My thoughts on these projects
Whether any of these projects will come to fruition with a usable product, much less something that will challenge Lotus, may seem unlikely. Yet Linux was in a similar position and has since grown tremendously. However, it's taken eight years to get there, and the Domino replacements may take as long to be a real threat, especially with the leap forward that R5 makes. Some of the motivation for taking on Notes has been sapped by the announcement of Domino for Linux, and more by development teams' realization of how much must be done to come up with a credible alternative. Moreover, the real hatred of most Linux hackers is reserved for Microsoft -- and as long as Domino is a major obstacle to the takeover of the galaxy by Exchange and the rest of the Redmond folks, there'll be some (albeit modest) cheering on from the bearded sidelines.

DominoPower Contributing Editor Jeffrey R. Burrows has been working with Notes for several years and Domino since its beta cycle. He is currently implementing Notes and Domino solutions for local government in Scotland. His web site experience stretches back to 1992 and the popular rec.travel guide to Morocco, which he still maintains with a trusty DOS editor. Jeffrey can be reached via email at jey@compuserve.com.