Although developers have spent three years working on the project, the Groove system remains in the early stages of evolution. Critics have been quick to point out its lack of support for non-Windows platforms. (In its initial release, Groove only supports Microsoft Windows 9x and ME, Windows NT, and Windows 2000.) The initial download required to install the Windows Groove client is roughly 10 Megabytes in size, and therefore setups over dial-up connections will be very slow.

One of the most pertinent questions surrounding Groove, however, is its ability to support the "legacy" pieces of networking software already in widespread use on the Net. Several very popular instant messaging applications exist, for example, and for Groove's messaging service to have value it needs the capability to share contact lists and perhaps even messages with these. The Groove development team did not generally provide these "glue services" or "gateways" in its initial release and must rely to some extent on third parties to develop them.

Groove Networks, Inc. has made the GDK a free download. It remains to be seen how this semi-open licensing system and the Groove Partner Program will be received by corporations and the developer community.

Conclusion

The development of Groove was led by Ray Ozzie -- the same person who led the development of Lotus Notes. Groove borrows some ideas from Notes and also attempts to improve on it. The development team has invested much time and energy in building Groove to the level it is today. The platform incorporates interesting network technology in a user-friendly manner. However, it remains to be seen how widespread its adoption will be in the face of competition and how much more work remains to take Groove to the next level of success -- namely, popular acceptance and a profitable business.