One more note- we use the standard Second Life client- no modification needed!

Sametime 3D is not a Second Life implementation. It is built in Opensim, and uses some of the unique functions of OS scripting to enable some of the capabilities and allow us to install behind a client's firewall. Although it is not fully apparent in the press release and video (you can only put so much in those things!), this is more than just virtual space(s) for collaboration. We have build an infrastructure for the enterprise that is usable "out of the box", but is also designed to be extensible by anyone with VW building skills. The services offering approach under which we announced this requires that IBM does the base installation for the clients who are licensing the asset (ie, our services team comes in and sets up the application and connects to their enterprise apps). Once the base offering installation complete, there are a number of opportunities for 3rd parties to extend and enhance the base capabilities. What we provide for the enterprise is an infrastructure that includes capabilities such as:

A life cycle management tool that manages all the OpenSim virtual spaces (archive/restore, for example) and allows addition of new 'templates' (an entire OAR for a new space, for example) by the client through a web based administrator interface.

Ability for clients (or their partners) to enhance -- by adding scripted objects, clothing, etc -- the three templates we provide, and then save those as new templates for use by the enterprise.

Connection to Lotus Sametime for easy access to a user's Contact List -- so you can invite people to a meeting directly from Sametime (ST), our instant messaging application-- if client is using ST 8.0.1 or later.

A full Web based UI for clients not using ST 8, that allows users (and administrators) to create/delete spaces, set private/public spaces and -- if private -- invite selected users to access the space etc- all functions you can do with the ST plug-in except the web interface (for obvious reasons) doesn't allow you to invite people from your ST Contact List to a virtual meeting.

User friendly upload process for presentations, Lotus Symphony, Open Office, PDF, doc, or even excel files -through web interface or the ST interface

Integration with enterprise LDAP for authentication services- users are authenticated against client's LDAP and then assigned their user names automatically. First time users are given choice of avatars to "pre-dress" them.

So many of the things that are not necessarily in the sweet spot of virtual world developers, but make for more of an enterprise ready solution, with the underlying virtual world technology being Opensim. Hope this helps!

Fantastic news! I am a Second Life developer for the SLOODLE.org project - a project which connects MOODLE (learning management system) to Second Life.

I am interested in learning how to set a sametime server up, and get this modified Second Life client operational... what would be the best approach in learning how to do this? Do you have any special training courses, that could bring Second Life developers like me up to speed? If so, please send me a message, and also please include the rest of the developers on the sldev mailing list - I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested in this!!! The SLdev mailing list is: sldev@lists.secondlife.com

Cheers