Lotus Notes 8 due for Friday release

IBM plans to release the next version of its Lotus Notes platform and Domino applications on Friday.

The release will be by electronic means only, with the physical distribution and documentation slated for September 21.

The release, Lotus Notes and Domino 8, is based on the Eclipse open-source software framework and is built around a new platform called Expeditor. Expeditor enables developers to create Eclipse-based code for use within the client that can function on Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.

In its prerelease notes, IBM says version 8 will "offer a modern Web-like look and feel," with a sidebar that displays contacts, the day at a glance, RSS and Atom feeds. Other features include the ability to export documents to PDF, multidirectory integration enhancements, mail recall and new cluster replication technology.

The standard word-processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications are included, which all support the OpenDocument format plus IBM's SmartSuite. Within the applications, there will be in-line spell-checking and numerous changes to mail, calendar and contact management, according to IBM.

Richard Thurston of ZDNet UK reported from London.

[Commander_Spock]

"The standard word-processing, spreadsheet...

... and presentation applications are included, which all support the OpenDocument format plus IBM's SmartSuite..." The Way To Go IBM - Show them how to Innovate, Collaborate and Dominate with the "punches". Wow!

[Commander_Spock]

In the Lotus Notes 8.0 Corner...

... you have Commander_Spock and Crew; plus, the "Department of Defense" as:<br /><br />"Microsoft loses key U.S. OpenXML vote"<br /><br />"By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service, 08/10/07"<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/081107-microsoft-loses-key-us-openxml.html?netht=081307dailynews1&#38;" target="_newWindow">http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/081107-microsoft-loses-key-us-openxml.html?netht=081307dailynews1&#38;</a><br /><br />In Microsoft's corner "Apple, Intel, Sony, EMC, HP, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Electronic Industries Alliance supported Microsoft's standard. Against it were IBM, Oracle, Lexmark International, the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, GS1 US Inc., and Farance Inc. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) abstained due to "the divergent viewpoints of key IEEE members."<br /><br />How "punch drunk" Microsoft must be in its ISO battle!

[Commander_Spock]

Come on folks, it is time to strike up the bands...

... and start doing the Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Merengue....<br /><br />Spread the good news folks: "Lotus Notes 8 due for Friday release" The thing about this article though is -- it did not say which language versions of Lotus Notes 8.0 will be available on Friday; and, if not, when will the other languages will be released!

[smilin:)]

Finally a competitor for Office 2003

Finally a worthy competitor to Office 2003.<br /><br />Too bad it's not 2003 anymore :/

[Commander_Spock]

It Is Time To "Party" Like It Is 1998!

And, here this is why:<br /><br />As a point of reference here is an extract from a 1998 Lotus Development Corporation communication; Re: "Concerning the issues with 1-2-3 that are talked about in the documentation you gave me, most of the issues are related to converting files between older and newer versions of product and converting documents between Lotus and Microsoft. Anytime a file is saved backwards or saved with an older file format than the format the file was created under, such as saving a 1-2-3 , 97 file for Windows 95 into a WK1 format for DOS, then naturally we are expected to loose certain features due to technology and features that are present now that were not present 8 - 10 years ago. Similarly, if we try to convert a file from Lotus into Excel or Excel into Lotus, due to differences in the products not every feature will be converted perfectly with the file filters that are available. Both Lotus and Microsoft create similar spreadsheet programs; however, there are several differences in both programs and these differences will remain to distinguish the products apart. We do try to design conversion filters that will allow as much of the file formats as possible to be exchanged and converted without disrupting the actual file design and format.<br /><br />In one of your letters you made mention of the @IRR and @ERR functions in the 1-2-3 product. By design the @IRR (notably "absent" in Open Office) will calculate the Internal Rate of Return; where the @ERR is used in conjunction with other formulas, posted was an "ERR" showing an error was received in the calculations. As far as I can see in the program I cannot find an @ERR function that will allow us to calculate an Economic Rate of Return"<br /><br />Too bad the "ISO" battle is proving to be such a uphill battle for the Team From The "Redmond" Campus since you may have missed an earlier post!

[Maclover1]

Let me guess

Spock...you are a fan of Lotus Notes?:) I bet us 3 will be the only posters.<br /><br />I only read this because I thought notes was dead. Everywhere I have worked has ditched it in the last 5 years.

[Commander_Spock]

Read between the sunbect lines " Maclover1"

&gt;&gt;&gt;"Come on folks, it is time to strike up the bands"&lt;&lt;&lt;... and start doing the Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Merengue....<br /><br />&gt;&gt;&gt;"It Is Time To "Party" Like It Is 1998!"&lt;&lt;&lt;<br /><br />also, below and outside them too:<br /><br />"IDB fund approves US$2.1 million for innovation investment fund for Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises"<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.iadb.org/NEWS/articledetail.cfm?artid=3998&#38;language=En" target="_newWindow">http://www.iadb.org/NEWS/articledetail.cfm?artid=3998&#38;language=En</a> <br /><br />Which of these are you good at "Maclover1" -- Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, Merengue. You can bet the farm that Lotus Notes and OS/2 fans will be dancing to the Latin Rhythms as a result of the re-birth of "Lotus Notes and OS/2". Would you like to join in the celebrations all the way to the "Development Banks". Drinks will be free!

[Commander_Spock]

An open question for "Maclover1"

&gt;&gt;&gt;"Everywhere I have worked has ditched it in the last 5 years"&lt;&lt;&lt;. Do you think for yourself or do you have others do the thinking for you?. If the "decision-makers" everywhere you have worked decide to jump off a cliff -- would you jump with them too?

[Vegaman_Dan]

And the tens of people who use it rejoice!

I haven't seen an installation of Notes on a system in years. It's either MS Office or OpenOffice on any business systems these days.<br /><br />I didn't know it was even still in production. <br /><br />It's nice to see it hasn't disappeared entirely. I don't see it replacing Open Office or MS Office any time soon, but it's still nice to see it out there.

[Commander_Spock]

If "Vegaman_Dan's" Blinders are not still on...

... Here is an indication that Notes &#38; Domino are very much still in use by some smart folks at CUNY:<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://domino1.cuny.edu/" target="_newWindow">http://domino1.cuny.edu/</a><br /><br />Watch out for the Tsunami!

[Commander_Spock]

Mixing Apples with Oranges!

&gt;&gt;&gt;"I haven't seen an installation of Notes on a system in years. It's either MS Office or OpenOffice on any business systems these days."&lt;&lt;&lt; Perhaps, some consultation with one of the graduates of Baruch College's (Continuing Ed) Class of 1994 might help you to distinguish between "Open Office or MS Office (both being Code-Base Lotus Smartsuite) or Lotus Notes and the Spreadsheet That Rocked The World like an earthquake (our sympathies to the Peruvian folks) incidentally that quake was an magnitude-8.0 just like the the Notes Ver 8.0. So, the question is: Are the folks living of MS Office, along with "Vegaman_Dan" et al prepared for the "Tsunami" wave that will follow the Lotus Notes 8.0 quake (oops, Friday Launch)

[Commander_Spock]

"Baruch College's (Continuing Ed) Class of 1994 Teacher...

... helped prepared the power in the "sea-change" waves that coming in Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet To Rock The World - Again! And, that's just it. So, watch out "Google Spreadsheets" you are about to be GOOGLED too. Wow!

[Commander_Spock]

HI FOLKS, IT IS PARTY TIME.

LOTUS NOTES AND DOMINO 8.0 ARE HERE!<br /><br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product4.nsf/wdocs/productivitytools" target="_newWindow">http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product4.nsf/wdocs/productivitytools</a><br /><br />"IBM® Lotus Notes® 8 software includes a set of office productivity tools which support the Open Document Format (ODF) standard. These productivity tools include word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation capabilities. Lotus Notes users will be able to create, manage, edit, and import documents in ODF. The IBM productivity tools can also import and edit Microsoft® Office documents and export those documents to ODF for sharing with ODF-compliant applications and solutions.<br /><br />Open standards means you don?t need to worry about end of life uncertainties or expensive, ongoing software licensing and royalty fees -- providing you the opportunity to save money and reduce your Total Cost of Ownership."<br /><br />ALL HANDS IN THE AIR AND SHAKE THAT BODY!<br /><br />CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM LOTUS!