computer science

GroupWise

GroupWise is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand GroupWise rather than just read about it. In short: GroupWise is a messaging and collaboration platform from OpenText that supports email, calendaring, personal information management, instant messaging, and document management. The GroupWise platform consists of desktop client software, which is available for Windows, (formerly Mac OS X, and Linux), and the server software, which is supported on Windows Server and Linux.

Key takeaways

GroupWise belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect GroupWise to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of GroupWise from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GroupWise is a messaging and collaboration platform from OpenText that supports email, calendaring, personal information management, instant messaging, and document management. The GroupWise platform consists of desktop client software, which is available for Windows, (formerly Mac OS X, and Linux), and the server software, which is supported on Windows Server and Linux. The platform also supports WebAccess, its browser-based webmail client. Mobile access to messaging, calendaring, contacts and other data from smartphones and tablet computers is supported (through the GroupWise Mobility Service software) via the Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Enterprise instant messaging and presence is handled by GroupWise Messenger, which integrates with GroupWise. The product's ownership history includes WordPerfect, Novell and Attachmate; Micro Focus's 2014 acquisition of Attachmate resulted in the product's Micro Focus GroupWise name. Micro Focus was acquired by OpenText in 2023 and the product name was changed to OpenText GroupWise. The latest generation of the platform is GroupWise 26.2.

Summary GroupWise operates on a number of server and workstation platforms, including Linux and Windows for the server software (support for NetWare was discontinued in GroupWise 2012). Client software is supported on Windows. A Java client was previously available for macOS and Linux but is now discontinued and no longer supported. GroupWise connectors also exists for Microsoft Outlook (although it is no longer supported) and for Evolution. GroupWise WebAccess provides users with most of the functionality of the desktop clients from a web browser. WebAccess also supports mobile web access via a user interface tailored specifically for mobile operating systems. GroupWise Mobility Service which was powered by technology from Nokia, was previously used to synchronize mail and other data to mobile devices. A new mobile gateway, Novell Data Synchronizer Mobility Pack, was released with Exchange ActiveSync support in late 2010 to support iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry 10. The GroupWise Post Office Agent supports IMAP and SOAP access to user mailboxes, in addition to the native client. The GroupWise Internet Agent provides SMTP communication to other email systems, and also supports IMAP, POP3, SOAP, and iCalendar access to user mailboxes and data. The platform has included instant messaging since the GroupWise 6.5 release, specifically targeted at the corporate market with features such as directory integration and encryption. In addition to the Windows, Linux, and Mac clients provided by Novell, the protocol is supported by Gossip, iChat, and multiprotocol applications such as Kopete, Pidgin, and Adium. There is also a client available for BlackBerry. GroupWise can export Novell Address Book data. Licensing for GroupWise includes access to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, which can be used for running the GroupWise server at no additional cost. OpenText Open Workgroup Suite includes GroupWise. As of 2026, the latest version of GroupWise is GroupWise 26.2. This release covers Multi-factor authentication enhancements and support for Security information and event management.

History The product was developed by WordPerfect Corporation in conjunction with some of its largest customers, including the US Department of Justice, as well as with the programming input of some individual system administrators of smaller government agencies, like Eliot Lanes. WordPerfect Library did not include email or calendaring: it consisted of Personal Calendar, Editor, Notebook, Calculator, File Manager and Shell.

1987: WordPerfect Library was extended to the PC platform in a DOS version. 1988: email and calendaring/scheduling were added; the product was rebranded "WordPerfect Office 2.0". 1990: WordPerfect Office 3.0 added support for Macintosh, UNIX and multiple servers with cross-server email, calendaring and scheduling. 1992: WordPerfect Office 3.1 added a Windows client and cross-platform for VAX/VMS to the list of DOS, Macintosh and UNIX. Remote capability for asynchronous and wireless connections was introduced. 1993: Version 4.0 brought an entirely new interface and transitioning to a database technology for the message store. Other major features included task management, server-based rules, remote replication/synchronization, centralized administration of multiple servers, 32-bit server capability, simultaneous release on all platforms, and many other innovative additions that were firsts in the market. Gateways included SMTP, X.400, fax, pager, and PROFS.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with GroupWise

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what GroupWise claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to GroupWise before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about GroupWise ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of GroupWise

In research: GroupWise appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses GroupWise in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: GroupWise is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1986 software, Email systems, Groupware, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for GroupWise outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study GroupWise in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what GroupWise means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain GroupWise out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is GroupWise in simple terms?

Why does GroupWise matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study GroupWise?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on GroupWise.