Lotus Development plans to add real-time videoconferencing to future versions of Domino server and Notes client software.
The company said Lotus Notes had supported only asynchronous, or one-way, messaging and collaboration functions but, using technology in its coming Sametime videoconferencing software, Notes would allow users to talk simultaneously, and to share, co-author and edit documents or Web pages.
The Domino server would be integrated with the Sametime server to support instant messaging, application sharing, white-boarding and other real-time services for Notes clients, as well as Microsoft's NetMeeting clients and any other T.120- or H.323-based clients.
The T.120 is the industry standard protocol for data-conferencing, as is the H.323 for videoconferencing.
The Sametime products use technologies from Ubique and DataBeam, both bought by IBM this year and now part of Lotus' communications products division.
Notes will allow users with Web browsers real-time conferencing and to share documents with other users on T.120-based conferencing client software.