IBM Lotus Organizer
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| Developer(s) | IBM |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 6.1 / 2003 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Personal information manager |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.ibm.com |
Lotus Organizer is a personal information manager package. It was initially developed by Threadz, a small British software house, reaching version 3.0. Organizer was subsequently acquired by Lotus Development Corporation, for whom the package was a Windows-based replacement for Lotus Agenda. For several years it was the unquestioned market leader before it was gradually overtaken by Microsoft's Outlook. It is also the only PIM package recommended by the British Philosophical Association.
It is notable for using the organizer graphical metaphor for its user interface and is often bundled within Lotus SmartSuite.
Organizer was the first and most important software to be used as an agenda and its usability was so good that even now is still appreciated. The so called current version is actually more than 10 years old, as Lotus and IBM never updated the software after version 5, the 6 and 6.x versions are really minor upgrades.
The famous Covey organizer has a current software version that is obviously inspired in the Lotus Organizer. It is surprising how Lotus and IBM let go the chance of filling a market niche that Outlook never could reach.
IBM continues to support and ship Lotus Organizer. Version 6.1 is the most recent version, with support for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
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[edit] Desktop Integration
When used as part of Lotus SmartSuite, Organizer can be totally integrated with SmartCenter, allowing its databases to be quickly accessed without the need to open the application.
[edit] Versions
[edit] Microsoft Windows
Organizer is a part of Lotus SmartSuite, but is also sold as a single application. The latest releases of SmartSuite do not include the current version of Organizer; it is sold separately only.
Versions up to 2 were 16-bit programs. Later versions are 32-bit programs.
| Version | File format | Year | Included in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .org | 1992 | |
| 1.1 | .org | ||
| 2 | .or2 | ||
| 97 (3.1) | .or3 | 1997 | SmartSuite 97 |
| 97 GS (4.0) | .or4 | 1997 | |
| 4.1 | .or4 | 1998 | SmartSuite Millennium Edition Release 9 |
| 5 | .or5 | 1999 | SmartSuite Millennium Edition Release 9.5-9.8.x |
| 6.0 | .or6 | 1999 | |
| 6.1 | .or6 | 2003 |
[edit] IBM OS/2
The first OS/2 version was released in 1998. Until then, the Windows 16-bit version had been used. The last version is 1.7 from 2001. Later revisions of SmartSuite did not upgrade Organizer, although some fixes have been made.
Organizer for OS/2 uses the .or4 file format. This means that it cannot exchange data files with the later Windows versions, other than by importing and exporting data.
The features and user interface for Organizer for OS/2 are similar to that of Organizer 97 for Windows. It lacks later improvements, such as importing and exporting vCard and iCalendar files, and synchronisation with PDAs.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Threadz Organizer 3.0 review by Newsbytes from June 5, 1992. Accessed 2006-08-08.
- Mention by Jack Schofield of The Guardian, January 10, 2002. Accessed 2006-08-08.
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