29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

Notes R5: Should You Standardize?

Collaboration & Messaging
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Many organizations have quit trying to standardize on an email client. They believe Microsoft has won the battle by offering Outlook free. Now, along comes Lotus Notes R5, the client companion to Domino R5. Should you reconsider email client standardization? Well, consider the advantages and disadvantages.

Any software standard must be strong enough to get the job done but flexible enough to do the job right. Email is no exception. A standard for email clients must meet most users’ needs but should also perform other functions to leverage the organization’s investment. Notes has always had integration features, but until R5, they were difficult to use and implement. That’s the major disadvantage of standardization: It often lowers the usability of a tool to its most unworkable, hardest-to-use denominator. In the past, the lowest common denominator for email was the Notes 4.6 client. It had functionality but not usability.

Notes 4.6 was as unique as it was clumsy to use. It provided a workspace interface with multiple icons for email, address book, free time, and Help databases, but the calendar function—which was built into the email database, making it difficult to locate—was unintuitive, and casual users found it so graceless that they preferred to miss appointments rather than try to make it work. Likewise, the integrated personal Web browser was a curious but useless feature: It tended to crash and bring the client software to its knees. And the bizarre Portfolio database purported to make all the other icons more “user friendly,” but this “database of databases” seemed more like a magic trick performed with sideshow mirrors: It tended to confuse the novice without offering any benefits.

These “integrated features” in 4.6 gave Notes a well-deserved reputation as powerful and interesting but not too useful. Why was 4.6 so difficult to use? Generally, it was a mix-master vestige of a Domino architecture that still considered messaging a medium for Notes database interaction. This distorted worldview made it difficult for most casual email users to accept Notes. Users would mess around with the email client just long enough to get totally frustrated before they’d move back to Outlook or Netscape Communicator. Alas, 4.6 seemed destined to remain kludgy and overly complex, and many shops were relieved when Domino allowed access to Notes databases through an

Internet browser. At least then, they commiserated, they wouldn’t have to support the Notes 4.6 client.

However, Notes R5 takes a different approach to the user interface and the email function. R5 actually aligns the user interface to user expectations! Email is simply email. Gone are the weird brackets where users enter text into the body of the message. With R5, users can create memos that look like memos!

Additional features for communicating within the R5 client follow a basic paradigm. Want to send email? Click the email icon! Want to look at the calendar? Click the calendar icon! Want to see the databases? Click the databases folder! From this simple interface, other features such as Web pages, shortcuts, and Notes views and links can be easily added. Everything is laid out in a logical and customizable fashion. Calendar and address book access is straightforward and nicely integrated. Even integration with the selected Web browser is a clean fit. This interface allows the user to have one integrated client that pulls the messaging desktop together—finally.

More importantly, users who need only Internet email can use the Notes client without having a full-blown Domino configuration set up. In fact, users don’t need a connection to a Domino server just to access Post Office Protocol (POP3) or Internet Mail Access Protocol (IMAP) mail or to send Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) mail through an ISP. A user doesn’t even have to be connected to the ISP to create mail. R5 allows mail to be created and stored in an Outbox for delivery when an ISP connection has been consummated.

Because R5 installs over a previous Notes release and built-in filters allow conversion from Outlook, Netscape, and Eudora clients, rollout should be relatively simple. Configuration beyond the basics, however, can still get tricky if the installer is unfamiliar with Notes installation, so it’s best to keep configurations simple at first and tweak them as requirements become more complex.

Of course, one benefit to standardizing around Notes/Domino is corporate calendaring, the function that originally sold IBM’s Office Vision/400 to corporations long ago. When IBM customers grouse about losing OV/400, one of their concerns is the loss of this critical workplace coordinator. With R5, calendars look like calendars. Furthermore, you can actually print them! Calendaring and access to UDB should be primary reasons for standardizing around R5, and R5’s integration package is hard to beat.

But what about AS/400 users? How about hooks to Operations Navigator or terminal emulation integration? Of course, the browser can provide these functions, but an icon that puts these tools into the desktop would be nice. Maybe some enterprising company will bring these integration pieces to the Notes client soon.

Is standardizing email around the Notes R5 client a good idea? If you’re looking for a good email platform that integrates most of your users’ email and Internet needs, it’s worth the look. No, the Notes client isn’t free. Yes, it comes with a hefty disk drive requirement. No, it doesn’t look exactly like Microsoft Exchange. Yes, it’s an easy implementation for your users. No, it doesn’t require a Domino connection. Yes, the client is very stable. No, you will not have to be a Notes administrator to get it working. Yes, your users might actually learn to love it.

Thomas Stockwell

Thomas M. Stockwell is an independent IT analyst and writer. He is the former Editor in Chief of MC Press Online and Midrange Computing magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a programmer, systems engineer, IT director, industry analyst, author, speaker, consultant, and editor.  

 

Tom works from his home in the Napa Valley in California. He can be reached at ITincendiary.com.

 

 

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: