Improving How We Communicate
Existing communication technology offers an uncoordinated patchwork of different tools and applications, all with their own interface. As such, the everyday act of contacting a colleague can be an inefficient and frustrating process. You try his office phone, and if you get voicemail
you try his cell phone. If there's no answer, you might send a page or instant message. Finally, you resort to an email and have to wait for
his response.
Sun Microsystems is working on an advanced communication and
collaboration panel that aims to make this process far easier and more
efficient. The panel offers a user-friendly desktop view of your
contacts, integrated with the functionality (email, messaging,
calendaring, telephony, file sharing and directory applications) you
need to reach them. The panel displays the person you're trying to reach
as a photo, not just a name. You click on his photo to find out he's in
a meeting off-site and is best reached by text messaging. Then you type
and send your instant message, without having to open separate applications.
This identity-based collaboration panel will also simplify the
scheduling process. To set up a meeting, simply identify the contacts
you'd like to invite and a single calendar will show their common free
times. From the same screen, you can post an invitation that will appear
on each contact's desktop, allowing instant response. File sharing
becomes just as easy; simply drag the file to the intended contact or
group of contacts.
Evolving the Desktop
Whatever type of communication task is required, doing it with the rich-client interface will save time and avoid desktop clutter. The panel does not intend to try to change the way people work together, but rather improves upon our existing communication practices by orchestrating various applications to work together with one user interface. It is being developed with flexible Java and JXTA technologies for the Sun Java Desktop System. It will work with existing email, instant messaging, directory and calendar applications like Mozilla, Gaim, Evolution, and others.
With the advanced communication and collaboration panel--as well as Sun Java Desktop System, StarOffice suite, Sun Ray ultra-thin client, Java Card technology, and Project Looking Glass--Sun is reinventing the way you think about desktop computing.
Much More to Come...
The project is still in early development, and it is generating a continual flow of new ideas and innovations. To receive updates or find out how to get involved with this exciting project, join our mailing list at http://subscriptions.sun.com/desktop-collaboration/mailinglist.html
