While there was little reference to Microsoft during the first public display of eSuite, there is no mistaking Lotus's presence among a new alliance of giant computer firms challenging the dominion of Microsoft. And this is despite that the roads are littered with the bleached bones of computer firms that have already tried to do so.

Lotus president Mr Jeff Papows scarcely mentioned Microsoft during the eSuite demonstration. Nor did Microsoft come up as key firms like Netscape Communications, America Online, Intel, and Novell vowed to back the software. And Microsoft wasn't discussed much as Lotus described its plans to work with its parent company IBM, as well as Sun Microsystems, and Oracle, to develop Webtop Specification, a standard interface for computers linked to corporate networks.

It is obvious Lotus, IBM, Sun, Oracle, and Netscape see eSuite and the Webtop Specification as a challenge to Microsoft's dominance of computer desktops worldwide.

--(New York Times Service)