PC World has this article about what to expect from R5. The article also talks about the recent joint development agreements with Entrust Technologies and Zoomit.

Mentor for Lotus Notes R5 has been introduced by VSI Communications Group. Mentor resides in a standard Notes database running with a Domino server. This latest version of Mentor accommodates all the new R5 features, including bookmarks, web protocols and updated core applications.

After a long, long wait, Lotus released Notes/Domino R5. You can download a 90-day product trial or demo from the Lotus Web site.

News.com has this story about the agreement between BellSouth and Lotus. BellSouth will outsource applications based on Lotus’s Domino to medium-sized businesses within its region.

Are you going to Lotus DevCon 99 in San Francisco? Lotus mentions a few of the technical sessions on their Web site. You can also register online.

Symantec Corporation announced that companies can protect themselves against the W97M.Melissa macro virus with Norton AntiVirus products for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes for 30 days at no charge. Norton AntiVirus for Lotus Notes also includes Bloodhound technology and works in real time to scan, detect, and repair viruses found in Notes databases and mail file attachments, including pervasive macro viruses in Word and Excel documents.

EntreVision, an e-business consulting firm based in Toronto, Canada, announced that they have opened their first U.S. office, located in Boston, Mass. EntreVision’s Boston location demonstrates the company’s commitment to servicing the U.S. market. EntreVision has many clients in the Boston area including Lotus Development Corp. and The Gillette Company. EntreVision’s Boston location will ensure improved customer service to their U.S. clients who make up a significant percentage of the company’s customer base.

ZOOMIT Corporation announced Meta Manager, a new family of directory solutions for e-Business. These products deliver full metadirectory functionality to Lotus Domino R5 customers. Meta Manager for Domino simplifies administration by integrating other directories into Domino and allowing Lotus’ Domino Administrator to be the central control point.

Puma Technology previewed Vulcan, a server-based device connectivity platform. Vulcan is a single vendor solution that works with Intellisync Anywhere and Satellite Forms and leverages all of the advanced features of the Intellisync Synchronization solution such as query/response, conflict resolution and filtering. The Vulcan platform, an extension to Puma’s Intellisync Anywhere software, can be deployed across multiple applications and devices, supporting standard back-end interfaces such as ODBC, HTML, and Lotus Notes. Sorry, no pointy ears.

We’re so cool. At the New Jersey Venture Fair yesterday, ZATZ: Pure Internet Publishing was awarded Best Sales and Marketing Strategy. We even got a cool plaque.