 Symphony Blog | Symphony Blog (Stuart McIntyre) 18 June 2008 23:30:00Cool review of Lotus Symphony 1.0 over at CRN: Symphony opens, as previously mentioned, into a single window with three icons -- to create a document, spreadsheet, or presentation. An existing file can be opened from this main window. Each file is its own tab. The application opened quickly with minimum of fuss. The interface is blue-gray with intuitive menus and icons. Text Properties and other options appear within a narrow frame along the right-hand edge of the screen. The properties sidebar changes the options depending on whether the highlighted object is text, image, or other page elements. The sidebar never gets crowded, unlike the oft-maligned ribbon in Office 2007.
The suite was stable, with none of the crashes or freezes that plagued the first beta, and quick, opening without hogging up memory or CPU resources. Large and detailed PowerPoint presentations were opened in Symphony without difficulty, although the flash conversion plugin didn't work as well for complex files. Animations are not supported -- Symphony harks back to the older PowerPoint look and feel. Footnotes, endnotes and table formatting in Word files all came across perfectly. Formulas in Excel spreadsheets were not lost, but it was harder to get all the chart options. Image files could be dragged and inserted directly into open documents and presentations.
IBM has said that Symphony 2.0 will update the base code engine and also include more OpenOffice.org features, such as an equation editor, database software, and a drawing program.
The Test Center found Symphony a snap to use, and switching to Symphony after years of using Microsoft Office was painless. While Open Office was a nice alternative, Symphony looks and works much more elegantly while keeping the free price tag. Link - Review: Symphony Sings As Office Clone Stuart McIntyre 13 June 2008 17:24:35... rather than that other nasty product we won't mention ;-) From The Irish Times: IBM staff advised to use open software: IBM has sent a memo advising 20,000 technical staff to move from Microsoft Office to productivity software from its Lotus subsidiary that conforms to open standards.
The memo from IBM's chief information officer, Mark Hennessy, and vice-president Gina Poole was sent to employees yesterday, and although it does not explicitly mention Office, it refers to "a new, more integrated approach to desktop productivity software" that is facilitated by using Lotus Symphony.
Last year, Microsoft attempted to fast-track its Open XML format for standardisation by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), but IBM lobbied hard against it.
A competing standard, Open Document Format, achieves the same task of separating the information from the software creating it and is backed by IBM, Google and others.
Last week, ISO said the process had been stalled following objections from Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela.
Although Microsoft would suffer little financial effect even if all 20,000 IBM workers switch to Symphony, the IBM move hints at software trends.
Despite being one of the world's largest technology companies with more than 380,000 staff, IBM has become adept at adapting to new trends in recent years and is a strong supporter of open software standards. Thanks to Tom Duff for the tip. Stuart McIntyre 9 June 2008 17:56:01This time from IT Channel News, including a quote from John Head: Microsoft Office got a new competitor today: IBM Lotus Symphony, a free desktop applications suite based on the Open Document Format (ODF).
IBM Lotus Symphony was previously tied to the Lotus Notes/Domino platform but is now available as standalone desktop applications software. Company executives and Lotus partners hope to attract business customers who don't see the need to pay the license and renewal fees for Microsoft Office.
"The biggest thing it comes down to is cost," said John Head, frameworks manager for PSC Group, a Lotus partner in Schaumburg, Ill. "Office is expensive. Most users don't need all of Word and all of PowerPoint and all of Excel." Stuart McIntyre 6 June 2008 14:01:49I attended an excellent session at ILUG 2008 yesterday, delivered by John Head, describing many of the reasons why Lotus Symphony is such a compelling option for replacing MS Office. I am pleased to see that John has already uploaded his slides to SlideShare: Here are my slides from the ILUG2008 presentation I did on Lotus Symphony. I cover Lotus Symphony from the Executive, User, and Developer perspectives.
 Well worth reviewing - there's some truly useful info in there... Stuart McIntyre 5 June 2008 11:05:20Wow, that's quite an opening statement (emphasis mine): IBM Lotus Symphony Turns 1.0
06/03/2008
Open Document Format (ODF) comes of age today as IBM (NYSE: IBM) announces the commercial-grade, general availability of Lotus Symphony (http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony), a suite of free, ODF-based software tools for creating and sharing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.
This announcement affirms IBM's commitment to evolving office productivity software from static, financially draining software to a dynamic, cost-effective tool that allows businesses to invest in more innovative pursuits.
While Lotus Symphony remains a free, easy download from the Web with free online, moderated support, IBM is also announcing fee-based services to support the needs of large organizations. This optional service, IBM Elite Support for Lotus Symphony 1.0, delivers unlimited remote technical support at a level consistent with other IBM software products via an annual subscription to IBM's Passport Advantage or Passport Advantage Express volume licensing programs.
Lotus Symphony could save a company with 20,000 employees $8 million in software license fees or potentially more than $4 million in software renewal fees. If it chose to switch to Symphony for only half of its employee population, it could still save several million dollars in license or renewal fees, even if it subscribed to IBM's Elite Support services at $25 per user for 1,000 employees.
The eBiz article goes on to say: "Major technology vendors are lining up to support ODF -- even those previously opposed to it," said Steve Mills, SVP of IBM Software. "Symphony -- backed by enterprise customer support services -- is ready for business." A growing number of businesses are considering decisions to renew their Office licensing agreements, and move up to Office 2007 and Vista. Lotus Symphony 1.0 provides a timely and cost-effective alternative tested by nearly one million people worldwide and backed by IBM.
Good to see such positive press for the Lotus Symphony release. Stuart McIntyre 5 June 2008 10:52:11Good write up of the Lotus Symphony 1.0 release by eWeek: IBM releases Lotus Symphony and Foundations Start in an effort to pry SMB market share from Microsoft's grasp.
IBM's Lotus Symphony software is ready for prime time, as the company moved the free collaboration suite out of beta and put it in front of the public June 3.
The software, which supports the ODF (Open Document Format), is designed as a free alternative to Microsoft's Office suite and includes word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications.
"A growing number of businesses are considering decisions to renew their Office licensing agreements, and move up to Office 2007 and Vista," IBM said in a statement. "Lotus Symphony 1.0 provides a timely and cost-effective alternative tested by nearly 1 million people worldwide and assured backed by IBM."
The lack of cost also puts Lotus Symphony in competition with the free Google Apps, which include hosted word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. Meanwhile, Adobe unveiled Acrobat.com June 2 as yet another hosted productivity and collaboration suite.
Symphony is still free in its official incarnation, but IBM, as is its wont, is also providing fee-based services to support this suite in larger organizations.
Priced at $25 per user for 1,000 employees, IBM Elite Support for Lotus Symphony 1.0 provides unlimited remote technical support via an annual subscription to IBM's Passport Advantage or Passport Advantage Express volume licensing programs.
To grease the wheels and get Symphony out to as many users as possible, IBM June 2 also officially launched Lotus Foundations Start, the company's first collaboration server for small and midsize businesses.
Symphony is the office productivity software component of Lotus Foundations, which in one box includes Lotus Notes and Domino e-mail, file management, directory services, self-configuring firewall, self-configuring disk backup, and anti-virus and anti-spam features.
Stuart McIntyre 4 June 2008 16:44:12Since Lotus Symphony 1.0 was released last week, IBM now is offering formal support options for the product: IBM Elite Support for IBM Lotus Symphony 1.0 IBM Elite Support for IBM Lotus Symphony 1.0, a support-only offering, delivers remote technical support. You can purchase this optional support via an annual subscription through Passport Advantage or Passport Advantage Express. The three core applications making up IBM Lotus Symphony - Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, and Lotus Symphony Presentations - are designed to handle most office productivity tasks that workers typically perform. Lotus Symphony applications support the Open Document Format (ODF) standard, which helps free users from proprietary file formats and expensive software licensing and upgrade agreements. IBM Lotus Symphony gives users the freedom to create and share information, as well as assemble composite applications that link to business processes. Companies can integrate IBM Lotus Symphony tools into their custom applications and easily connect to a myriad of data sources to create composite applications. These rich applications enable users to work in a single view, and present data from multiple sources instantly. IBM Lotus Symphony is a suite of office productivity tools that can be downloaded, installed, and used at no charge.
IBM Elite Support for IBM Lotus Symphony 1.0 delivers the following benefits: - Consistent level of support: IBM Elite Support for Lotus Symphony provides a level of support consistent with that used by other staffs equipped with IBM products including phone support and electronic support.
- Direct response to the customer: An IBM support technician will respond within two business hours.
- Unlimited support: There is no limit to the number of technical support incidents you can report through remote assistance.
Planned availability dates: June 3, 2008 (IBM Elite Support)
More details available in the announcement letter.Please note. This is just for the standalone Symphony product. Support for the Symphony editors in Lotus Notes will be covered by your existing Notes support entitlement. Stuart McIntyre 4 June 2008 15:52:31Shame it's a bit late, but hey, at least some of the news outlets may be aware because of it...
ODF Comes of Age: IBM Lotus Symphony Turns 1.0 Nearly One Million Beta Users, 24 Languages, Web 2.0 Extensions, New Technical Support Services for Enterprises
ARMONK, NY - 03 Jun 2008: Open Document Format (ODF) comes of age today as IBM (NYSE: IBM) announces the commercial-grade, general availability of Lotus Symphony (http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony), a suite of free, ODF-based software tools for creating and sharing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. This announcement affirms IBM's commitment to evolving office productivity software from static, financially draining software to a dynamic, cost-effective tool that allows businesses to invest in more innovative pursuits. While Lotus Symphony remains a free, easy download from the Web with free online, moderated support, IBM is also announcing fee-based services to support the needs of large organizations. This optional service, IBM Elite Support for Lotus Symphony 1.0, delivers unlimited remote technical support at a level consistent with other IBM software products via an annual subscription to IBM's Passport Advantage or Passport Advantage Express volume licensing programs. Lotus Symphony could save a company with 20,000 employees $8 million in software license fees or potentially more than $4 million in software renewal fees. If it chose to switch to Symphony for only half of its employee population, it could still save several million dollars in license or renewal fees, even if it subscribed to IBM's Elite Support services at $25 per user for 1,000 employees. Launched in September 2007, Lotus Symphony has been downloaded by nearly one million individuals in an open public Beta program. Lotus Symphony is a truly global product, available in 24 languages, developed by a worldwide team anchored in Beijing, China, and improved through the community of individual users on the Symphony Web site. "Major technology vendors are lining up to support ODF -- even those previously opposed to it," said Steve Mills, SVP of IBM Software. "Symphony -- backed by enterprise customer support services -- is ready for business." A growing number of businesses are considering decisions to renew their Office licensing agreements, and move up to Office 2007 and Vista. Lotus Symphony 1.0 provides a timely and cost-effective alternative tested by nearly one million people worldwide and backed by IBM.
More details in the press release. Stuart McIntyre 30 May 2008 06:51:34 Great news, Symphony 1 has shipped in gold form.
Lotus Symphony 1 is available from the Symphony web site, along with the Release Notes and Installation Guide. Go get it! Stuart McIntyre 26 May 2008 05:02:10Jean-Francois Arseneault has an interesting screenshot to share: 
Theres something weird about using a version 1 product, even in 2008. Maybe its my Windows upbringing where everything had to be .1, else youd risk losing your work and wasting your time with an unfinished product.
Of course, Ive been using Lotus Symphony since Beta2 release (which is now in Notes 8.0.1) and have just downloaded the V1 RC2 yesterday (internal).
Great to hear the internal releases are continuing apace, I hope that the RC gets released externally too, but perhaps the gold release of Symphony isn't that far away now? |
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