Web Mail Template versus iNotes

[hcl-bot]

If somebody suggested that they would be able to develop the complete function set in iNotes using the web mail template would you:

a) Laugh

b) Write them a blank cheque

c) Wait for 6.0.2

???

[hcl-bot]

Subject: Web Mail Template versus iNotes

Amen in regards to the upload controls. I have yet to figure out why Lotus won’t give those up.

[hcl-bot]

Subject: I’m still laughing

[hcl-bot]

Subject: RE: I’m still laughing

Hi Nuno,

In all seriousness, why the laughter? We have just converted all 7 of our Notes servers to version 6.01 and have upgraded the design of our Domino Directories to the R6 template for that database. We have been on the ‘iNotes5’ mail template for about a year and a half and have had great success-- especially for the webmail interface. Our thought was to go to the ‘iNotes6’ template over the next couple of weeks. Will we be losing core functionalities in our client and/or webmail by moving forward at this point?

Thanks,

Patrick

[hcl-bot]

Subject: RE: I’m still laughing

Hi Patrick,

As I understood Garry’s post, someone claimed to be able to develop the whole set of iNotes functionality into the webmail template - though this would be great if it would be available to all the other platforms that are currently left out of the “iNotes experience” - I simply can’t believe it would even be feasible. If I recall correctly, Lotus had to modify the Domino server code to allow iNotes to be shipped in 5.0.8, as it would not work with a “normal” Domino server.

Now, you are talking about something else - you’re comparing the iNotes5 template with iNotes6. You will definitely not loose anything with it, but probably gain (I can’t guarantee you will, I haven’t used iNotes6 yet).

Webmail and iNotes, from where I come from, mean different things:

iNotes (Web Access): Feature-rich web-based mail client, with full access to one’s mailbox, personal address book, calendar and Todo, access delegation, off-line usage et al. Based on iNotes5/6.ntf

Webmail: Feature-less web-based mail client, allows for simple usage of your mailbox using a web browser. It does most of what we need, but maybe not enough for full-time usage. Based on mail5/6.ntf

That’s why I’m still laughing at the idea that someone (external to Lotus) would be able to implement iNotes on top of webmail.

I work for an IBM business partner and we (also) do Domino/Notes development. When I saw Garry’s post I immediately thought of a colleague I have doing Sales that, about 2 weeks ago, thought it would be absolutely no problem to honor the client’s request to use Netware as the OS for the Domino server. (If you don’t know, Netware was dropped as a supported platform in 5.0).

He’s the kind of person that could, under the correct sign-that-deal pressure, tell the customer it would be no problem to modify the webmail template so that it provides all the iNotes functionality and, for instance, can be used from that customer’s MAC or Linux workstations.

So, yes, I’m still laughing.

I’m sorry if I misunderstood the initial post, but I just re-read it and I still feel like laughing

Best regards,

Nuno

[hcl-bot]

Subject: Not really all that hard… re: I’m still laughing

While iNotes has some very neat stuff, duplicating the functionality in “WebMail” is not that big a deal. Well… it’s a big deal, but it’s not insurmountable by a knowledgable and professional team.

There is a lot of native server code for iNotes in Domino, but this isn’t because it can’t be done in other versions. It’s because the designers were looking for performance efficiencies that are tough to achieve out of native Domino code.

At its heart, iNotes is a browser DOM application. It’s not really any more complicated than the R6 Web Administrator, which itself is done natively in Domino. Sure, there’s cross-frame interaction, drag & drop support, lots of collapsable visibility controls, and some neat calendar selection tools, but these are concepts that have been available on public web code sites for years. They’ve nicely integrated some ActiveX tools for file attachments and the like, but all of that is available through general DHTML development, too.

That’s all not to say that it’s be easy or anything. But all the apparent internal “nagic” with iNotes is for performance & caching purposes, not actual interface capabilities.

It’s a real shame that those neat interface widgets have still not been made available to native Domino designers. I can’t think of any reason why, for instance, the DHTML calendar widget in the iNotes client isn’t available for any date field generated by Domino. Or why the multi-file upload control is in iNotes and Quickplace, but I can’t just select it when I’m building my own Domino app.

[hcl-bot]

Subject: RE: Not really all that hard… re: I’m still laughing

I agree, I see no reason for not making those controls available, and I knoe when I was working at Lotus these were requested all the time. I have lots of apps, where these controls could have made life so much easier.

Someone somewhere just doesn’t seem to get how much better 3rd party apps would be with these controls, or then again maybe they do, and that’s what scares them.

[hcl-bot]

Subject: RE: Not really all that hard… re: I’m still laughing

OK, point taken - I might have over-reacted with all that laughter

As an ex-Loti myself as well, I do know that there are reasons beyond what mets the eye on the way Lotus does (or does not) open the Domino environment to Designer developers.

Anyway Nathan, taking into consideration the recent announcements of further platform support for iNotes, would it be a sound decision to invest time and money trying to duplicate iNotes functionality?

And I’m sure you know as well as I do that a “knowledgable and professional team” is a) not that easy to find in the market and b) not cheap at all.

So, getting back to the original post:

would you:

a) Laugh

b) Write them a blank cheque

c) Wait for 6.0.2

Definitely a) and then c) with reservations

I just want to use sametime without using Microsoft’s VM (which I believe is a much smaller requirement - see: ) and even that I don’t get.

Cheers,

Nuno

[hcl-bot]

Subject: Answer to the question… re: Not really all that hard… re: I’m still laughing

I would d) ask to see a demonstration before I did anything.

But I agree… the payoff of such an effort seems low.