| OpenOffice extension rivals SharePoint |
Nov. 22, 2006
Most people think that OpenOffice.org is a strong office-suite in its own right. But, when it came to a back-office document collaboration and management engine, like Microsoft SharePoint to enable OpenOffice users to work together, it was a different story.
Things have changed, with the release by Dutch firm O3Spaces B.V. of a program that lets OpenOffice and StarOffice users collaborate on projects.
O3Spaces works by providing users a single web-based team environment, with built-in search capabilities and an optional Java-based Desktop Assistant. Its search functionality is said to work across PDF, ODF, and Microsoft Office document formats.
With its built-in alert capabilities, users can be notified whenever changes are made to their shared information. The integrated O3Messenger provides users with the means to communicate while shared calendars allow them to manage their time. The program also includes workflow management tools and discussion boards.
The document-centric system makes the process of creating and reviewing documents simpler, by means of built-in document version control plus check-in/check-out capabilities, according to the company. It also includes an integrated Rights Management Services. With this, authors can determine how their documents are distributed and used by others.
All of this is tightly integrated into Open-Office.org and StarOffice, according to O3Spaces. With a web browser or direct access via the Desktop Assistant, users can access the shared workspace via any Internet-capable computer.
For office LAN integration, O3Spaces can use "any" LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory service, the company says. The program will run, both as a client and as a server, on Linux, Solaris and 32-bit Windows.
The O3OSpaces server is a J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) application, built on top of Apache Tomcat and the PostgreSQL database server. The web client uses AJAX, while the Assistant client program is a Java Web Start application.
Besides StarOffice and OpenOffice.org, companies can use O3Spaces with Microsoft Office documents. "While O3Spaces is developed for use with OpenOffice.org/StarOffice, it can handle Microsoft Office documents equally well," stated O3Spaces B.V. CEO Rob Mentink. "This is crucial for companies and users that work in mixed environments."
Mentink claims that the "Seamless integration of O3Spaces with OpenOffice.org/StarOffice means that users can perform most of the actions without leaving the office suite. Users can access documents stored in O3Spaces directly from within OpenOffice.org, while O3Spaces takes care of automatically checking the documents in and out as well as creating separate versions for each editing session."
The program also has a customizable Web interface. Mentink said, "Users can quickly create workspaces for particular tasks or projects and use them to keep tabs on the related documents. Users can communicate with each other from within the workspace."
The O3Spaces Workplace software is licensed on a per-user basis in 50 user bundles for accounts from 5-100 users. From 100 users up, a per-virtual-CPU licensing model applies, which is available on request. Base prices include a one year subscription for product updates, five direct support calls (three-day response), forum, and wiki support.
The Professional Edition pricing starts at 295 Euros (approx. $378), for a five-user license. A 100-user license runs 5,900 Euros (about $7,566). There is also an on-demand edition. This is a host-based system. For its pricing, would-be customers need to contact the company directly.
The program is also available as a time-limited, pre-configured VMWare Appliance. This version is for evaluation purposes. The company is also looking for reseller partners.
"We are confident that O3Spaces provides an excellent cost-effective solution for companies and workgroups," concluded Mentink.
-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
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