Interfaces, Browsers, Collaboration, OH MY!

Next week I'll be speaking ostensibly on the topic of collaboration futures with portal and email software from IBM .  But the underlying battlefield emerging these days is over where and how knowlege workers ought to be collaborating with each other.   In particular, the debate is what type of underlying user interface infrastructure is most appropriate.  It is a question many of our customers struggle with.

• Is the browser the natural home?
  • Is it "rich" enough alone, or should it be augmented with ActiveX, applets, Flash, or other plug-ins?
  • Can it be "locked down" from all the above and still be functional as an interface platform?
  • Does AJAX count as being "locked down?"
• What about the mail client?  Don't users want to "live in" their Outlook, Notes or other clients?
• What about Portals?  Do they need browsers or something thicker?
• What about simpler sharing mechanisms like Microsoft Windows Sharepoint Services?  or Wikis ?

Over the next few entries, we'll be exploring some of these questions in detail, and what many customers seem to be gravitating towards.