#domino 2025 – Lotus Notes is still alive
Since IBM’s development partnership with HCL, some Notes/Domino (formerly Lotus Notes) enhancements have been announced. (In the meantime Connections and Notes/Domino went completely to HCL – the transaction will be finalized in mid-2019). The #Domino 2025 Jams were used to discuss the future product path. This initiative is intended to focus on customer wishes and gives the user groups the opportunity to help shape the future path of IBM Notes. One can say: The Hashtags #domino2025 and #dominoforever breathe new life into the IBM Notes community and invite active participation.
The dead live longer – Domino V10 has arrived
With IBM Notes Domino 10, the long-awaited release since 2013 (birth of the so-called Social Edition) has finally arrived. IBM Notes Domino is still alive and the development is currently being driven forward by HCL. And even if many may not want to believe it: The Domino infrastructure of companies is much more valuable than one would think! If one compares the existing Domino software with alternatives, one realizes that significantly higher costs can arise here. This is because when migrating to other systems, ERP, CRM or HR systems must also be purchased and maintained. This was the result of a Forrester study “The Total Economic Impact Of IBM Domino”.
Domino V10 – Advantages for Administrators and Developers!
First of all: This release is more interesting for administrators and developers. In the foreground are features and further developments in the area of clustering or automatic database repair. The biggest part of the update to Domino 10 is probably on the application development and concerns among other things the possibility to use Node.js.
IBM Notes Domino was and is also known as a collaboration solution with a close database and e-mail connection. But: The platform also allows the development of modern applications for Notes clients, mobile devices and the web. With Domino V10, above all the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and application development as well as mobility are greatly improved.
What are the concrete benefits of upgrading to V10 for customers?
- Especially helpful for customers with large databases and large amounts of data: Elimination of many limitations in Notes database format (NSF). The size restrictions for database and folder boundaries have been increased. Maximum database size increases from 65 GB to 256 GB and folders can now be about 50 times larger than before, the 32K field boundary for summaries of rich text fields has also been increased to 64K plus the number of possible field names in a database to 60K. In addition, internal ID tables can now hold 10 times more entries than before.
- Also important, the total cost of ownership for running business applications is lower than ever with Domino 10. (Total cost of ownership is significantly lower than with standard ERP/HRM/PM solutions from Microsoft, SAP or Salesforce.)
- Another savings factor: one can reduce costs by the three new options of Domino applications: CentOS, Docker and IBM Cloud.
- Saves additional time and money: Automatic repair of corrupted databases
- The Domino Designer for mobile presentation should be emphasized: Convenient and fast development of apps (individual adaptation to business processes).
- Above all, it is about the reduction and simplification of administrative activities, overall an improvement in Domino’s ease of maintenance.
- Container clustering and automatic repair: Here you benefit from the technologies in a Domino environment, where each exists independently of the other as a container. In Domino 10 symmetrical clusters can be configured. This means that this cluster extends across multiple Domino servers and ensures that any database that exists on a server in the cluster always exists on the rest of the cluster servers. If this is missing or defective on a server, it is automatically repaired. This function is a real added value for administrators.
- The possibility of using JavaScript und Node.js now also opens up a variety of new possibilities. Among other things, the integration of Domino applications in Office 365 is now also conceivable.
- For developers, the main advantage of Domino V10 is that they can extend all Domino applications with the familiar tools, i.e. use and improve new solutions with Domino data and the available REST APIs.
Outlook for V11 – What can we expect in 2019?
2019 will be a really exciting year for everyone in the Notes environment! Not only is there a huge anniversary to come (IBM Notes aka Lotus Notes turns 30!), but Domino V11 will be the next release. In contrast to V10, this update will then be very client-heavy. In this regard there will be some optical changes and the e-mail solution Verse will be further developed. In addition, the plan is to launch a new browser-based Notes Light client with e-mail and app connection. Notes applications should run on Android Pads and iPhone. Furthermore, there will be developments in Sametime and Places. It is exciting with HCL Places that it concerns a new client with Chat client (here one can realize low code applications among other things). It is now speculated that Places will now be built as an extension of the Domino platform. Another exciting point for the year 2019, which one must observe further.
All about DNUG 46 in June 2019
Highlights of the conference: Among other things, customer experiences with V10 were presented. The essential novelties around on Premises, Verse, Sametime and HCL Leap were summarized as well as an outlook with which portfolio HCL will work in the future.