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Lotus Domino for Linux -- but not NetWare

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the beating-down-the-competition dept.

technophile writes "This article indicates that Lotus is dropping support for NetWare in favor of Linux support. They expect to have a Linux Domino server out by end-of-year. " This came from comments from the CEO of Lotus this morning in an interview. They are "bullish" about having a version for Linux out by end of year. Excellent.

4 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Re:No great shakes -- must agree by jamesw · · Score: 3

    I've been using Notes at my place of employment for about 6 months now, and I must say it's one of the worst programs I have ever had the misfortune to use.

    That is, when I am able to use it, due to poor setup, I am able to read my proprietarily stored email, on which access depends on the uptime of the server (about 1.5 days), and the phase of the moon. I can't go in using a decent emailer to read some of this email which periodically disappears or goes unread for months. And doing any external interfacing to the Domino server is next to impossible unless all the Domino techies know what they're doing (which is rare).

    I'd much rather use a bunch of smaller apps that do the individual parts better (mailer and database client) than one large program that feigns functionality by attempting to look nice. But I guess that's just the unix coming out in me.

    And it isn't really that nice to use anyway. The menus and toolbar buttons are non-intuitive (yes i realise i'm now talking about the client, but that's what you need to interface to the proprietary server, linux or not)

    jamesw

  2. This is kind of sad. by Ami+Ganguli · · Score: 5

    I'm glad that more stuff is coming out for Linux, but I used to administer a Netware network and it's sad it struggling. For what it does Netware is fantastic and NDS _IS_ the greatest thing since sliced bread. Linux (and even NT) will have something like NDS some day, but I think it'll be quite a few years.

    Nobody has mentioned that committing to a Linux port is really a no-brainer for Lotus. They've got Unix versions already and Linux will be EASY. What they're really saying is: "Novell has lots of users but the huge development effort required for the port doesn't justify the risk. A Linux port, however, will cost next to nothing and people seem to want it, so we'll go ahead with it."

    This shouldn't be seen as a Novell vs. Linux thing, because Linux doesn't really require any effort. The news here is that Novell is losing vendor support.

    --
    It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail. - Abraham Maslow
  3. Re:No great shakes by hey! · · Score: 5
    I've had both experiences with Notes -- where it was wonderful and where it was a dog. The main thing is that you have to have a good application for Notes. If you just want e-mail and bulletin board, you're better off with IMAP and NNTP (both of which Notes interoperates with).

    Good Notes applications:

    • Many uses for many users.
    • Need to organize docs several different ways.
    • Need to replicate offline copies.
    • Need to route documents.
    • Need simple, transparent encryption and authentication
    • Need versioning.
    • Maintain chain of custody for documents.
    • Need flexible, role based ACLS down to field level (e.g. can see/edit some parts of a doc but not others)

    Poor Notes applications:

    • Few users.
    • Use for one database.
    • Simple threading is good enough.
    • Simple authentication good enough.

    Also, Notes is a lot like Linux, in that you need a good admin and developer to make it work. I view Notes as a powerful groupware toolset, not a "groupware framework". The stuff they've tacked onto the product to make it more of a canned groupware system is godawful bad (Domino Action comes to mind). E-mail and NetNews are much more viable as a "one size fits all" solution; however if you are willing to develop your own groupware application, Notes is the way to go.

    --
    Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  4. Choose Carefully! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

    So Lotus has finally decided to "jump on the Linux bandwagon" has it? My
    take? Shrug. Who cares?

    What vendors like to have is customer/brand loyalty. Repeat business is
    *good* business. (And relatively easy business, too. Providing you
    *take* *care* of your customers!)

    Shouldn't you look for the compliment in a vendor? If you believe so, I
    would argue that Lotus is *not* a company on which you want to hang your
    future. Lotus strikes me as a company very fond of heading in whatever
    direction the latest band-wagon might happen to be headed. And they'll
    apparently cavalierly ignore the needs of existing customer base in the
    process.

    Why do I say this? A few years ago they dropped Unix support for all but
    Notes. Recently, they dropped Unix support for all but the Domino server.
    *Now* they're supporting Linux? And dropping NetWare?

    Is this *really* a company you want to bet *your* company on?

    Go for it. But when (notice I said *when*, not *if*, for IMO it's only
    a matter of time) Lotus burns you, remember: I told you so!

    (The really remarkable thing in all this is the complete cluelessness
    displayed by Lotus. One would think that the recently clueful IBM
    would've dropped the hammer on Lotus' management by now. As is obvious to
    most: you can not win the game by allowing Microsoft to set the rules!
    Nobody ever wins those games but Microsoft. Has Lotus figured this out
    yet? All indications are, as a Dilbert character once noted, that the
    "clue meter is reading zero.")