Announcements on IBM Domino and Notes 10 and Beyond for numerous products
IBM has partnered with HCL Technologies to invest in a long-term roadmap for the IBM Domino product line and family. This means updates for Domino, Notes, Sametime, Verse, and more
.To show IBM’s level of commitment to stakeholders, the company is entering into a strategic partnership with HCL Technologies to begin delivering on the roadmap with the intent to release version 10 of the Domino portfolio next year. The goal of the partnership is to drive future development of the Domino product family, energize the offering, and protect clients’ investments.
This means to customers that the original fixpack featurepack and support only announcements are totally gone. IBM had previously promised small enhancements and bug fixes through more consistent featurepacks. They were staying away from delivering an entirely new version number for many reasons. One was speed of delivery, legal naming and all that stuff we geeks just say give us a 10. With this move and the below #domino2025 jam announcement, IBM has fully committed to enhancing the entire product family.
Continue Reading here" Announcements on IBM Domino and Notes 10 and Beyond for numerous products" »
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On Thursday, October 26th, 2017 by Chris Miller
Securing your IBM Traveler - required by Jan 1 2017
It is important to note that failure to meet all of the requirements listed below may result in your Verse for iOS, Verse for Android, IBM Notes Traveler Companion and IBM Notes Traveler To Do apps being unable to connect to your Traveler servers.
There is a list of requirements on the support page that walks you through exactly what you need to do and look for. Minimum requirements (if connecting straight to the IBM Traveler server and not an intermediary) are Domino 9.0.1 Fix Pack 5 or later so you can make sure you have TLS 1.2 with the latest cipher protocols.
I suggest walking through the support document sooner than later since January 1 2017 is coming up quickly.
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On Tuesday, October 11th, 2016 by Chris Miller
IBM mail support for MS Outlook (IMSMO) V2.0 announcement - formerly Project Hawthorn
IBM has announced the General Availability of IBM Mail Support for Microsoft Outlook (IMSMO) version 2.0. This means that everyone is now eligible to download and install IMSMO.
Here is the announcement from IBM about the general availability of IMSMO
IBM mail support for Microsoft Outlook enables you to connect a Microsoft Outlook client to a Domino V9.0.1 Server. As a Domino V9.0.1 user, you can download IBM mail support for Microsoft Outlook at no charge from Passport Advantage
If you are currently part of the Project Hawthorn program, Continue Reading here" IBM mail support for MS Outlook (IMSMO) V2.0 announcement - formerly Project Hawthorn" »
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On Tuesday, July 5th, 2016 by Chris Miller
What is the IBM Notes Traveler Load Balancing algorithm
What is the Master Monitor Continue Reading here" What is the IBM Notes Traveler Load Balancing algorithm" »
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On Thursday, April 14th, 2016 by Chris Miller
From the Inbox: Number of Lotus Traveler HTTP Threads
Here is the issue we are facing. We deployed Traveler and it grew quickly. We now see delays and even hangs in HTTP. IBM has said to adjust the HTTP threads and send a ton of links and info. Is there an easy way to figure out the best number?
Continue Reading here" From the Inbox: Number of Lotus Traveler HTTP Threads" »
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On Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 by Chris Miller
What’s new in IBM Traveler 9.0.1.9
Ghosted calendar events on iOS and Android devicesEvents that have not yet been accepted now display as "Ghosted" on the calendar view on iOS and Android devices. You can select these entries from the calendar to work with them.
Exporting IBM Verse contacts to the device Contacts app on iOS devices
You can now export your Verse contacts to the Contacts app on your iOS device, and interact them natively like all your regular contacts. This option is disabled by default, and must be enabled by your system administrator.
Support for personal groups for IBM Verse on Android and iOS devices
When composing a new mail or creating a new event you can now add Personal Groups as recipients/invitees. When the mail/event is sent, Personal Groups are expanded so that the mail/event will be sent to each group member.
Performing enterprise database maintenance
You can now perform database maintenance using the IBM Traveler server. This can be done using the new tell command DBMaint. This includes functionality to schedule automatic database maintenance on a configurable interval.
Windows Mobile Phone 10 devices
Support has been added for Windows Mobile Phone 10 devices.
More information can be found here.
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On Monday, January 18th, 2016 by Chris Miller
IBM Traveler 9.0.1.8 Is Released and Has a New Tool!
Running this command performs an online reorganization of the IBM Traveler table's indexes. It will also run statistics on all indexes in the IBM Traveler database. If IBM Traveler is stand alone, then it will set the configuration parameter NTS_DEFRAG_ONCE to one. This will cause the server to perform maintenance on the standalone database on the next start up.
You can read more about the enhancements and the tool on my SocialBizUg article. Make sure you subscribe to the monthly newsletter (at the bottom) or the RSS feed.
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On Wednesday, November 4th, 2015 by Chris Miller
IBM Connections Cloud enhancements for May 2015
- Upload an email file attachment to the cloud
- Let others know when you're out of the office
- See the report-to structure for mail recipients
- Switch between IBM Verse and SmartCloud Notes web (iNotes)
- IBM Verse for iPhone
- New push notifications for Lotus Traveler
See the previous IBM Connections Cloud enhancement posts right here (and previous SmartCloud naming ones) on IdoNotes
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On Thursday, May 14th, 2015 by Chris Miller
What’s new in IBM Traveler 9.0.1.4
- Support for IBM Verse (there seems to be some issues however)
- Marking IBM Verse contacts as favorites
- Attendee status displays for meeting chair
- The At-Glance widget displays when receiving new mail from "Important to me" contacts
- Actions menu on Android clients
- Support for Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7
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On Monday, May 4th, 2015 by Chris Miller
Notes Traveler: SEVERE <username> Error parsing ActiveSync message
To remove this error from appearing on the Traveler server's console, the specified users will need to not use the device's native mail application to sync their mailfile, instead make use of the IBM Notes Traveler application/client downloaded directly from the server via the Traveler Server's URL or from the Google Play store.
I wish it would just block other client types but the actual Traveler app or allowed types (like Sametime)
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On Friday, August 15th, 2014 by Chris Miller
New in Blackberry OS 10.2.1 is IBM Lotus Traveler connection type
I was surprised at the number of new features, not just fixes, that are available in this release. http://crackberry.com/whats-new-blackberry-os-1021
See my posting comparing the Blackberrry Z10 and Q10 devices. See more updates and hands-on with the BlackBerry 10 devices on BlackBerry Today.
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On Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014 by Chris Miller
IBM Traveler quick user survey
Please take this 10 minute survey: https://www-950.ibm.com/survey/oid/wsb.dll/s/ag589 and tell us what information is important for you to see when looking up a person, how you like to organize your personal and business contacts, if you use IBM NotesTraveler Lookup, and more!
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On Wednesday, June 25th, 2014 by Chris Miller
I Only Want Email on My iPhone from Traveler When I Say So
Continue Reading here" I Only Want Email on My iPhone from Traveler When I Say So" »
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On Monday, April 28th, 2014 by Chris Miller
Upgrade of Notes Traveler servers recommended to address issues with BlackBerry 10.2.1 devices
Issues: Continue Reading here" Upgrade of Notes Traveler servers recommended to address issues with BlackBerry 10.2.1 devices" »
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On Friday, February 7th, 2014 by Chris Miller
Project Hawthorn notes - more on Microsoft Outlook 2013 and IBM Domino
This is based on what I could quickly write down based on what Scott Souder, Program Director, Messaging and Collaboration Solutions, IBM, was saying. Then I had to read my own writing which made it worse while writing slides at the same time. So here you go:
- This is not IMAP or POP3
- You will use Domino 9.x.x and Traveler 9.x.x or higher. No Domino 8.x support for the server or Traveler
- It is 64-bit Domino and 64-Bit Traveler on Windows 64-bit. No other OS announced yet for the server side
- The Microsoft add-in for Outlook leverages Domino REST services
- There will be tons of capabilities for message fidelity, calendaring, out of office and more
- Windows only (I presume Windows 7 on since it is Outlook 2013)
- It uses ost files and not pst files locally on the client machine
As you can see the list of features for Microsoft Outlook 2013 against IBM Domino is impressive. I think he mentioned encryption but that might have been a question to myself in my notes.
Make sure to read the previous posting Project Hawthorn - Microsoft Outlook 2013 support for IBM Domino
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On Tuesday, August 27th, 2013 by Chris Miller
Tracking IBM Lotus technotes, hotfixes and fixpacks
- Lotus Support Mega Feed sidebar widget
- Lotus Tech Documents feed on Twitter using Yahoo Pipes
- Blogger and technical search widget right from inside your client
- SNAPPS and IdoNotes enhanced search plug-in for Lotus Notes
So as you see it has evolved over the years as the material to collect grows and the capabilities grow the list of fixes have too. So I will be adding the Notes/Domino Fix List full RSS feed to some of the above to give you timely information when fixes and being addressed and in what version
Let me know what other tools you need or sources added and I will make sure I get them included to help you find the information quicker. Ok everything but IBM PartnerWorld. No one can help you there.
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On Thursday, May 23rd, 2013 by Chris Miller
Replay for What’s New in IBM Domino, Traveler and Notes 9 is now online
The webcast with Gabriella Davis, Paul Mooney and myself on What's New in IBM Domino, Notes & Traveler 9.0 replay is now on YouTube and available at Consultant In Your Pocket.
Also announcing What's New in IBM Domino Designer 9.0 on April 11 2013 with Paul Calhoun and Kathy Brown. Registration is open now.
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On Monday, April 1st, 2013 by Chris Miller
BLUG 2013 keynote with Scott Souder and Louis Richardson of IBM
Join Scott Souder and Louis Richardson of IBM as they keynote BLUG (Benelux Lotus User Group) 2013 in Leuven, Belgium.
Scott Souder covers IBM Notes and Domino Social Edition, Lotus Traveler and more.
Louis Richardson discusses creativity crisis
This is an outstanding keynote worth paying close attention to all the details
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View the list of all the IamLUG 2013 sessions and then make sure you register now while there are still seats. You can also register for this TackItOn session from the IamLUG website
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note: sorry for the angle as the full tripod did not make it in time.
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On Friday, March 29th, 2013 by Chris Miller
What’s New In Notes, Domino, Traveler & XWork Server 9.0 webcast
From the Consultant In Your Pocket blog posting.
We are pleased to announce the What's New In IBM Notes & Domino Social Edition, Traveler and XWorks 9.0 webcast from Consultant In Your Pocket. This webcast will feature a panel of IBM business partners giving their opinions on enhancements, features and more.
Confirmed panelists are already Paul Mooney, Gabriella Davis and Mat Newman moderated by Chris Miller.
You can register for the event, for free, right here and join us live to ask questions and get our insight into the hottest capabilities coming.
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On Monday, March 25th, 2013 by Chris Miller
Webcast registration open for "What’s New in IBM Notes & Domino 9 Social Edition, Traveler and XWorks Server"
We are pleased to announce the What's New In IBM Notes & Domino Social Edition, Traveler and XWorks 9.0 webcast from Consultant In Your Pocket. This webcast will feature a panel of IBM business partners giving their opinions on enhancements, features and more.
Confirmed panelists are already Paul Mooney, Gabriella Davis and Mat Newman moderated by Chris Miller.
You can register for the event, for free, right here and join us live to ask questions and get our insight into the hottest capabilities coming.
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On Thursday, March 14th, 2013 by Chris Miller
August 2012 Sys Admin Tips is out on LotusUserGroup
- IBM X-Push Error in Lotus Traveler
- Sametime Configuration Validator
- Updated security certificates for iOS
- ID recovery failures
Related posts:
I post all the Sys Admin Tips links each and every month
Visit the Connectria website today and find out why we offer the best in Lotus Software hosting and management.
Eat.Sleep.Host It is what we do.
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On Thursday, August 23rd, 2012 by Chris Miller
IBM interested in RIM enterprise services. What would that mean?
Research In Motion has been approached by IBM to discuss a possible sale of the BlackBerry maker's enterprise-services division, a new report claims.
Imagine a network offering secure email services to devices for Lotus Traveler? A network that already expands globally and could contain some of the data center assets required to run it? This could be a huge move into the mobility space IBM is carefully going after with numerous resources and directives.
Thoughts?
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On Friday, August 10th, 2012 by Chris Miller
Lotus Traveler 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1 and High Availability launching - watch the webcast replay
With the release of Lotus Traveler 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1 and the High Availability option due soon, we have the full replay available of the webcast from June 21st with Gabriella Davis, Paul Mooney and myself.
We run through the new Android interface, new web management, high availability deployment and more features.
You can visit the Consultant In Your Pocket site to get the slides and more information on our webcast sponsor GSX Groupware Solutions and their excellent Lotus Traveler monitoring product.
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On Monday, June 25th, 2012 by Chris Miller
Space left for Lotus Traveler High Availability webcast on June 21!
Join Paul Mooney, Gabriella Davis and Chris Miller as they cover:
- the service pool ability
- new Android tablet interface
- new web based administration
- client manager
- notes.ini changes
- better link handling
- Scheduled sync settings
- Filter limits
- and so much more!
So get over and register for this free webcast
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On Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 by Chris Miller
What’s New in Lotus Traveler!! A free webcast with Paul Mooney, Gab Davis and Chris Miller
We will discuss:
- the service pool ability
- new Android tablet interface
- new web based administration
- client manager
- notes.ini changes
- better link handling
- Scheduled sync settings
- Filter limits
- and so much more!
So get over and register for this free webcast taking place June 21st at 10am CST. Space is limited and you can always ask live questions to the panel.
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On Thursday, June 7th, 2012 by Chris Miller
May 2012 Sys Admin Tips is out on LotusUserGroup
- GAMLN Questions (read my 10 part series starting here)
- Groups Are Being Removed When Sending Mail
- Controlling Automatic Showing of Remote Images
- Lotus Traveler on the BlackBerry Playbook Update
Watch the new webcast replay with Kathy Brown and Jess Stratton from Consultant In Your Pocket as we kick off the spring season titled Collaboration Party of One
Subscribe to the IdoNotes newsletter on the right to get notified as registration opens and for some free whitepapers.
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On Wednesday, May 30th, 2012 by Chris Miller
Load Lotus Traveler and move to BES Express to save costs. RIM Whitepaper explains how
I ran across a Research in Motion whitepaper about saving costs by moving from BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) to BES Express. It then had me thinking that with the huge BYOD movement and growth of Lotus Traveler this would be perfect for everyone to read so I am able to get you the whitepaper here. We are gaining lots of requests around managing both BlackBerry Enterprise Server for those slowly removing them from the infrastructure and also growth in Lotus Traveler hosting and device management. With the whitepaper from RIM, it shows how moving to BES Express for smaller userbase sizes can save money and even shows some example cost savings. |
It now makes sense for most organizations to create a dual BlackBerry® environment and move at least some users to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express--a free, slimmed-down version of its larger cousin. The extra effort is minimal, the essential features and security are nearly identical, and the benefits are impossible to ignore. This paper looks at why and how to get this done.
So what does this mean to BYOD and existing BlackBerry implementations? You can start thinking about Lotus Traveler implementations while saving money and with the enhanced device support in each release of Traveler you don't have to worry as much about controlling corporate data on employee owned devices.
Don't forget that last week I got you a free ebook copy of Cloud for Dummies by IBM that is still available for a few more days.
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On Monday, May 14th, 2012 by Chris Miller
AusLUG 2012 Keynote replay with Ed Brill of IBM
AusLUG 2012 kicked off in Melbourne, Australia with Mat Newman introducing Ed Brill as the keynote speaker in this video replay. Ed covered strategy and futures before handing it over to Stuart for live demos and Ted Stanton with more insight. This keynote runs just at an hour and thirty minutes.
Visit AusLUG to get more information on sessions and register for their Lotus Connections community.
Also make sure to watch the keynote from Chris Crummey at BLUG 2012 in Antwerp, Belgium from the week before, Spiked Studio is happy to have produced both videos for replay. Make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel to stay up to date on all the videos as they get released.
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On Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 by Chris Miller
IdoNotes Episode 122 - Lotus Traveler on BlackBerry Playbook via Android
After numerous emails about the best way to load Lotus Traveler on the BlackBerry Playbook and much dispute of what worked, I went ahead and tackled it for you in this video.
I was unable to hit and load the Lotus Traveler server via the Playbook by using the servlet/traveler web interface or going via ActiveSync. Some of you have emailed and commented success and a lot depends on versions of servers, policies and more it seems.
So take make it easy for you I created a signed .bar file that you can sideload onto your BlackBerry Playbook if you must have Traveler working and want to use the Android player built into OS 2.0. It just works!
Here is the signed Lotus Traveler.bar file from Spiked Studio. This must be sideloaded onto your Playbook while developer mode is enabled (no rooting it is just a switch in preferences). I used DDPBInstaller to do it, you can find that free on the web.
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On Monday, March 5th, 2012 by Chris Miller
IBM Pulse 2012 - set to stream keynotes for first time
Continue Reading here" IBM Pulse 2012 - set to stream keynotes for first time" »
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On Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 by Chris Miller
Lotus Traveler Device Support Updates
Android 4.0 and Apple iOS 5 Support:
For 8.5.3.x: Please apply Traveler 8.5.3.1 PLUS the Android client build 8.5.3.1 Build 20111207_1606 found on the Recommended Maintenance page.For 8.5.2.x: Please apply Traveler 8.5.2.4 HF1 found on the Recommended Maintenance page.
Devices under evaluation for possible future support:
As mentioned in this IBM press release, IBM intends to support Microsoft Windows Phone in a future release of IBM Lotus Notes Traveler. IBM intends to support several devices such as the Nokia Lumia line and some from HTC.For our support statement regarding Kindle Fire or Barnes & Noble Nook Android device support, please reference this technote.
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On Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 by Chris Miller
IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices launches into beta plus news
Unify management of mobile devices and traditional endpoints
With the ever-growing number of smartphone options and the recent explosion of tablet computers, IT departments must find an efficient and secure way to enable employees’ use of mobile devices in the work place. Services such as application management and security controls have been delivered by IT organizations for years, but mobile device platforms have unique management needs that disrupt the traditional paradigm. However, rather than implement a separate infrastructure solely for mobile devices, organizations could benefit from a single solution that effectively accounts for these unique needs while providing unified endpoint management.
Now, with IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices, currently in Beta, enterprises can leverage the BigFix infrastructure to secure and manage traditional endpoints as well as Apple iOS, Google Android, Symbian, and Microsoft Windows Phone devices.
Continue Reading here" IBM Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices launches into beta plus news" »
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On Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 by Chris Miller
January 2012 Sys Admin Tips is out on LotusUserGroup.org
- From the Idonotes mailbox: Citrix performance and Notes Standard client
- OpenSocial as an administrator
- Lotus Traveler device ids and names of devices
- From the IdoNotes mailbox: A failed Sametime 8.5.2 IF1 upgrade attempt
Look for a bunch of new webcasts coming along from Consultant In Your Pocket as we kick off the spring season
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On Monday, January 30th, 2012 by Chris Miller
IBM to announce Windows Mobile support for Lotus Traveler at Lotusphere 2012 (via ZDNET) #ls12
IBM also highlighted the beta of Lotus Notes and Domino, Social Edition as well as plans to support Microsoft Windows Phone devices for its upcoming Lotus Notes Traveler software.
Continue Reading here" IBM to announce Windows Mobile support for Lotus Traveler at Lotusphere 2012 (via ZDNET) #ls12" »
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On Sunday, January 15th, 2012 by Chris Miller
November 2011 Sys Admin Tips is out on LotusUserGroup.org
In this Nov 2011 edition I discuss disaster planning in the editorial section and the following:
* From the IdoNotes Mailbox: Update on Words with Buttons Disappearing
* Sametime Security Vulnerability Announced
* Quick Tip: Upgrade Domino or Traveler First
* From the IdoNotes Mailbox : Lotus Traveler Issue - Help!
Do not forget to watch the "What's New in Lotus, Domino, Traveler & IBM XWork Server 8.5.3" webcast that was on October 4th from Consultant In Your Pocket.
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On Thursday, November 17th, 2011 by Chris Miller
"What’s New in 8.5.3 Notes, Domino, Traveler & XWork Server" - REPLAY online
We are happy to announce that the full recording of the "What's New in 8.5.3 Notes, Domino, Traveler & IBM XWork Server" from Consultant in Your Pocket is online and ready for streaming.
Look for details surrounding IBM XWork Server, the entitlement for IBM Lotus Connections and mobility discussions around iOS, Android and Symbian.
- 8.5.3 system requirements from Mitch Cohen
- Lotus Connections entitlement area from Ed Brill
- Mobile client screenshots from Inside Lotus Blog
Brought to you by Connectria, you leader in IBM software and hardware hosting.
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On Wednesday, October 5th, 2011 by Chris Miller
IBM XWork Server news added to Oct 4th webcast
We are pleased to announce the addition of the announcement of the IBM XWork Server to the What's New in Notes, Domino, Traveler & IBM XWork Server in 8.5.3 webcast from Consultant In Your Pocket. This webcast will feature a panel of IBM business partners giving their opinions on enhancements, features and more. Plus tons of news on the IBM XWork Server.
We have also added Marie Scott from Virginia Commonwealth University to the panel!
Registration for the webcast is open! It will be held Oct 4, 2011 at 10am CST.
You can stream any previous webcast at the Consultant In Your Pocket site. Recent webcasts include:
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On Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 by Chris Miller
What’s New in Notes, Domino & Traveler 8.5.3 webcast on Oct 4th
We are pleased to announce the What's New in Notes, Domino & Traveler 8.5.3 webcast from Consultant In Your Pocket. This webcast will feature a panel of IBM business partners giving their opinions on enhancements, features and more.
Registration for the webcast is open! It will be held Oct 4, 2011 at 10am CST.
You can stream any previous webcast at the Consultant In Your Pocket site. Recent webcasts include:
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On Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 by Chris Miller
Participate in a Lotus User Experience Study
Lotus is looking for volunteers to submit for a futures usability study. It runs this and next week. Details below!
The Lotus User Experience Research team is conducting user research the week of August 22nd (extending to the week of Aug 29th as needed) and is looking for participants.
You will be asked to attend a 60-90 minute online session (connection details to follow) where strategic design direction, encompassing multiple IBM products, will be shown and discussed.
We are looking for a diverse audience to represent a rich set of perspectives.
NOTE: This is not a usability assessment of current products nor a commitment to implement what is shown. This is directional research but your feedback will be used to shape the future direction of the products you use.
If interested, please tell us a little about yourself and available days and times using the brief survey [https://www-950.ibm.com/survey/oid/wsb.dll/s/ag3e3]. Someone will contact you if there is a day/time match.
Thank you for your time!
Regards,
Brian
Brian S. Utesch, Ph.D.
STSM, Lotus User Experience Research (UXR) Lead
IBM Software Group, WPLC, Lotus User Experience Group
butesch@us.ibm.com
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On Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 by Chris Miller
July 2011 Sys Admin Tips is out on LotusUserGroup.org
I forgot to mention that the July 2011 edition had come out covering the IBM Champion program and the following:
* From the Editor: Chris' 32.5000 SOS
* From the IdoNotes Mailbox: Performance Problem!
* IBM Collaboration Solutions
* Quick Tip: All-in-one Admin Agent Troubleshooting Tool
* From the IdoNotes Mailbox: Lotus Traveler and Android
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You can head over now to watch the IamLUG 2011 keynote in streaming HD! The keynote was amazing, given by Brian Cheng of IBM.
Edited, produced and brought to you by Spiked Studio Productions. Your niche podcast network
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On Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 by Chris Miller
My article why IBM should retire the Lotus brand
Yesterday I posted on the announcement made in the UKLUG keynote address by Ted Stanton on the sunsetting of brands (not products) in the IBM naming world. Earlier in the year I had written an article for publication that I am providing following this news coming true.
In the first week of February 2011, the annual Lotusphere conference by IBM was held in Orlando, FL. Each year a new theme is launched to drive the flow around the conference as new products are announced and futures discussed. The theme for 2011 from IBM/Lotus was Social Business
IBM/Lotus entered the realm of social business about two years ago by placing social networking into the enterprise with Lotus Connections. They soon became self proclaimed, and known to some, as an industry leader in this space. With the recent release of Connections 3.0, they have made a strong statement.
However, the stigma of the name Lotus hangs heavy. It carries with it 20 years of weight from Lotus Notes and the nagging thought of the old 1-2-3 anytime you say Lotus. So how would IBM break away, while moving forward the implementations of such products as Connections, Portal and and freshly remodeled and painted Notes? Removing the Lotus moniker is a first step in that transition.
In no way am I hinting or saying that the actual products under the Lotus banner would be retired. Simply the Lotus portion of the name itself. They have begun this movement years ago by placing IBM at the head of each product name. Many have been cross branded for some time, such as IBM Lotus Sametime. Removing the Lotus from the middle is not a trivial task. Nor should IBM treat this decision lightly.
Back at Lotusphere, Social Business was pushed into everyone's minds as soon as the Opening General Session kicked off. while many still sit at companies globally wondering how this affects their email and applications based on Lotus Notes, even the sales reps are being told to push this initiative. The link for Social Business does take you to a Lotus branded URL, but one of the main links announces the IBM Social Collaboration Platform and the just completed IBM Social Business Jam
This new initiative focuses around social analytics, tracking, enhanced customer and web experiences and platforms to deploy these solutions. All based on a collection of IBM software properties. From this alone is makes perfect sense for IBM to bring these all together as one brand face and name, much like Cognos was brought into the IBM banner.
Since Lotusphere both the products Connections and Sametime have had the Lotus name removed from the product marketing. While we do still the the name Lotus in the actual installed product in some places, new efforts will not show it when making future announcements and marketing.
IBM held massive press events last year around Project Northstar. Their first move of taking software like Websphere Portal and making it the foundation for the IBM Customer Experience Suite. I blogged extensively on Project Northstar and during the launch. While much of the press was there, the splash was not made.
Where does this leave Lotus in the new IBM picture? As a name that held strength in the enterprise messaging and application platform space. As a name that still haunts many people as a horrid experience because they were stuck on older versions or never experienced the full customer experience. As a name to soon be retired, it's jersey hung in the banners and all the awards placed high on the IBM trophy case as an acquired, assimilated and merged product line in the IBM behemoth. Goodbye Lotus brand name. Hello IBM collaboration.
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On Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 by Chris Miller
IBM retires the Lotus (and other) Brand - official from #UKLUG
During the keynote today from Ted Stanton (his bio from UKLUG):
Ted Stanton is a World Wide Executive Consultant for IBM's Software Solutions Group. Ted is committed to maintaining high customer satisfaction while helping customers align software solutions with their strategic business goals. Ted’s strong technical background includes over twenty IBM product certifications allowing him to proactively work across technical teams and line of business to build solutions and articulate the business value, ROI, and transformation required for success
He confirmed that over the next two years that IBM will be retiring many of it's brand names by the end of 2012. Products (think Sametime, Connections and more) will not be going away at all. Brands like Lotus, Websphere, Tivoli and DB2 will be folded in.
We have already seen this with IBM Connections and now IBM Sametime just last week. Many were questioning and looking for a statement from IBM. I think we have some answers they were looking for. This is an overhaul of direction and branding to make IBM seen more as a single package, instead of multiple requirements. For example installing Lotus Sametime was including Websphere Application Server, DB2 Enterprise and possible Tivoli Directory Integrator. With the change you will install IBM Sametime that includes an IBM Application Server, IBM Data Enterprise server and IBM Directory Integrator.
Earlier this year I wrote and article for another online publication which I will post in later today in a follow up article.
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On Monday, May 23rd, 2011 by Chris Miller
IamLUG launched registration last week with new TackItOn events
IamLUG 2011 opened registration and already has a slew of people registering. I would suggest if you want to attend the third year of the North American Lotus User Group gathering, register soon for the vent taking place August 1-2, 2011. Then stay for the bonus day.
The team there has put on an awesome event each year, always seeming to add surprises and new features. I am told there is some new things again this year.
TackItOn is also back after huge success last year. On August 3rd, the day after, you can attend a full day training event for only $495, With some more coming, this year you can attend:
- XPages Jumpstart - by TLCC
- XPages 201 - by Matt White
- Lotus Traveler installation and administration - by Paul Mooney and Teamstudio
Imagine two days of FREE sessions, networking and learning. Then followed by a technical training day on some of the newest technology by the best in those areas for only $495.
Head over to IamLUG and get registered for 2011. The team there can't wait to see you come for the first time or be a repeat attendee!
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On Monday, April 25th, 2011 by Chris Miller
IdoNotes Episode 108 - Paul Mooney on UKLUG, IamLUG, Lotus Traveler and more
Paul Mooney takes time out of his schedule to talk about:
- Lotus Traveler seminar he is presenting at cities globally with Teamstudio
- UKLUG
- IamLUG
- Notes Net closing
- Symantec Vision
- AUSLUG
- PlanetLotus oddities
You can also watch this video in HD on the IdoNotes YouTube and keep up with all of the Spiked Studio shows.
Catch the newly launched BlackBerry Today!
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On Thursday, April 21st, 2011 by Chris Miller
Traveler 8.5.2.2 now supports Android 3.0 devices and tablets
IBM pushed out Fix Pack 2 for IBM Lotus Traveler 8.5.2 to allow support for Android 3.0 devices and tablets.
Please note, Lotus Notes Traveler has NOT yet been enhanced to exploit Android OS 3.0, or the large screen size of some tablet devices running Android OS 3.0
You can get the update at IBM Fix Central
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On Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 by Chris Miller
How to Choose and Migrate to a Cloud EMail Provider by Forrester
Forrester has launched two recent reports and ReadWriteWeb Enterprise wrote a nice summary including Connectria in the article. We pride ourselves in over ten years of Lotus Software hybrid or outsourced hosting and remote management.
Diversified hosting and telecoms, such as AT&T, Connectria, ....
Forrester doesn't offer any specific recommendations about any particular company. Instead, it encourages decision makers to consider their organization's needs and existing partnerships. The firm also recommends considering hybrid models.
You could also watch a current Consultant In Your Pocket event (free no registration needed but signing up for the newsletter encouraged) on Seeing Shapes in the Cloud.
Visit the Connectria website today and find out why we offer the best in Lotus Software hosting and management.
Eat.Sleep.Host It is what we do.
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On Tuesday, March 29th, 2011 by Chris Miller
Best & Worst of Lotus 2010 day #3 of 5
Day #3. A daily posting for a work week of the best and worst of 2010 in the Lotus world from my eyes.
Best - Lotus Traveler
A downright amazing offering from Lotus. They got the message from enterprises. They went after it. They owned it. While this does eliminate some business partners making mobile products for mail, in my opinion, Lotus had to offer this to expand mail, calendar and contacts usage to mobile devices, for free.
While I do carry a Blackberry for numerous other application integration reasons. (including the native Sametime application missing on Android), if I only wanted mail this would be my choice. Not just because Lotus made it, but the feature and integration set is there for Apple, Windows and now Android.
Reviews from bloggers, the Android Community and industry have been nothing but positive. Companies are deploying more mobile devices. Management is done from the native Domino administration tools. What are you waiting for? Deploy a Lotus Traveler server.
Worst - Symphony PRESENTATIONS
Let me start by saying it seems I have good success with Documents (never have a reason to do Spreadsheets). But my personal feelings on Presentations are disheartening. I struggled with it more than once, over different versions. Help files point to menu items that do not exist. Text wobbles as you make changes. Features were just not easy to find as I would expect. I was not able to sit down and start working like in some other packages.
This is an area that would need improvement before I see enterprises making the switch. Documents and spreadsheets are a core, but you rely on the entire package. I recall the days of Freelance, from SmartSuite, which I think still actually is in use. Lotus could have taken much of the technology, trials and lessons learned when growing that product to bring out in Symphony. I know development resources stopped long ago, but the intellectual capital is still there. Superuser.com had a good comment on Lotus Symphony:
The most important difference between Lotus Symphony and OpenOffice that really matters, would be the fact that Symphony is, while based on OpenOffice code, still closed-source, whereas OO is entirely open source.
Engine-wise, it should not differ too much from OO since Symphony is a derivative fork from the OO project under IBM's heading. For now, underpinnings should still be the same, however it is not too impossible to expect that Symphony will start having major internal differences as time goes by, and IBM starts deviating Symphony from OO more in order to suit their own objectives better
Companies need and want a trusted alternative, yet feel compelled to use Office. Google has the same problem making inroads in this area of corporate productivity. I do like how Lotus revived the name from long ago, to continue again in competing.
********Related Posts*******
See the best & worst from Lotus 2010 day #5 of 5
See the best & worst from Lotus 2010 day #4 of 5
See the best & worst from Lotus 2010 day #3 of 5
See the best & worst from Lotus 2010 day #2 of 5
See the best & worst from Lotus 2010 day #1 of 5
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On Wednesday, January 5th, 2011 by Chris Miller
Lotus Traveler for Android - no tablet support in first release
I was busy writing this months Sys Admin Tips newsletter section and Traveler was a topic. When reading through some documentation, I ran across this little bit of news:
When will the Android devices be supported?
Version: 8.5.2
Resolution: These devices are NOT currently supported with Traveler 8.5.2, however a subset of Android devices will be supported when Fix Pack 1 is release, which is scheduled for late this year/early next year. Android Tablets will not be supported with this client.
So all of you rushing out for the Samsung Galaxy and other tablets, just sit back a few and wait. I bet we will be able to force it to work, but not under official support.
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