Lotus Development Corp.'s Kona project is on track to start rolling out Java applets this summer.

The Kona group at Lotus is working on two sets of products. The first is a suite of Java applets that run on NCs (network computers) and are designed for functions such as word processing.

The second is a WDP (Web Developer's Pack), a set of JavaBeans that will allow designers to embed spreadsheets and other similar functions in other intranet or Internet applications. The WDP will follow on the heels of the Kona applets, officials said. Lotus has not settled on pricing.

Lotus officials said work on the first Kona software will ship in late summer in the form of the Kona Desktop, a framework for NCs or PCs that is written entirely in Java and delivers customized looks for users.

Other Kona applets under development include a spreadsheet, a word processor, a calendar, an E-mail client, a project scheduler and a graphics applet.

The applets are not meant to replace Lotus Components or SmartSuite applications and won't provide heavy-duty capabilities. The applets aren't a wrapper of the SmartSuite applications but are built from the ground up in Java to serve basic functions.

The Kona Desktop also will include terminal emulation for mainframe green screens, said Lotus officials in Cambridge, Mass. Other Java applets, such as Oracle Corp.'s Hat Trick suite, will be able to plug into the Desktop framework, provided they are compatible with Lotus' Infobus Java technology. Infobus allows different Java applications to communicate and share resources.

Lotus is stopping short of committing to a release date for anything other than the Desktop framework. Officials also aren't ready to say how it will charge for the applets, or whether they will be priced on a per-seat basis or on a server basis.

Source: PC Week