I have been working with Lotus Notes for 12 years.
The Eclipse Client, Designer is the worse release of this product in the 12 years I have been working with Notes.
It is absolutely a piece of crap!
IBM should be ashamed that they released this product.
Is IBM trying to out perform Microsoft in incompetence?
Subject: quite the opposite here
I’m working with the Eclipse version since it was released and while I’ve run into a few problems with the new Eclipse designer (and compatibility or coexistence with the “classical” one) and have had to come up with a few workarounds for common issues, this release is… hm… the greatest progress Designer-wise since the original LS designer. It finally provides solutions that the people have been asking for “12+” years . It was not quick - I’ve been waiting for quite a some time for a release like this.
And yes, if you do not like - disable it in preferences and use the old version.
Subject: How can you like DDE?
Maybe I’m missing something here. I would like to know from people who do not have problems in DDE how they do it?
Do you have a top of the line machine? Do you only have one database open? Are you working with only one monitor? Do you not switch back and forth between Notes and DDE? Are you using xPages?
What is your secret?
Because I am really surprised that anyone could possibly defend DDE performance. I’m not talking about what it can do - which is impressive and the only reason I continue to use it. I’m simply talking about how DDE functions, which is deplorable for me and seemingly everyone else.
Subject: Thanks for that
I always like to read this forum for some detailed analysis of an issue.
Speed, reliability, feature set? Come on, give us a clue.
I’m always amazed that people can be bothered to login, create a posting, carefully select an appropriate expletive and then completely forget to add a fact.
Yes, problems exist, but don’t kid yourself that life is rosy in the Exchange world either. At least YOU still have Domino to rely on.
Subject: Buggy!
I have to say that I find the 8.5.1 eclipse based Domino Designer to be buggy and slow. It crashes for no apparent reason and occasioanally when I type things in the cursor moves backwards!
I wonder if IBM actually test this stuff?
Subject: Focus and specifics are the future
Is there any way this community could channel its observations through to IBM in a focussed and structured way?
Thousands of disparate bug reports will just become noise, If we could have one voice then we may get things done.
Does anyone have any kind of high level contact in IBM?
Or as another approach could we get proper, detailed bug reports submitted in priority order and the whole community follow up on these bugs, refer to them in communications, blog about them etc.?
I reckon a coordinated effort by the community is the best chance of getting real issues resolved, but there has to be some effort to investigate issues, detail steps on how to reproduce, get others to check thing to ensure they are not environmental issues etc.
Any opinions?
Subject: Answer to your questions
Is there any way this community could channel >its observations through to IBM in a focussed >and structured way?
Three ways.
Open a PMR with support. The issue gets verified by support and either matched against an existing issue or logs a new one into the SPR system.
Use this forum. If you find a bug and detail it enough for development or support to reproduce then it gets logged.
This is more for feature requests but if you don’t have a support contract you can post enhancement requests on IdeaJam ( http://ideajam.net/ ).
Or as another approach could we get proper,
detailed bug reports submitted in priority
order and the whole community follow up on
these bugs, refer to them in communications,
blog about them etc.?
SPRs reported here or through support tend to have a tech note created on them. For ones logged through support will also have an APAR put against them. You can check here.
Subject: Well…
You can criticize his post for its lack of detail and tact. His point, however, is quite reflective of my own and others’ experience with DD 8.5.x. I have run into, and continue to run into, a mind-numbing array of bugs, regressions, and simply out-and-out bizarre behavior with the DD 8.5.x client. Rare indeed is the day when I don’t experience at least one crash. This is especially pronounced when using the client in debug mode while testing.
You want examples? Fine. How about the fact that, DDE frequently deletes all of my script ABOVE my deletion point when I’m deleting some code. How about the fact that when inputting an @formula command, if you insert two consecutive carriage returns in your formula, the following line is restricted to five characters? How about the fact that the LS debugger frequently “forgets” where in the script it is executing, thereby bypassing breakpoints and entire sub and function calls?
I could go on, and on, and on, but why bother? Fact is, DDE 8.5.x ain’t ready for prime time, IBM’s protestations notwithstanding.
Subject: The biggest problem here is the intermittency.
99% of these focus/crash/etc. issues are not reproducible on-demand, therefore opening an SPR is virtually useless.
Fortunately there seems to be lots of interest by IBM about these types of problems over the past month, so hopefully we’ll see some of these bugs get cleaned up soon.
Subject: Ding ding ding
Glad to here there’s more attention being paid…
Subject: That doesn’t seem to be my experience at all!
‘seems to be lots of interest by IBM’ - not my experience in my world!
I also open a lot of PMRs with IBM, but my experience is that 99% of the time, their interest is in getting the PMR closed, not in fixing the product.
I understand that occasionally it is difficult to resolve a problem unless it can be reproduced, but in the past year or two, it’s been my experience that once reproduced, the Support Rep closes the ticket. Since it works that way for them, too, it must be ‘working as designed’.
It’s sure not like the old days!
Subject: If you feel you are not getting the correct service.
Then please ask to speak to a Manager. It normally should be in the signature of the engineer talking to you (at least for EMEA). If not ask them for a callback or the email address of the manager.
Subject: I was more satisifed with the lack of support before I did that!
Here is the latest response I rec’d from a Manager at the Support Center:
Hi Mark,
I am 's manager in the Lotus support center in Austin. passed along your feedback and dissatisfaction with the Lotus Domino product quality. It seems as if you have had several pmrs closed with ‘No Plans to Fix’ for the associated SPR. I do apologize for your frustration in that regard and understand how you can feel that way. Our product development group reviews SPRs based on a weighting system which takes into account the number of trouble reports by customers, problem severity and other factors. Often times when SPRs gain sufficient weight they are reconsidered for inclusion in a future release. Once again, I do understand your frustration and will convey the concern to the development team. Please let me know if there is anything further we can do to assist you in this matter. Thank you for providing frank feedback because that is the only way we can improve our product and support quality.
Meanwhile, the plans to roll out 8.x are still on hold…
Subject: Ah OK.
Well the main point there I would say is that if you are not satisfied with the email then get the manager on a phone to talk to them. Explain your business impact and other details.
Email can sometimes be a bit impersonal (unintentionally).
I have no knowledge of PMRs you worked on so it is not something I can comment on (and certainly not on a public forum). 
I’ll flag your feedback for attention.
Subject: Yeah, that’s the lamest thing about IBM support policy today.
You: “Hi, I’ve got an issue, here’s how to reproduce it.”
Support: “Great, thanks, I’ve reproduced it. I’ve written an SPR, it’s # XXXXXXX. Development will now investigate. Can we close the PMR?”
You: “Um, how about we leave it open until we see what development is going to do with it?”
Support: “I don’t know when they’ll look at it. There’s really nothing more we can do at this point until they review it. Can we close the PMR?”
You: “Ok. Can I be notifed as the SPR is updated?”
Support: “No, I don’t have a way to do that. You can check the Fix List Database though to see if it ever shows up in there. Can we close the PMR?”
…
The people tend to be wonderful to work with, but the policy is frustrating, to say the least.
Subject: There are kind of two issues here.
You have support and development.
For the support engineer while your PMR is open apart from trying to resolve your issue there is added internal work which the customer never sees. Even if I was to say mark your PMR for a follow up 2 months later there is overhead in that time which takes time away from resolving other issues. In such cases (if required) it is better to close the PMR and reopen a new one at the later date and cite that number.
Once an SPR is in development it is pretty much out of supports hands.
The best way to track an SPR/APAR through the external system. If you have an AVP account (higher paying support contract) then your AVL will look after tracking your issues for you independent of support/development.
Also I believe the support portal has an option to track your APARs/SPRs (haven’t used it, so not 100% sure on that).
Kind of blogged on this a long time ago.
https://www.bleedyellow.com/blogs/Simon/entry/getting_the_most_from_lotus_support7?lang=en_us