7 Top Lotus Notes Tips

4. Notes Has a Long History of Backward Compatibility.

One of the most impressive features of Notes is its level of backwards compatibility between versions. It's possible to take a Notes application built in version 1 back in 1989, and run it in the current Notes 8 release without any need to convert or rewrite the application. We're not talking about showcase "proof point" applications, but real-world legacy applications which are still giving good value to the organization and do not need any feature enhancements. Few software applications can boast about compatibility across versions like Notes can. This means your application development investment continues to return value long into the future.

Often, a Domino server migration consists of running the install utility for the latest version. In as little as 15 minutes, the server is upgraded. All the applications built in prior versions of Notes still continue to run with no conversions necessary.

5. Replication Lets You Work Both Online and Offline.

Today's knowledge workers don't come to the office at 9:00 am and leave at 5:00 pm. They are "always on," and they need to access their data whether or not a network connection is available. The Notes client accommodates this requirement by replicating data between server and local versions of your mail files and applications. It's among Notes oldest and most cherished features-for good reason.

When a network connection exists, Notes synchronizes data between the server and client. The replication occurs at the field level, so two people can update different fields in the same document (such as an invoice or travel request); the server merges the updates so that the document shows both sets of changes. Frankly, this is slick. Nobody else has ever achieved this level of WayCool synchronization sophistication, particularly because it's so trouble free that the feature is usually invisible.

Notes e-mail users replicate their mail files to local versions on their laptops, so they can be productive offline. When they once again connect to the network, all the changes are replicated with the server and messages are sent to the appropriate people. That applies to Notes databases and applications, not just e-mail.

6. Notes Applications Can Be Built for Both the Notes Client and for Web Browsers.

Part of the flexibility of Notes is that you can build both Notes client applications and applications that are accessed through a Web browser. Domino has a built-in HTTP server that renders content based on normal HTTP requests. Domino takes the application's design and data and renders it into HTML "on the fly" for the browser. That's one quick way to migrate an in-house legacy application to an intranet or extranet.

Because you can deliver both Notes client and browser content from the same source, your application development investment can pay off with greater flexibility for the end users.

7. Notes Is "Not Dead."

Notes has been declared dead multiple times. When the Web came along, some opined Notes would be replaced by web browsers. When Java became the hot new development platform, many felt that Notes would be replaced by a full-fledged Java Enterprise architecture. And now that Microsoft has a popular collaboration offering in SharePoint, some are again predicting the demise of Notes.

Excuse me if I don't hold my breath waiting for that to happen....

Not only has Notes survived-it has adapted and thrived. IBM added Web capabilities to the Domino server long ago, when intranet applications became a business requirement. Java became another language supported in the Notes programming environment. Notes Domino version 8 added the ability to build composite applications. That is, these applications allow developers to blend data and functionality from both Notes and non-Notes applications so that the end of Notes and the start of a different application becomes seamless. For instance, an SAP application can interact with a Notes application, sharing and updating data between the two platforms.

With the rapid pace of innovation that's demanded these days, it's tempting to be on the hunt for that "silver bullet" that solves all your technology and business problems. Unfortunately, silver bullets don't exist in our field. But rather than being distracted by the latest shiny object, step back and ask yourself if you're getting the most out of what you already have. IBM Lotus Notes and Domino is far more than "just e-email," and you should be squeezing out every last dollar from your investment.

Thomas "Duffbert" Duff is a software developer with nearly 30 years of experience in IT, covering everything from punch cards and tape drives to cloud computing. When he is not developing Notes-based collaboration applications for a large health insurance company, he's usually reading and reviewing books on his blog, Duffbert's Random Musings. He also speaks at software conferences.