Slashdot Mirror
Lotus Releases Domino R5 For Linux
Lotus Domino R5 was finally released by Lotus. It's a "sneak preview" version-so be prepared to deal with bugs methinks. But it's cool to see that they done what they said they'd do.
← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)
What is Notes? Basically a proprietary version of everything you already use, with some retarded window dressing they call "value add".
I'm one of the poor souls who's employer forces him to use Lotus Notes for certian things.
While I wouldn't say I'm so militant as to refuse to work for any company that uses notes, I do agree that Notes is largely a joke.
There is absolutely nothing that Notes can do that a decent mime compliant mail client combined with a simple "intranet" web server can't do equally well, and using open protocols to boot.
On the other side of this coin, I'm delighted in Lotus's decision to support Linux.
Whether I like notes or not, it has big credibility, and the fact that Domino now exists for Linux, increases Linux's credibility as well. This is a good thing.
A port of Domino can only be good news ... and I can't wait to see benchmarks. Do any of your notes users have the ability to do a little ballpark benchmark?
Geeky modern art T-shirts
IMNSHO Notes is the absolute worst piece of software I've ever used. Let me list all of the things which I think make it a terrible waste of energy:
... Updating ... Updating ... Notes makes Windows95 look like a masterpiece, and I hate Windows95 bitterly.
1. Its interface in bizarre and unintuitive.
2. Its search tool totally blows. You can type "John Hobs" and it will be completly unable to find "John Hobbs." But it just might find "Theresa Hulshult." ???
3. Slower than a (insert a witty comparison here).
4. Until 4.6 it was amazingly unstable. It would crash 5 times more often than windoze 95! Strange to think that IBM has more money than God but it takes them until *release 4.6* to make their product stable.
5. The message box that simply states "Cannot execute the desired action." (Translated to english: double your Notes support costs.)
6. Now which obscure menu to I pull down to see the headers? Now which obscure wizard do I navigate to create a filter? Now which obscure form must I trudge through to see the headers? (Translated to english: triple your Notes support costs.)
7. Those idiotic hieroglyphs when you're typing in your password.
8. It's a memory pig. God forbid I open Notes *and* Microsloth Turd at the same time!
9. Stupid proprietary mail protocol.
10. The Notes server has now been up for a total of *two days!* Let's all celebrate!
Our orginazation has gone through great pains having had to use Bogus Bloats. Almost everyone in IS loathes and detests it. I truly believe that if not for the pointy hairs in the world Notes would simply cease to exist. I admit that I have never used its highly-praised "discussion" features, but as bad as it is everywhere else, I'd sooner eat my own hand than be forced to spend even *more* time in that stinking, maggot-infested piece of shit that some losers at IBM dare to call "software."
Updating
I don't make the rules. I just make fun of them.
I'm guessing that they're planning to run the *client* on NT using Citrix or something to display it to the UNIX users via X or a Java ICA client. Notes UNIX clients have always sucked, so NT is the only real solution if you've got to have the full client.
I believe that the 4.x Notes clients on UNIX are only certified for "Administration", meaning that they don't do any QA for general use. I honestly couldn't recommend them for regular use of any kind.
I can start trying to get Linux into some of my clients...
At least take it out of the shrinkwrap first. It tends to chafe a bit.
4.6 for Unix will still work in it's grotesque fashion. (Although, I think you need to have 4.63 or greater for calendaring.)
Also, webmail, pop3, imap, etc.
--
Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.