September 25 2009 Friday
Lotus License Agreements - be sure to read them BEFORE you do anything
This is not a dig at IBM, but rather a dig at resellers and users who have no earthly idea what license they really sell or own.
While at LoLA this week I had more that a few conversations with Lotus customers and IBMers who were shocked to find out that Sametime Limited is just that. Limited.
Being that I sell this stuff for a living I actually read the license agreements every few months or so. I do this to make sure I am telling my customers the truth and should they ever get audited they are covered. Now, there are some less scrupulous and/or more ignorant vendors out there that may be saying:
but there are significant license requirements on the version of Sametime you can use. In this case Standard or higher is required to access Sametime from ANY mobile device or even geo location information, or even access to the API (except chat logging). Here is an excerpt from the Sametime Limited licenses :
Everything in "[]" is me either adding for clarity and/or readability. The full text of the above license is available here
Now, before I get pelted under a fire storm, this is that way the license has always been since 6.5. This is not new, but it is entirely up to you and your organization to ensure you are using the correct license. For instance, it is my understanding that adding presence awareness between Quickr and Sametime requires a full Sametime (>= Standard) license. Limited is not included.
All of the software agreements can be found at http://www-03.ibm.com/software/sla/sladb.nsf and I strongly suggest you read them or have a license health check from a partner that knows this stuff. *cough, cough*
While at LoLA this week I had more that a few conversations with Lotus customers and IBMers who were shocked to find out that Sametime Limited is just that. Limited.
Being that I sell this stuff for a living I actually read the license agreements every few months or so. I do this to make sure I am telling my customers the truth and should they ever get audited they are covered. Now, there are some less scrupulous and/or more ignorant vendors out there that may be saying:
Oh, yes you can absolutely access Sametime from the BlackBerry
but there are significant license requirements on the version of Sametime you can use. In this case Standard or higher is required to access Sametime from ANY mobile device or even geo location information, or even access to the API (except chat logging). Here is an excerpt from the Sametime Limited licenses :
[A valid POE to IBM Lotus [Notes/iNotes/DWA/etc] does not include the right to: ] 4. Enable or use IBM Lotus Sametime Limited capabilities beyond the default settings in the Program as provided to You, or as established by policy within IBM Lotus Sametime server, including without limitation: Lotus Sametime Connect client, IBM Lotus Sametime Web conferencing capabilities, access from a mobile device, use of IBM Lotus Sametime Gateway, voice chat, video chat, file transfer, geographic location awareness, IBM Lotus Sametime toolkits or APIs, or plug-ins and applications built using the IBM Lotus Sametime unique APIs available in the IBM Lotus Sametime toolkits, with the exception of the chat logging service provider interface.
Everything in "[]" is me either adding for clarity and/or readability. The full text of the above license is available here
Now, before I get pelted under a fire storm, this is that way the license has always been since 6.5. This is not new, but it is entirely up to you and your organization to ensure you are using the correct license. For instance, it is my understanding that adding presence awareness between Quickr and Sametime requires a full Sametime (>= Standard) license. Limited is not included.
All of the software agreements can be found at http://www-03.ibm.com/software/sla/sladb.nsf and I strongly suggest you read them or have a license health check from a partner that knows this stuff. *cough, cough*
