows you to see who is using a document and allows you to chat
with them about it, or to start or join a forum. The remaining links here are not as
complex. These include the client software download, the quick start guide, primary
documentation, and user self-registration. The final two links are for the administration
interface and the developer’s toolkits (discussed below). The administration and
discussion links require user privileges, but we think that the toolkit should as well
— you probably don’t want most end users messing with Java controls.
Administration
Sametime’s administration interface is quite powerful, and it’s surprisingly
easy to learn. Its main sections are servers (network/security, community services,
meeting services, server, broadcast message, database security); monitors (community
server, meeting server, HTTP statistics, disk space); logs (Sametime log, Notes log,
logging parameters); users (add person, people, groups); and help (topics, about). Like
the rest of the program’s interfaces, each choice is hyperlinked to a new menu.
We’ll spare you the small details — the specific menu options are too numerous
to list here — but we are very impressed with the range of decisions left to the
administrator (as opposed to items predetermined by someone at Lotus who doesn’t know
your particular needs).
Toolkits
Lotus includes many tools and ready-made samples in its toolkit. The toolkit options
include Java code, a LotusScript version, a utilities database, and several sample
applications. The sample applets include Live Names, Who is Here, Notes Mail/Who is
Online, Doc Library/Who is Here, Notes Mail/Who is Online Links, Doc Library/Who is Live
Links, and a meeting applet. Like many CTI products, this API has a lot of power, but
requires extensive knowledge to master.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
We tested Sametime in our laboratory for about a month. During that time, we tried out
most every feature. We determined that Sametime is easy to use, even though it seems like
a kluge in some places. We like a lot of the small details — for example, the client
window is fully resizable, the administration doesn’t require anything more than a
browser (and is therefore remotely accessible by nature), and the added security measures
are very useful.
There are a lot of features in Sametime where we liked the functionality but disliked
the implementation. For example, items like adding users, chatting in a forum, and sharing
an application are all easy to do but incorporate non-standard methods. Of course,
“non-standard” applies to the Windows conventions, so if you’re already
using a Lotus environment, it won’t take as much getting used to.
What Sametime needs is toolbars — lots of descriptive, intuitive toolbars. From
the client interface, there are about fifty separate options, but only a few of them are
accessible from an icon. Many of the features are hard to find if you need them in a
hurry. Curiously, the features that are controlled with icons seem to be less relevant
ones (like AOL’s Instant Messenger).
Despite these problems, the client and browser interfaces are still easy to use. But
imagine how much better they could be if they were designed right.
The bottom line is that everything worked the first time and was easy to learn, but we
have more “Room for Improvement” issues with this product than is normal.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
As mentioned above, Sametime could really benefit from the addition of toolbars. When
using the product through a browser, you have to click the back links to find menus. A
toolbar here to jump directly between menus (perhaps with the inclusion of mouse-over
submenus) would be a big improvement. We like the simplicity of adding users and groups,
but we’d like to see more Windows conventions used for this. We also feel that the
user’s manuals and release notes, despite their thoroughness, could certainly be
condensed. Print out the whole quick start guide, for example, and you have a book nearly
as big as the entire manual for some other applications.
CONCLUSION
Sametime is very useful, even if your organization doesn’t have any other Lotus
packages, but it’s a long way from perfection. Its documentation, features, and
usability all have good points and bad points, and we attribute this inconsistency to the
program’s size and complexity. A leaner, more efficient Sametime is welcome in our
lab whenever Lotus decides to develop it. |
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