New Web Client for Live Communication Server

A Web-based client for Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005, Microsoft’s product for corporate instant messaging (IM) and telephony, is now available free to licensed LCS customers. Named Office Communicator Web Access (OCWA), the Web client performs several functions of LCS’s Office Communicator 2005 desktop client—namely, exchanging IMs and displaying presence information—but requires only a browser. Not intended as a full equal to Communicator, OCWA makes LCS’s IM capabilities available to users who cannot or do not want to install the desktop client, such as when connecting from a public computer, a locked-down PC, or a non-Windows PC.

Interface Similar to the Office Communicator Desktop Client

So-called thick client-side (i.e., desktop) programs, such as Microsoft’s Outlook e-mail client, are generally acknowledged to provide better performance and usability than Web-based “thin” clients implementing the same features, but thick clients require installation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance on users’ PCs and have specific OS and hardware requirements. Although browsers no longer provide complete platform independence because Web applications often require specific browser capabilities, such as the ability to run special plug-ins locally, they provide easier administration and more flexibility than thick clients. In many cases, Microsoft is now supporting both client models.