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78 Comments

• martin said on Jun 8, 2010 12:35 PM:

  very good!!!
  

• Sheldon A. Britton said on Jun 9, 2010 12:52 AM:

  From the above mentioned details.... Re: "We're also connecting Lotus Symphony to the cloud with a new LotusLive plugin". This is simply great. And, the way to go IBM/Lotus.
  

• nevi said on Jun 9, 2010 7:40 AM:

  very good!
  

• Sheldon A. Britton said on Jun 9, 2010 11:20 AM:

  Does anyone knows when Lotus Symphony 3.0 will be Generally Available - GA ( or, will go Gold). Also, for which Operating Systems Platforms will it be available; future development directions... in addition as to whether there will be both 32 and 64 Bit Versions of Lotus Symphony available; and, if so... within what time frames.
  
  Thanks.
  

• Release 3.0.0 Revision 20100604.0325 said on Jun 11, 2010 6:50 AM:

  I have one request, i noticed that in on screen fonts look less fuzzy in NeoOffice. Somehow they render sharper and darker ie it is much more readable and less fatiguing. I hope that in your next release you will do the same? That would make Symphony so much better and it would make me switch :-)
  
  Kind regards,
  
  Eric
  

• Miguel said on Jun 11, 2010 8:24 AM:

  Please. I need an equations editor in symphony
  

• Schlickschlupf said on Jun 11, 2010 9:43 PM:

  Will there be a full version in the next 1000 years or now only betas anymore ?
  

• Schlickschlupf said on Jun 11, 2010 9:52 PM:

  Sorry for being so rude, but i like your suite very much. Much better than OpenOffice. I especially like the feature of having all three applications in one window with tabs etc. But you should make a cut soon and not release another beta every time whenever someone has a new idea. It would be a good move to release the full version BEFORE microsoft comes out with the free reduced version of office 2010 later this year. And whenever someone of your team has a new idea, why no make it available AFTER the final build via plugins ?
  
  Thanks so much !
  

• Eckehardt said on Jun 12, 2010 8:19 AM:

  I like Lotus Symphony 3.0, but without equations editor is it not an alternative for me.
  

• jema said on Jun 14, 2010 5:11 AM:

  No idea how the new version looks since there is no option to install concurrent separate versions, only to upgrade if you allready have a version of Symphony installed. While not a total showstopper the option to have concurrent different versions installed would be neat.
  

• Barry Wong said on Jun 14, 2010 5:48 AM:

  I come from China, i use the 1.3 edition for a some month. I don't want install the Beta.Beacuse I have to install again if the final are coming. And when should we use the final edition. I am wait it a long time. You guys serisely slow side.
  

• Barry Wong said on Jun 14, 2010 5:56 AM:

  and me again. I really like Schlickschlupf's idea. If there some bugs.Please tell us directly. Because nobody can help excpt tell you guys the feature of the bugs. But you should chenge it by youself, isn't it ? I can write any codes., sorry about that. I would like support you guys very brifely. I like high quality and lower price. Actually free is the optimal choice. I like the free software. You know I am from China. Unforchenerly the software are free and a lot of bugs and advertising in it. Very bad quality. But we cant say some thing. coz it is free, right? you cant say "Hi that really bad software, it hate me some times" because you dont pay anything. But Lotus S are better than anyone else in China. I like to use it for free.
  

• Barry Wong said on Jun 14, 2010 6:05 AM:

  Sorry I get little misake here. i am not a programmer. I cant write the codes. There some of successful software in China. They are free all the time. But some of the advertising model in it. We hate the advertising, but no one will survive without profits. People dont want pay the price of software, than the advertising is the only way to get the profit. THe advertiser pay it. I want say thx for IBM, you give the free and good software. Above all. Would you please focus on the time. I have waiting
  
  the release edition for about 6 months. That is a long and dispoint monthes. . I dont want Beta. ;-)
  

• Alper said on Jun 15, 2010 3:29 PM:

  Actually its really good to have an alternative to MS Office but there are some missing parts like equation editor and of course Bulgarian spell check, which can be very useful especially if you are from Bulgaria :). I don't know if its because i've been using beta but can you little bit increase the speed and when we will have the final release of this very cute product.
  

• Thanks said on Jun 15, 2010 11:11 PM:

  None
  

• Said said on Jun 16, 2010 10:10 AM:

  Miguel and Eckehardt, we can use Math Type Lite which is free to write equation in Lotus Symphony. It takes long step though, we should insert OLE Object and choose new object from Math Type. But once we have the equation in documents, we can edit it just by double-clicks, like when we use MS Office.
  

• A.M. said on Jun 16, 2010 11:12 AM:

  a wunderfull joke - again a beta. I think, i come back in two years and laugh again about beta nr. 35 or 45 or...
  
  I have been waiting long enough and now will use other programms like OpenOffice.
  
  It is really a good way to say Goodbye to users!
  

• Ravindra Prabhu said on Jun 17, 2010 5:26 AM:

  Agree with most opinions here. When 3.2 Beta was release I raised the question, why we are given with only these 3 applications? Why not something like open office base or Math or Draw? And now 3.3 with more improvements? Why its taking this long? We all love your intentions and your work. We eagerly wait for your new builds, after waiting for so long why we are getting just improved versions? Why not new applications and exciting features? Be more faster on bringing improved versions. Please do remember we are waiting for more applications from Symphony, not just word processor, spread sheet and presentation tool. Come on Lotus!
  

• Ravindra Prabhu said on Jun 17, 2010 5:28 AM:

  Agree with most opinions here. When 3.2 Beta was release I raised the question, why we are given with only these 3 applications? Why not something like open office base or Math or Draw? And now 3.3 with more improvements? Why its taking this long? We all love your intentions and your work. We eagerly wait for your new builds, after waiting for so long why we are getting just improved versions? Why not new applications and exciting features? Be more faster on bringing improved versions. Please do remember we are waiting for more applications from Symphony, not just word processor, spread sheet and presentation tool. Come on Lotus!
  

• Ravindra Prabhu said on Jun 17, 2010 5:28 AM:

  Agree with most opinions here. When 3.2 Beta was release I raised the question, why we are given with only these 3 applications? Why not something like open office base or Math or Draw? And now 3.3 with more improvements? Why its taking this long? We all love your intentions and your work. We eagerly wait for your new builds, after waiting for so long why we are getting just improved versions? Why not new applications and exciting features? Be more faster on bringing improved versions. Please do remember we are waiting for more applications from Symphony, not just word processor, spread sheet and presentation tool. Come on Lotus!
  

• D. Douglas said on Jun 17, 2010 2:48 PM:

  Symphony 3 document, like previous versions, still isn't as good as Lotus Word Pro. And if you are going to battle Microsoft you really should offer something with at least a few different/ better features.
  
  In particular:
  
  1. In Lotus Word Pro, sections & divisions are shown by tabs, easily renamable & movable. Perfect for multiple documents with similar structures.
  
  2. Find/replace functions in WordPro are superior to Word & Symphony & Open Office. I can, for ex., ask it to search entire document for wild card & then change the formatting for that wildcard, for ex., find (^+) will find all occurrences of a parens. Then I can replace (^+) and specify various formatting changes.
  
  bad
  

• Jaime Reyes said on Jun 18, 2010 8:35 AM:

  I guess the thing here is that symphony is a software offered to us by IBM for free. Therefore, it is really not on the high priority list of IBM. The only thing we can do is to appeal on IBM's good side and wait... and wait a little more... and a little more...
  
  Symphony is really a good product. Its just that it is still not yet finished.
  

• ryan said on Jun 18, 2010 9:07 PM:

  ....and keep waiting...hey lotus, why not include a 3-D infobox...you know, a 2-D infobox....with 3-D navigation abilities like the sony playstation 3 or ipad has..it would make document navigation/modification logical and simple and seamless between document objects
  

• John said on Jun 20, 2010 11:24 PM:

  When are we going to get a database in Symphony? I'm still using Lotus Smartsuite 9.8 because I have Approach databases that are used regularly.
  

• Andrew Yeomans said on Jun 23, 2010 11:36 AM:

  Are there plans to support SmartSuite files in Symphony 3, or is Symphony 1 the last version to support them?
  

• Valter Gadita said on Jun 23, 2010 12:14 PM:

  Excelent! but a had a problem with Symphony,
  
  suddenly the program was broken, in other words,
  
  stoped working! I'm installing the version 1.3
  
  for tests. Hope it work. After I will try to install BETA 3 again!
  
  Hugs!
  

• rudy said on Jun 23, 2010 4:04 PM:

  trying to download software - not working - help
  

• prxsii2010 said on Jun 27, 2010 10:06 PM:

  ILS3 will be nice when it is a completed project. I have said it in the past; I know how Symphony is considered an "free Office alternative", where it is more like a "Works alternative on steroids". The inferface is pleasing to the eye, easy to navigate and use, but yet it is very feature rich. I know we have B3 to work with and play with - good job IBM! However, like any software developer, there are internal builds that are not released to the public. I would get the rest of the 'spit and polish' finished on the product and make it final. The 'rumor engine' is starting to get harsh with ILS3 as the other free-office-suite competion has continued to move forward and faster. Still, I can't wait until 3 goes final!
  

• John said on Jun 29, 2010 11:13 AM:

  I haven't downloaded the latest version of Symphony but am going to. I like the earlier version and enjoy using it . I had been using Lotus Suite for many years. Regret that it does not work on OS later than XP. I am still using XP but am thinking of buy a new computer with Windows 7 or higher. I am told that Sympony works on this OS, At any rate, I have no major complaints. Keep up the good work.
  

• Jamem said on Jun 30, 2010 1:04 PM:

  I am very impressed with this suite, and will try this beta, I feel faster than before ... maybe it's just my feeling. Thanks for such a useful tool, elegant, and above all free.
  
  Thank you very much for your effort.
  
  Best regards.
  
  Jamem
  

• David said on Jul 2, 2010 9:34 AM:

  I second the requirement for an Approach replacement. Approach was (maybe just behind 1-2-3) by far the best bit of Smartsuite. I still use it regularly (yes it works well on Windows7/64) but I fear that *someday* it will no longer work. Until Symphony offers something like Approach I am unlikely to move.
  

• pparrini said on Jul 10, 2010 8:52 AM:

  Symphony 3 isn't as good as Lotus Word Pro, i think.
  
  1. sections & divisions tabs, renamable & movable, of Wordpro. it was the very plus of word processing, superior to any ms word and any openoffice. Do you remember? Working with great document or multiple sections was very easy and, i repeat, superior of any wp.
  
  2. Find/replace functions in WordPro are superior to Word & Symphony & Open Office.
  
  I.m sorry for the direct opinion
  

• LINUX POWER said on Jul 14, 2010 3:48 AM:

  64 bit version???
  
  more and more people use 64bit since modern computers come with 4+giga RAM...
  
  Please give priority to 64bit and pay more attention to your awesome program.
  
  Ms office needs a serious competition after all and IBM is the only company that can do it!
  
  LINUX POWER.
  

• Annabon said on Jul 15, 2010 2:51 PM:

  This is an IBM product, right? Then why can't it be integrated with the IBM i, so that, as in MS Office, we can pull data directly into a spreadsheet? I would think that would be an option from the start, making your hardware and software products work together.
  

• Margaret said on Jul 19, 2010 10:19 PM:

  No equation editor is a deal breaker for me. Lotus SmartSuite had one, what's the problem for Symphony?
  

• Judith Kemp said on Jul 21, 2010 6:44 AM:

  Installed V3 and previously saved 1.3 docs containing TOC's no longer worked or updated correctly, hyperlinks broken - Is this a bug?
  

• Mike said on Jul 21, 2010 12:29 PM:

  Downloaded Beta today so early thoughts. What I would also want (I run Ubuntu)
  
  1. simpler template file management and ability to assign templates to documents (e.g. to update, etc.), complete control over styles (OO won't allow deletion of default styles)
  
  2. ability to assign Fn keys to styles, etc. OO is pretty good here -- couldn't find this in Beta. (did I miss it somewhere?)
  
  3. ability to work with Zotero. Document and reference management is really important for me.
  
  I like the tabbed format for working with multiple documents.
  
  On installation, Symphony should NOT assume it is the default software.
  

• eddie said on Jul 25, 2010 8:20 AM:

  I second Mike: Ability to work with Zotero is an absolute necessity for people who use Symphony in an academic environment.
  

• GCG said on Jul 27, 2010 5:54 PM:

  Still no import of WordPro from the old but excellent Smartsuite product. This is particuarly galling as it's in Ver 1.3 and you took it out !! (Pause to let blood pressure moderate ....)
  
  Please put it back in so Symphony 3 becomes a relistic replacement for Smartsuite.
  
  Thanks.
  

• Luis said on Jul 27, 2010 7:28 PM:

  This beta version I quite like, but I can not activate the spell check option for another language like Spanish. Anyone know what happens with this functionality that is widely used in the text editor.
  

• KSH said on Jul 28, 2010 7:22 PM:

  Kilka lat... i ciągle beta, a do tego bez języków słowiańskich. IBM schodzi na psy i nie traktuje poważnie innych użytkowników. Wersja 1.3 podobno stabilna ciągle robi jakieś psikusy i przestaje działać, co kończy się utratą tworzonych treści. Najwyższa pora jeśli to ma być prawdziwa alternatywa dla innych programów, to traktować użytkowników poważnie i podać kiedy będzie dostępna wersja stabilna ze wsparciem językowym dla języka polskiego.
  

• zulu said on Jul 29, 2010 1:20 PM:

  is it compatible with mac os x (snow leopard)?
  

• zulu said on Jul 29, 2010 1:23 PM:

  is it compatible with mac os x (snow leopard)?
  

• won't ever use symphony said on Jul 30, 2010 6:57 PM:

  Putting out Beta versions means the software is still full of bugs. Issuing Beta 3 means the programmers attempted to fix the bugs in Beta 2. The reason for Beta 3 is to see if the bugs have been fixed and if new bugs have been introduced. A Beta 4 means the bugs in 3 weren't exactly fixed and new bugs maybe have been introduced.
  
  See how crummy this site is, I'm not surprised if there is a Beta 45.
  

• 徐晓雷 said on Aug 1, 2010 9:06 PM:

  Please tell me where to download the soft. I want to be a user asap.
  

• MAC said on Aug 2, 2010 5:05 PM:

  I agree that Word Pro (with its predecessor Ami Pro) is superior to all other word processors I have used, especially the multicolored section and division tabs, templates, formatting, and ease of use. Approach is great for the same reasons, so I will use Lotus Smart Suite 9.8 as long as possible and am glad to hear it works with Win-7.
  
  Today I installed Symphony 1 and love it so far--lots of fun as far as it goes, and I hope it will get even stronger.
  

• Alan Robinson said on Aug 3, 2010 6:21 AM:

  I have used 123 all my adult life and was so pleased when I heard about the new Lotus Symphony. However, I have downloaded 3 beta 3 onto my win 7 64 bit laptop and all i get is a beep whener I try to click on anything
  

• Jono said on Aug 4, 2010 10:08 AM:

  Can't write and edit equations which is probably the most important fuction to include on a wordprocessing package!!!!! Add it to the scrapheap with Abiword and the rest, back to microsoft word I go... sigh!
  

• Keerati said on Aug 5, 2010 6:48 AM:

  Testing
  

• Hans said on Aug 5, 2010 11:16 AM:

  3 years behind MS Office usability!!!
  

• Renato S. Yamane said on Aug 6, 2010 9:18 PM:

  Equation editor will be great!
  
  I'm waiting for it!
  

• Rami tong said on Aug 10, 2010 8:56 PM:

  I'm waiting for it too!
  

• Ian said on Aug 11, 2010 8:12 AM:

  To those of you who are saying you need to have an equation editor: use OpenOffice.org. That's what Lotus Symphony is based upon anyway, but Symphony has some of OpenOffice.org's key features stripped from it — like the equation editor, the drawing module, and the database module. Plus, since Symphony's based on OpenOffice, bug fixes tend to show up in OpenOffice first before they make their way over to Symphony.
  
  Lotus Symphony's great if you need the professional support IBM can supply, but if that isn't necessary to you, OpenOffice.org ends up as the better choice — especially if you need an equation editor, want to do some basic page layout, or need to use a database program that can read Microsoft Access files.
  

• Thomas Dorsey said on Aug 11, 2010 9:56 AM:

  Hi, I am using Lotus Smartsuite 9.8 with Wordpro, 123, Approach and Organizer for about 10 years and it is still better than MS Office Pro 2010 which I installed to be in better connection with my customers. Smartsuite is still working even on the Windows 7 platform, even with some tricks.
  
  IBM: why do you stop supporting Smartsuite? Why not place a relaunch in 2010 for Lotus Smartsuite Pro 2011 at a remarkable price level of EUR 200.00 or so and stop Symphony which is a Pipifax?
  

• Hedi Regaya said on Aug 11, 2010 7:10 PM:

  Very far from Microsoft Office 2007 and even worst compared to 2010, but a leading solution as a free business suite.
  

• Nick said on Aug 14, 2010 6:25 PM:

  Death to the ribbon! ;)
  
  No but seriously it is a nice alternative to OpenOffice and MS office, and in many ways the UI is better, plus it's multi-platform! But one thing troubles me, no native 64-bit support. Oh sure you can still run it, but it would be nice to not have to rely on the 32-bit libraries. I hope the final release will rectify this.
  

• lewis ingram said on Aug 15, 2010 1:16 PM:

  need approach added please, also would like to see comments about presentation tool v freelance and powerpoint, thanks
  

• Robert said on Aug 16, 2010 7:15 AM:

  I really must congratulate you on an unusually well considered product. The interface is much nicer than either MS Office or Open Office and the functionality is pitched at the right level.
  
  I concur with the user requesting an equation editor. There is scope to come up with something exceptional in this area and thus ensure a wider uptake of Symphony among the scientific and academic worlds.
  
  Ultimately, a simple flat file database might also make for a nice addition or plug in.
  

• Lane Lester said on Aug 16, 2010 9:05 PM:

  Although I'm satisfied with OO, I installed this in hopes of being able to convert some Word Pro files. I can't believe a package released this year is for Ubuntu Hardy; are the developers that unaware? The only Ubuntu I have running is Maverick Meerkat, five full releases beyond Hardy, for goodness sake! Although all dependencies seemed to be satisfied, the splash came up twice, and then the program died. Too bad.
  

• Claus said on Aug 17, 2010 2:40 AM:

  Sounds interesting, but will IBM be creating (or allow Third Parties to create) a portable version of Symphony?
  
  I am referring to the immensely popular Open Office Portable version which I am running off all of my 4 machines as well on several portable devices (USB sticks for my office machines that do not permit installs, External harddrives for mobility and speed situations, etc).
  

• sceptik said on Aug 20, 2010 11:22 AM:

  PUT CUT PASTE COPY THE FIRST 3 FROM TOP !!! Not the last from right click menu!!!!!!!!!!
  

• Patrick said on Aug 20, 2010 6:47 PM:

  Can you please give a comment at which time the final version is coming out,
  
  - one year, half a year, something like this?
  

• mmm said on Aug 23, 2010 12:02 PM:

  Please use in Windows 7 native font Segoe UI 9 everywhere in menus and UI. Current UI font sucks.. What is it? Some Sans sh*t? It's OK for lame linux, but not for Windows. Also some info related to roadmap/milestones etc. would be nice. Anyway i am sure it will be better than default OOo :)
  

• Bnik said on Aug 26, 2010 9:10 AM:

  Yes
  

• Joe said on Aug 27, 2010 4:02 AM:

  I have been using Lotus Smartsuite 9.8 with Wordpro and 123 for over 10 years and it is still better than any version of MS Office. I will try out this software and comment later.
  

• curt said on Sep 9, 2010 1:04 PM:

  i wish it loaded faster and UI response snappier. in general, it feels sluggish.
  

• Aldo said on Sep 12, 2010 3:38 PM:

  Really bad font rendering. As someone before me said, symphony could be really useful if it could render fonts property as OpenOffice does on Ubuntu. I cannot read titles in bold type on my documents. LOL
  

• jones said on Sep 16, 2010 1:55 AM:

  hi john jema,
  
  trying to link with up someone with that name and i could only see find you here. if you are the one I presume.... lets have a quick chat through jonesekj@yahoo.com .regards
  

• Lucas said on Sep 21, 2010 9:31 AM:

  Will there be a 64 bit version for Ubuntu soon?
  

• pedro said on Oct 7, 2010 9:46 AM:

  does somebody knows how to see equations of word pro in lotus symphony and how can I use there in word pro.
  

• Debby said on Oct 29, 2010 6:53 PM:

  how will I download it
  

• Cody said on Nov 23, 2010 7:45 PM:

  This is a old version.
  

• Carl said on Nov 24, 2010 8:09 PM:

  how will I download this
  

• Guest said on Nov 24, 2010 8:09 PM:

  Good
  

• Equation Editor said on Dec 17, 2010 4:40 PM:

  Please
  

• Johnny Bufa said on Jan 19, 2011 4:57 PM:

  Is this suite as bad quality as Lotus Notes. Because if it is, even if only 10%, then God saves us, from such piece of low quality software.
  

• Al the Tal said on Jan 19, 2011 5:14 PM:

  Microsoft software has never been famous in quality and reliability, but it WON the fight in the last 15 years due to the much worse quality of Lotus software, namely of Lotus Notes - low quality, low reliability and mainly a user interface that makes any member of mankind feel insulted and sick just by thinking of using it.
  
  How can such negative design and programming be put together in one single package? It's not humanly possible, is it?
  
  The main credit for their (Microsoft) success goes not to themselves but to the contrasting bad quality Lotus software quality. People needed to be saved from such devilish thing and they ran for cover with Microsoft.
  

• John Paravantis said on Feb 8, 2011 11:43 AM:

  Unfortunately, neither Mathtype nor Mathtype Lite fits the bill. Mathtype has been having problems with OpenOffice code (e.g. square parentheses appearing as Greek characters) for ages. Both OpenOffice and Lotus Symphony have to solve this problem. I am sorry to say but Microsoft Office is still the only serious contender for academic work.
  

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