Surfer info to be pushed to Domino
Web developer ErgoTech prepares to enhance its WebLeader software with new browser distribution features that will work with Lotus's Domino.Broadcast.
WebLeader, distribution software built around Lotus's Domino Web server, was first introduced last September and intended primarily for sales and customer service representatives. By the end of September this year, ErgoTech will add the ability to push information onto desktops via the Domino.Broadcast add-on, according to Sanford Cohen, ErgoTech's president and CEO.
The new distribution channel will be part of a minor upgrade that adds to WebLeader's current routing methods, which include email, pagers, and contract management software, Cohen said. "Domino.Broadcast becomes another way to put the information in front of the user." Cohen added the release will also include user interface improvements and other functional enhancements; pricing for WebLeader is not expected to change. The current version 1.5 release starts at $5,000 per server, the company said.
WebLeader was built to work with Lotus Domino 4.5. Since moving its collaborative software suite online late last year, Lotus has unveiled a handful of add-on modules that include the Webcasting tool, an e-commerce add-on called Domino.Merchant, and one for rapid Web site building called Domino.Action.
Lotus, a subsidiary of IBM, has also been working on Domino accessories with third-party developers. ErgoTech is one of several "push" technology mavens that are endowing Domino.Broadcast with push powers for distributing everything from text and software to multimedia content onto desktops through Web browsers.
Other technology pushers working with Lotus are PointCast, BackWeb, and Marimba. Lotus has said that it will bundle some of the third-party components with Domino.Broadcast, while others will be sold as standalone pieces.
So far, only a PointCast bundle, called Domino.Broadcast for PointCast, has hit the streets. It rolled in the first quarter and sells for $1,295 to existing Domino customers and for $1,995 in a bundle with Domino server.
ErgoTech's Cohen said there are no plans to bundle WebLeader with Domino.Broadcast. ErgoTech will continue to market and sell its Domino-compatible product independently, he added.