Some people find this style of information display extremely liberating - as opposed to keeping everything within one visual window - while some may find it confusing or annoying.Īlthough FirstClass “reinvents the wheel” as far as creating its own e-mail interface, message board interface, and so on, it manages to present a very comfortable learning curve. Between viewing your mail folder, opening a message, checking into a conference room, and managing your meeting calendar, there is a tendency to quickly accumulate open windows. The FirstClass user interface follows the familiar desktop metaphor, consisting of windows and icons for functions and files. Nonetheless, the FirstClass client - a svelte 4 MB download for Windows or Mac - is the preferred means for managing FirstClass communications from an intranet client. This allows users to manage their communications remotely via the Web without needing the FirstClass client. FirstClass includes an optional “Internet Services” module that allows for remote, Internet-based access to the FirstClass server. Considering the complexity of the software, the install is simpler than even the typical mail server. Installing the server is a very straightforward process. Of course, because the system will, by its nature, accumulate messages and data over time, the disk space requirements could grow significantly. The download for the server software is approximately 40 MB, and it consumes the same when installed. The installation procedure for FirstClass boded well. The real stick in the mud with groupware is pulling it off, such that the many subtle complexities of coordinating interactions among thousands of people doesn’t overwhelm the application and drag it down into a morass of confusion.Īnd we found FirstClass able to pull this off. As a philosophy, this makes a whole lot of sense.īut any product can have a philosophy. The FirstClass design philosophy is that from an individual user’s perspective, all forms of communication are accessible from one place, regardless of the channel or form. The former approach skirts the problem the latter tends to result in a confusing mosaic of pasted-together bits.įirstClass is best described as a communications operating system within an operating system, in the way that, say, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” revolves around a play-within-a-play.įirstClass uses the term “unified” to describe its architecture, and it boils down to a monolithic approach to communications: one comprehensive system handles all channels of communication, from public (message forums) to private (e-mail) to real time (instant messaging), and even to voice. ![]() Other vendors have produced collaboration software that hooks its cart to one of the blue chip behemoth products, or else tries to integrate or enhance standard network channels of communication, such as POP e-mail and instant messaging. Open Text’s FirstClass is an ambitious attempt to meet these venerable vendors head-on. But hold your horses - we’ve found a new thoroughbred. Not only are these the most well known but, in the minds of many enterprise managers, they’re also the only fillies in the stable. The two best known solutions are Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange. And as a result, tangled and unwieldy software applications have been spawned in an attempt to manage the lot of it all. What do you have when 10,000 people need to talk to each other? The short answer: A mess. Access FirstClass calendars and contacts.FirstClass: Unified messaging and communications serverĪlthough not nearly as well known as Lotus Notes or Exchange, FirstClass from Open Text is a groupware solution that lives up to its name with a feature set poised to take on the pack.Search for FirstClass content from the FirstClass Mobile home screen.View files uploaded to FirstClass, including images, text files and PDFs.View documents created in the FirstClass desktop client.Access a list of bookmarks created in the desktop version of FirstClass.Read, forward, reply to, and check history of messages in FirstClass Conferences.View and access all containers on their FirstClass desktop.Play voice messages encoded in MP3 format.Create, view, reply to, forward and delete email in their FirstClass account.With FirstClass Mobile, users with a FirstClass account can: Your FirstClass content is now just a touch and a slide away! With FirstClass Mobile, iPhone®, iPod touch®, and iPad™ users can now take FirstClass with them on the road and have all of the power of FirstClass in the palm of their hands - delivering a true “anytime, anywhere” mobile collaboration experience.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |