I was once a top poster in this forum, always answers and instead of questions. Now I am finally prompted to post again, perhaps for the last time.
I am posting now because I just solved a major business problem for a company, and I did it because of my Notes / Domino expertise in apps development and web administration. I have the skills to solve this problem with other technologies, but the extremely tight time frames dictated the rapid apps development that comes with Lotus. Security was key, too. What irks me is that the executives in this company believe that “No one uses Lotus Notes anymore.”
I once worked for a company where the owner insulted me simply because I used Notes, never mind the profits I once made for him. I also worked for companies that are now undertaking years-long projects to eliminate Notes. When I ask why, they typically say the executives ordered it and that Microsoft will underwrite the cost to kill Notes.
I once did consulting for a company that won an award largely because of the app I built for them. When I read about the award in a newspaper, I was shocked to read that the president took all the credit for the award. He never mentioned me, my consulting firm or Lotus Notes. Sorry I cannot give details, but my consulting company president knows Microsoft products inside and out, and he knew that Microsoft products could not have addressed the needs of this business and their employees.
So it was a good run, Lotus. I was known in multiple US states as the go-to guy for what I did. (I cannot say what I did. It would be too obvious.) I once wrote Lotus code that performed a function that was later added to the Lotus Domino product. (Lotus did not get it from me, it was just obviously important, and Lotus pays attention to what is obviously important.) That client simply paid me chump change, and told me to get lost. “It was just Lotus Notes” to them. They admitted later they had no idea how valuable my code could have been to them.
I cannot analyze exactly what happened. Certainly, the recent economic collapse did not help. Also, it seems that Microsoft is more intent on destroying Notes than IBM is in maintaining it. Of course, Notes is not dead. Indeed, the more I work with other technologies, the more I realize that IBM is committed to improving Notes. But after years of making a living with Notes, I must realize that time is over for me. Too bad I’m too young to retire. It is even worse for the companies that are making investments to kill Notes internally. I’m seeing multiples of them, and they are mostly wasting money, spreading untruths and reducing internal efficiencies.
It was a nice run though. Despite my problems from those inside Lotus and outside, I had some good experiences.