I must admit to still being overly confused about all the IBM products that have "Workplace" somewhere in their name, like Workplace Collaborative Services and such. When do you use one over another, and which one replaces Notes/Domino? Well, I'm still not an expert, but I am a bit less confused after reading IBM Workplace Services Express for Dummies by Stephen R. Londergan. No, it doesn't replace Notes/Domino, and yes, I would love to use it.

IBM Workplace Services Express (WSE) could be described as "QuickPlace on Portal." It's designed to allow for collaboration and workflow built around team spaces, and the interface to all this is WebSphere Portal and a Web browser. Much like Notes/Domino or QuickPlace, you have templates that can be used to set up your new team space with certain default design characteristics. These templates can also be modified to let you create your own custom spaces or forms that are closer to your organizational needs. As WSE is built on Portal, you can also integrate pre-built portlets into your environment, as well as programming your own if you so desire. The important thing to remember is that all the infrastructure, the "plumbing" as it were, is set up for you, and it's designed to allow you to start using the software quickly rather than spending days getting it all configured.

Londergan's book is geared more towards how WSE is used, not how to administer it or program portlets. There is a bit of administration information, but to a large degree he doesn't spend much time there. The major emphasis is on how WSE would be used in an organization, and honestly that's exactly what I needed. He covers how to set up a new space, how documents are created and managed, how portlets can be configured, and so on. He also goes into a thorough (from a user's perspective) explanation of how the document editors work. This feature allows you to work with documents created in different packages, like Office, without having Office loaded on your computer. Even better, you can create documents that others can read, but again, you don't need a full-blown Office package to do so. The document editors take care of that for you. This means that you can save money and not purchase Office licenses for everyone in the company if it's not needed. It also means that Linux and Windows users can now interact on the same level (sans Office) without going through convolutions to try and match formats. Very interesting stuff...

Although I haven't yet read up on Microsoft's SharePoint product, I get a strong feeling that WSE and SharePoint are targeting the same general area... Collaboration, workflow, and document sharing without having to have custom applications built to facilitate it. While this book won't help you become the technical guru of WSE, it will help you get that first level of understanding so that you'll be able to place things in a mental context. Plus, if you're a Notes shop trying to fend off a SharePoint invasion, you'll have an alternative offering that will be much less intrusive that will also interact with your current investment seamlessly.

If you're struggling like I was, trying to figure out what all the "W" software is, this would be a good place to start getting your feet wet...

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