IBM Launches Notes On A Stick

As of today, Domino/Notes users can take their full Notes client with them on a USB stick or other portable device, according to an IBM Software exec.

The chief benefit is that traveling professionals can now have full access to their Notes capabilities without lugging their laptops. The company has offered a lightweight Web client for users but it does not offer the full Notes capabilities. Notes/Domino 7.0.2 is a "point release in number but a feature release in spirit," said Ed Brill, business unit executive for worldwide Lotus Notes sales.

Brill said this is a major deal for people who want to travel with their full Notes client but will no longer have to install it on a machine. They can now just plug their portable storage device into any machine, he said.

The move was driven by the proliferation of easy-to use portable file systems including iPods and USB memory keys. Their storage capacity is now big enough to handle this, Brill said.

The Notes client requires 512 megabytes of space—something that is now available on a $30 USB key.

"We are not in a holding pattern till Hannover," he noted. Hannover, or Project Hannover, is the next planned major release of the Notes client and Domino server and is due next year.