No longer in the Design Partner Program, a good news/bad news kind of thing
Mon, Feb 13th 2012 11:52a Andrew Pollack My participation in the various iterations of the "Design Partner" program started prior to the version 6 release of Notes and Domino. In those days, we had a multi-day invitation only event at the IBM Lotus campus in Westford where a serious discussion took place between the development teams and the design partners that had been invited. The program has changed over the years, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. In all that time, I've offered very pointed (as you can imagi [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
development
125
Religious Conservatives in politics should take careful note of the recent Komen foundation mistake
Tue, Feb 7th 2012 1:01p Andrew Pollack When the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation cut funding to Planned Parenthood, they weren't at all prepared for the backlash. Some outlets have reported that the initial decision was essentially the result of pressure from right wing conservative organizations, though the foundation itself says otherwise. In any case, the Komen foundation made the mistake of underestimating the size and strength of the majority in the United States who generally remain silent on the issues of birth control [read] Keywords:
119
Extended Review: EZOPower Ultra High-capacity Rechargable USB Battey Pack
Mon, Feb 6th 2012 4:20p Andrew Pollack Sometimes you buy several versions of a thing before you hit on the one that really does what you wanted. This is the case for me with battery packs for my USB powered devices. I included this product in my pre-Lotusphere list of power tech to bring along, but it worked out so well that I wanted to give you a more detailed look. Portable Power - 10,000mAh rechargeable USB block($59.99 @ Amazon.com)..... [read] Keywords: lotusphere
582
Lotusphere 2012 – Far better than I expected. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.
Thu, Jan 19th 2012 9:10p Andrew Pollack This will ramble a bit, but after a lead in I’ll try to point out some highlights, a few low lights, and an overall feeling moving forward. It turns out our friend Lotusphere was only MOSTLY DEAD. There is a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. With mostly dead, there’s still partly alive. With all dead, there’s nothing left to do but go through the pockets and look for loose change. The week turned out to be very good for me, even if at the same time it presented the most chal [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
414
BP121 - Performance Programming -- Presentation and Demo database as presented
Thu, Jan 19th 2012 12:07p Andrew Pollack BP121 - Performance Programming, as presented at Lotusphere 2012. This zip file contains the presentation along with the demo database and instructions for using it. I didn't get time to do much with the demo so I promised to post it here. It wasn't really meant for distribution, but it should be fine. Feedback is welcome, but please don't expect much tech support on it. [BP121PRES_and_DEMOS.zip] Enjoy...... [read] Keywords: lotus
lotusphere
database
728
Some people know all about RIGHTS and nothing about WHAT IS RIGHT. Here is the story behind #OccupyPelican
Sun, Jan 15th 2012 11:05p Andrew Pollack After the tweets around the community today, a lot of people have asked me what the story was that led to the almost cancellation of a popular session and the social media comments that followed. Here’s the information… The short story is that the IBM lawyers for the Lotus software group – apparently led by Thomas Hagen who is the same person who caused me to decide no longer to do CULT shirts after last year (thagen@us.ibm.com for those who would like to email him with feedback) have been [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
community
email
178
The Geek Travel Gadgets - Keep yourself powered up
Thu, Jan 12th 2012 11:30a Andrew Pollack After seeing Kathy's geek travel gadget list, I thought I'd add some of my own. Most of the gadgetry here is secondary -- the actual gadgets are the phone, camera, tablet, and so on. You know about those already. These are the things to make the other things work better and stay charged on the trip. Here goes (with links to Amazon if you want to buy one) -- Power Strip Liberator PlusHigh Power Slim AC Wall Plug to 2 x 5V USB Adapter..... [read] Keywords: domino
gadget
257
Apple: I'm just not that into you. Leave me the hell alone!
Mon, Jan 9th 2012 3:11p Andrew Pollack Damn if Apple doesn't still want to take over my PC every chance it gets! You guys know by now that I'm not a big Apple fan. The only Apple device I own is a second generation iPod Touch that I like for listening to audio books and sometimes music. I don't have or want an iPad (though my wife loves her's), I don't have or want an iPhone, and I don't buy music through iTunes. I have nothing against people who have and like these things, I'm just not one of them. Since I use my iPod Touch t [read] Keywords: apple
iphone
ipod
172
Laptop prep for Lotusphere
Mon, Jan 9th 2012 3:00p Andrew Pollack When I'm not traveling, my trust Thinkpad T510 is used as a secondary machine -- for when I'm working at night on the couch or if the desktop is busy. The desktop machine is where I work most of the day. At a show like Lotusphere I'll be exclusively using the laptop for 8 days so it really helps if I make sure it's in good shape. Taking a few extra steps once in a while keeps things smooth, stable, and quick. Here's what I do to make sure it's all set... 1. I go through my installed applic [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
applications
desktop
laptop
149
Four days of prep time left, then the annual pilgramage to Orlando
Sun, Jan 8th 2012 7:50p Andrew Pollack I have to say, I'm really looking forward to having a good time at the show this year. This week I'll be working on some code demos for my "Performance Programming" session, some scary stories for Sunday's "They Really Are Out To Get You" with Gab Davis, and getting my tech-kit charged and packed for the week. I'll have time to get to karate at least twice this week as well, before missing a week while I'm in Orlando. If weather permits, I may try to find a quite place in the sand near [read] Keywords: domino
86
TIP for converting slides from previous formats into Symphony and updating all your formatting
Mon, Dec 19th 2011 10:40a Andrew Pollack Like a lot of you reading this, I'm working on my slides for Lotusphere 2012. IBM wants the slides in Symphony's ODP format -- and has "strongly requested" that we use Symphony to present. I hate Symphony. Truly, deeply, hate it. That said, I've got to use it in this case and I've got a bunch of existing slides I want to drop into my presentation. What's difficult, is applying the appalling templates provided without manually changing every single slide. Here's what I did to really speed [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotusphere
symphony
35
Fixed my WAN connection failover problem tonight
Tue, Nov 1st 2011 8:30p Andrew Pollack For the last couple of weeks, my WAN connection here has been failing over from the Cable Modem to the backup DSL connection pretty frequently and the root cause has left me baffled. Until tonight. The failover is handled by my trusty old Sonicwall TZ-170 firewall. It handles both the cable and dsl connections and can handle load balancing and failover. For me, this combination makes sense since my public facing servers are all located at hosting centers so there's no need for a commercial netw [read] Keywords: connections
network
47
Here is an obscure mail routing problem I ran into - and the solution
Fri, Oct 28th 2011 4:10p Andrew Pollack Problem: Some mail servers are unable to route to #######@subdomain.domain.com In this environment, the Windows based Domino servers were affected, but the Linux based Domino servers were not. It turns out that the affected servers are those running Microsoft Windows server operating systems, and of those, only those sites where the local dns domain use a "default" address for misspelled or incorrect server names within the domain. In other words, those where typing wwww.domain.com would work [read] Keywords: domino
linux
microsoft
server
60
Electronic Publishing formats may soon replace PDF -- get ahead of the curve
Tue, Sep 27th 2011 1:00p Andrew Pollack Ben has article up right now ( link ) that explains the term "reflowable". In it, Ben explains why the de facto standard for distributing documents has been PDF for a while, but may soon be switching to ePub for good reasons. If you've ever tried to view a complex PDF file on your Kindle, you'll understand. I fully agree with Ben on the value of ePub, and I think that the seemingly unassailable PDF is going to fall more quickly than anyone could have predicted. My advice: Get to know epub... [read] Keywords:
45
CULT Shirt Retirement
Thu, Sep 8th 2011 6:24a Andrew Pollack With mixed feelings, it is time for me to announce that I will not be producing a CULT shirt for the 2012 Lotusphere season and do not anticipate producing them in the future. I've spoken to Rocky Oliver about this and he agrees that the time is at hand to end on a winning note. The CULT shirts were first created by Rocky Oliver and Henry Newberry more than 10 years ago. When Henry stepped away from the process in 2004, I took over the bulk of the production work and as Rocky became increasingl [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
43
Mission Ridiculous: Attempting to Upgrade Phones with Verizon Wireless
Thu, Sep 1st 2011 2:50p Andrew Pollack Verizon is literally beginning to crumble under the weight of its own regulations. Mission Goal: Upgrade my Daughter’s old Verizon Wireless phone to a new phone that can handle the Family Locator, and upgrade my old MIFI to a new 4G Version. Both devices are eligible for replacement under the “New Every Two” plan, provided I renew the contract for two more years. This story gets better and better the further you read. It's a shame, because they really do have the best phone network by far [read] Keywords: network
wireless
163
Simple Rules For Partnering With Another Business
Thu, Sep 1st 2011 7:14a Andrew Pollack Forgive me readers, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last submission, and I have committed the sin of omission. Mae Culpa. Over the last few months I've been deeply saddened to watch more than a few generally good partnering relationship go sour. I suppose its the economy right now that has really exacerbated what are normally fairly small and unusal problems, but in my opinion it is even more important than ever that good working relationships are maintained rather than abuse [read] Keywords: lotus
33
CNN - get rid of the awkward new living room style set from your morning news
Wed, Jun 8th 2011 6:33a Andrew Pollack For the last couple of weeks, when CNN is on I've been noticing that the anchor women seem to be uncomfortably staring into the camera from strange angles when their co-host is talking. I realized this morning that its because they've switched from sitting behind anchor desks to sitting on a couch in what is meant to look like a living room style set. It's not working for me. They assume these strange poses that you'd never really see if you were talking with someone in your living room. Som [read] Keywords:
41
Fantastic tool - "Connectify" lets you easily share your Wifi connection from your laptop with other devices.
Tue, Jun 7th 2011 10:33a Andrew Pollack If you travel, no doubt you've connected to wifi hotspots in hotels, cafes, airports, other people's offices. A lot of these hot spots require click through agreements and many require payment. Sharing this connection with your camera, phone, ipod, e-reader, and even friends can be difficult. Connecting with each of the other devices is frustrating and not always possible. It isn't difficult any more. Free tool "Connectify" loads on your Windows 7 machine and makes sharing whatever connecti [read] Keywords: ipod
laptop
wifi
21
Why it makes sense for Microsoft to buy Skype - and why they'll have a very hard time making it their own
Thu, May 12th 2011 7:10a Andrew Pollack So Microsoft is buying Skype and a lot of people are questioning the reasons and the price. While the price does seem high, virtually all tech world buyout prices seem ridiculous to me and frankly, Microsoft has a ton of cash laying around that they need to invest, so I'm going to table the price discussion and let the wall street types argue over that part. From a tech perspective, if you start by agreeing that voice and video over the internet is going to be important over the next decade, yo [read] Keywords: microsoft
skype
36
Follow Up HOW-TO: John Deere L100 Lawn 42" Tractor/Mower Brake Rebuild
Sun, May 8th 2011 9:10a Andrew Pollack This entry is a follow-up to a how-to I wrote in 2009 about adjusting the brakes on your John Deere L100 mower. Even if you're planning to do the full rebuild I show here, you should probably read that first. (link) Back in 2009 when I wrote the original posting, I had no idea that 3 years later I'd still be getting positive feedback from people on it. I'm glad that I've been able to help people get their brakes working right, and I've decided to follow it up with more detail. For me, the a [read] Keywords:
26
Do you need a new server hosting or colocation provider? Here's a great site to help you
Tue, Mar 29th 2011 7:40p Andrew Pollack I'm setting up new VMWARE ESXi server at another hosting provider. The one I have is excellent, but as Second Signal grows, I'm looking for as much diversity in my fail-over location as possible. The new provider will be in a different geography and with a different hosting provider. Finding a new provider can be difficult. The market is very fluid and very competitive. I came across "Hostvoice" quite by accident and decided to use their form to submit a request for quote. My needs are very [read] Keywords: domino
server
vmware
24
Is it time for an entirely new Notes Client?
Sun, Mar 20th 2011 3:10p Andrew Pollack The venerable, powerful, all encompassing Lotus Notes client is more than 20 years old. Its hallmarks include a complete backward compatibility that covers virtually all of those years. While that complete backward compatibility has been one of the product's greatest strengths, it is also one of its most challenging aspects as the development team works to continually modernize and add features. Being fully backward compliant has been a huge advantage to the product. Upgrades of Lotus Notes and [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
notes client
development
13
Oh what a relief.... I'm no longer using godaddy.com for my DNS or SSL needs.
Wed, Mar 16th 2011 6:00p Andrew Pollack I have finally had enough. Enough of the renewal notices and letters months in advance, enough of the automatic billing to renew certificates, and most of all enough of 4 or 5 screens full of high pressure add-on sales just trying to pay for a new domain name or ssl certificate. I didn't care about the juvenile and tasteless TV ads. What I did care about, was getting 3-5 emails a week from them plus postal mail 2-3 times a month, plus phone calls once in a while. What I did care about was the c [read] Keywords:
22
The best way to make social software is to make the best software
Mon, Feb 28th 2011 4:00p Andrew Pollack IBM did an excellent job focusing and defining the conversation with this year’s Lotusphere. While the rest of the IT industry is rushing to get their cloud strategy in order, IBM asks the question “What is social software for business?” It’s a great question, but may not be one with the answer IBM wants. Software isn’t social. People are social. People have been using social tools for business for as long as there have been people and businesses. Ask any sales person and they’ll tel [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotusphere
social software
22
Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" series - and an oppology to Duffbert
Tue, Feb 22nd 2011 7:00p Andrew Pollack In a chat some time back, we were talking about the kind of over-macho crime-drama books that make for good brain candy and travel reading. I'd brought up characters like Lucas Davenport (John Sandford) and and John Corey (Nelson DeMille) who I enjoy for their thick sarcasm and thought patterns unadulterated by modern human resources department filtering. Both authors allow their characters to think all the things we're generally better off filtering out of polite conversation. Tom recommended [read] Keywords:
10
Lotusphere 2011 Wrap-Up
Mon, Feb 7th 2011 8:10a Andrew Pollack It may not have been the most exciting, but from IBM’s perspective it may have been one of the most successful Lotusphere events in recent memory. From the Opening General Session right through to the last minute, IBM set the tone and topic more effectively and more in tune with customer demand than I’ve ever seen them do before. While the rest of the industry is talking excitedly about magic cloud computing solutions and social interactions like Facebook, IBM asks the question “How can we [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotusphere
facebook
11
Presentations from LS2011
Mon, Feb 7th 2011 7:10a Andrew Pollack These presentations were delivered at Lotusphere 2011: JUMPSTART: Defense Against the Dark ArtsGabriella Davis and I have revised our pre-conference jumpstart this year, organizing it not by security feature, but rather by threat vector. We've broken down the security around Domino into the risks as they come from different kinds of characters and what you should be doing to counter those risks.Best Practices: Performing Your Own IBM Lotus Domino Security ReviewThis is a strategy and technique [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
lotusphere
security
20
Credit where it's due - IBM Finally made the Sofware Access Catalog on Parterworld Useable!
Thu, Jan 20th 2011 6:50a Andrew Pollack It's years overdue, and they've taken a lot of criticism for years about it (including from me) -- but IBM Partnerworld actually --IMPRESSED-- me with the changes to the software access catalog. It only took about 5 clicks to find it from the Partnerworld login page (and you can make your own shortcut that gets you to within 2 pages of it). Once there, the minute I started typing my search term ("Traveler" in this case) the correct matching options dropped down and the top option was the lat [read] Keywords: ibm
lotus
traveler
17
Here's why your Snow Thrower may be leaking gas all over your garage.
Mon, Jan 17th 2011 9:10a Andrew Pollack Eighteen months ago I wrote a little article about how to adjust the brakes on a lawn tractor because I couldn't find the information myself when I searched. It's turned out to be one of the most appreciated articles on the site, and I still get "thank you" notes on it regularly. In that spirit, here's a similar article for owners of Tecumseh engines on snow throwers (aka snowblowers) and lawn mowers. The same thing has happened again. I found very little helpful information on this problem [read] Keywords: notes
17
The small shop upgrade - Heres a customer that really loves their Notes client.
Fri, Dec 17th 2010 7:30a Andrew Pollack Im on my way this morning to perform any upgrade for an customer of mine. Theyre moving to Notes 8.5.x on the server as well as the client. That in itself isnt all that uncommon. Heres what you may find surprising. There are only two people in this office, and they dont use any Notes apps any more. They just just love the Notes client and they trust it, in combination with the server, to provide a reliable and highly functional mail system. This customer originally was given a Notes client while [read] Keywords: domino
notes
notes client
office
server
23
The small shop upgrade - Here's a customer that really loves their Notes client.
Fri, Dec 17th 2010 4:13a Andrew Pollack I'm on my way this morning to perform any upgrade for an customer of mine. They're moving to Notes 8.5.x on the server as well as the client. That in itself isn't all that uncommon. Here's what you may find surprising. There are only two people in this office, and they don't use any Notes apps any more. They just just love the Notes client and they trust it, in combination with the server, to provide a reliable and highly functional mail system. This customer originally was given a Notes cl [read] Keywords: domino
notes
notes client
office
server
19
The Lotus Awards – Formerly the “Beacon Awards” no longer represent the “Best” of what’s out there
Sun, Dec 12th 2010 3:53p Andrew Pollack I’ve been fortunate enough to have been nominated for the Lotus Awards three times. I’ve been a finalist twice, and I’ve won an award category once. Peer recognition is very gratifying and I certainly felt honored by the experience -- especially as one man shop, where I have to imagine,propose, sell, develop, deliver, and support the solution personally from start to finish. That’s why I’m so disappointed with the direction the award has taken recently. The awards are meant to represen [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
14
The Lotus Awards – Formerly the Beacon Awards -- no longer represent the BEST of what’s out there
Sun, Dec 12th 2010 12:45p Andrew Pollack I’ve been fortunate enough to have been nominated for the Lotus Awards three times. I’ve been a finalist twice, and I’ve won an award category once. Peer recognition is very gratifying and I certainly felt honored by the experience -- especially as one man shop, where I have to imagine,propose, sell, develop, deliver, and support the solution personally from start to finish. That’s why I’m so disappointed with the direction the award has taken recently. The awards are meant to represen [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
15
Sad to say that I have some CULT SHIRT sponsorships still open
Tue, Dec 7th 2010 7:43a Andrew Pollack With just a day or two left before I have to commit to the shirt order, we have fewer sponsorships this year than we have had in many years. Thats going to mean a few less shirts will be out there. With one last minute drop-out due to the economy, as of now well have a bit over 1300 shirts -- thats down 400 from our biggest year. The shirts will still be out there, but theyre going to be a bit harder to get your hands on. Last minute sponsors are still welcome today and tomorrow, but by Thursday [read] Keywords: lotus
16
Sad to say that I have some CULT SHIRT sponsorships still open
Tue, Dec 7th 2010 4:28a Andrew Pollack With just a day or two left before I have to commit to the shirt order, we have fewer sponsorships this year than we have had in many years. That's going to mean a few less shirts will be out there. With one last minute drop-out due to the economy, as of now we'll have a bit over 1300 shirts -- that's down 400 from our biggest year. The shirts will still be out there, but they're going to be a bit harder to get your hands on. Last minute sponsors are still welcome today and tomorrow, but by [read] Keywords: lotus
Even if you dont ski, consider SKILUG this year - its going to be different, and fun
Fri, Dec 3rd 2010 8:35a Andrew Pollack Get together with your LUG friends without ditching your family. Bill Malchisky has been working really hard to organize a different kind of LUG and I think its got real potential. Hes just announced SKILUG for 25-27 Feb 2011. The idea is to mix a FAMILY weekend with both conference and fun. Bill has been organizing ski club trips for years and wanted to mix that up with a users group meeting. The concept is outstanding. Hes arranging for airport transportation shuttles, food, lodging, group rat [read] Keywords: domino
14
Heres what Ill be presenting at LS11
Fri, Dec 3rd 2010 8:30a Andrew Pollack This year at Lotusphere 2011 Ill be presenting the following: 1. On Jumpstart Day, Ill be presenting with Gab Davis about security. The session is called Defense against the Dark Arts. Gab has been doing a lot of work on this already, and Ill be jumping in to work with her on it in about a week when Im visiting with them. For the last several years, weve done our A-Z of Security in this space. The problem has been that it is increasingly difficult to cover so much material in under two hours. Ga [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
security
10
Even if you don't ski, consider SKILUG this year - it's going to be different, and fun
Fri, Dec 3rd 2010 5:35a Andrew Pollack Get together with your LUG friends without ditching your family. Bill Malchisky has been working really hard to organize a different kind of 'LUG and I think it's got real potential. He's just announced SKILUG for 25-27 Feb 2011. The idea is to mix a FAMILY weekend with both conference and fun. Bill has been organizing ski club trips for years and wanted to mix that up with a user's group meeting. The concept is outstanding. He's arranging for airport transportation shuttles, food, lodging, [read] Keywords: domino
16
Here's what I'll be presenting at LS11
Fri, Dec 3rd 2010 5:14a Andrew Pollack This year at Lotusphere 2011 I'll be presenting the following: 1. On Jumpstart Day, I'll be presenting with Gab Davis about security. The session is called "Defense against the Dark Arts". Gab has been doing a lot of work on this already, and I'll be jumping in to work with her on it in about a week when I'm visiting with them. For the last several years, we've done our A-Z of Security in this space. The problem has been that it is increasingly difficult to cover so much material in under [read] Keywords: domino
lotusphere
security
15
Top Gear USA – It’s a great joke, told badly.
Mon, Nov 22nd 2010 9:40a Andrew Pollack I’ve watched Top Gear for years, so with a bit of trepidation I turned on History Channel to watch the first show of Top Gear USA. The idea was to bring the hit British show to the US market. They’d use our roads, our presenters, and some of our cars. Overall impression: They copied the format, but they didn’t get the joke. It’s like they took the UK version of the show and sucked out all spontaneity, humor, and class then moved it to the ugliest settings imaginable. If Top Gear is steak [read] Keywords:
22
Top Gear USA – It’s a great joke, told badly.
Mon, Nov 22nd 2010 6:32a Andrew Pollack I’ve watched Top Gear for years, so with a bit of trepidation I turned on History Channel to watch the first show of Top Gear USA. The idea was to bring the hit British show to the US market. They’d use our roads, our presenters, and some of our cars. Overall impression: They copied the format, but they didn’t get the joke. It’s like they took the UK version of the show and sucked out all spontaneity, humor, and class then moved it to the ugliest settings imaginable. If Top Gear is steak [read] Keywords:
20
CULT LS11 will be a limited run unless we have a few more sponsors
Tue, Oct 26th 2010 7:50a Andrew Pollack As of right now, we have only half the sponsor slots filled for CULT shirts. Please pass the word around, or youll find that we have far fewer shirts to hand out this year and youre far less likely to get one. Im going to get mine either way, and having 50% fewer boxes means it will be far easier for me - so no problem there. Still, Id love to make sure everyone gets one. Sponsorships are open to nearly anyone in the community. Typically this is IBM BPs and ISVs. It costs $1200 and you end up wi [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
community
9
CULT LS11 will be a limited run unless we have a few more sponsors
Tue, Oct 26th 2010 5:30a Andrew Pollack As of right now, we have only half the sponsor slots filled for CULT shirts. Please pass the word around, or you'll find that we have far fewer shirts to hand out this year and you're far less likely to get one. I'm going to get mine either way, and having 50% fewer boxes means it will be far easier for me - so no problem there. Still, I'd love to make sure everyone gets one. Sponsorships are open to nearly anyone in the community. Typically this is IBM BP's and ISV's. It costs $1200 and y [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
community
16
The C.U.L.T. 2011 Top Ten List! Please add your suggestions here!
Wed, Oct 20th 2010 7:20a Andrew Pollack Every year, the back of the C.U.L.T. shirt (Certified Unofficial Lotusphere Tshirt) includes a top ten list of one kind or another. This year is no exception. The topic for this year is Cloud Computing, and Im looking for the best ten one line items in the following category: Top Ten Things to Know about IBM in the Cloud By Best things, Im looking for things that are clever, funny, snarky, witty, subversive, and eye catching without being overly wordy, slanderous or libelous in any actionable wa [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotusphere
13
The C.U.L.T. 2011 Top Ten List! Please add your suggestions here!
Wed, Oct 20th 2010 5:05a Andrew Pollack Every year, the back of the C.U.L.T. shirt (Certified Unofficial Lotusphere Tshirt) includes a top ten list of one kind or another. This year is no exception. The topic for this year is Cloud Computing, and I'm looking for the best ten one line items in the following category: "Top Ten Things to Know about IBM in the Cloud" By "Best" things, I'm looking for things that are clever, funny, snarky, witty, subversive, and eye catching without being overly wordy, slanderous or libelous in any a [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotusphere
15
Where Lotus Live may present opportunities for Services Partners
Mon, Oct 18th 2010 3:20p Andrew Pollack There’s been an understandable grumbling from the IBM Business Partner community surrounding the Lotus Live and Lotus Live Notes offerings. For years, IBM has pushed for Partners to sell licenses and then gone directly to those end customers to make the sale for renewals. In larger accounts, partners have complained of being undercut on licenses costs and generally not being treated well by the IBM sales force. I don’t sell licenses, but people I know and trust who do seem to give these stor [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
community
14
Where Lotus Live may present opportunities for Services Partners
Mon, Oct 18th 2010 1:06p Andrew Pollack There’s been an understandable grumbling from the IBM Business Partner community surrounding the Lotus Live and Lotus Live Notes offerings. For years, IBM has pushed for Partners to sell licenses and then gone directly to those end customers to make the sale for renewals. In larger accounts, partners have complained of being undercut on licenses costs and generally not being treated well by the IBM sales force. I don’t sell licenses, but people I know and trust who do seem to give these stor [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
community
End of one era, start of another - on the same day.
Sat, Oct 16th 2010 10:50a Andrew Pollack In 1991, one of the first consulting jobs I had was for Chipcom Corporation. I was working with a consulting firm out of Southborough, Mass at the time and they wanted a way to distribution information to their resale chain around the world. The world wide web we think of today wasnt an option in those days. We built a solution using a Lotus Notes server, with an Octopus 8 port serial card connected to a bank of modems. The modems allowed partners to connect and replicate using their Lotus Notes [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
consulting
server
13
End of one era, start of another - on the same day.
Sat, Oct 16th 2010 7:54a Andrew Pollack In 1991, one of the first consulting jobs I had was for Chipcom Corporation. I was working with a consulting firm out of Southborough, Mass at the time and they wanted a way to distribution information to their resale chain around the world. The world wide web we think of today wasn't an option in those days. We built a solution using a Lotus Notes server, with an "Octopus" 8 port serial card connected to a bank of modems. The modems allowed partners to connect and replicate using their Lotus [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
consulting
server
12
Got some cool stuff done with vs.Net combined with Domino Designer this week
Wed, Oct 6th 2010 5:43p Andrew Pollack The remote software I use for Second Signal to relay audio data to the PBX and also to pick out the activation tones is written in Visual Studio, while the web server is Lotus Domino, and the PBX is Asterisk. The remote client communicates to the Domino server using Web Services, but until now it has only really been to post log data and send an alert when a tone-activation occurs. Setting up, configuring, and managing the the remote software had to be done using something like VNC to remotely c [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
server
14
Got some cool stuff done with vs.Net combined with Domino Designer this week
Wed, Oct 6th 2010 2:27p Andrew Pollack The remote software I use for Second Signal to relay audio data to the PBX and also to pick out the activation tones is written in Visual Studio, while the web server is Lotus Domino, and the PBX is Asterisk. The remote client communicates to the Domino server using Web Services, but until now it has only really been to post log data and send an alert when a tone-activation occurs. Setting up, configuring, and managing the the remote software had to be done using something like VNC to remotely c [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
server
24
Its official (unofficially) -- There will be CULT shirts - Sponsorships are 1st come, 1st serve
Fri, Oct 1st 2010 9:30p Andrew Pollack There has been a surprising amount of interest in the shirts this year, so if you want to sponsor, get email to me quickly. I need to gather the sponsors over the next week or two so I know how many shirts to order. Follows this blog entry and the linked information to learn what you need to know. You know the shirts: The first four years, managed by Henry NEWBS Newberry, with Rocky Lotusgeek Oliver --- 2000 - Notes World Order 2001 - Domino Survivor 2002 - Fellowship of the Domino Ring 2003 - C [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
email
12
It's official (unofficially) -- There will be CULT shirts - Sponsorships are 1st come, 1st serve
Fri, Oct 1st 2010 7:00p Andrew Pollack There has been a surprising amount of interest in the shirts this year, so if you want to sponsor, get email to me quickly. I need to gather the sponsors over the next week or two so I know how many shirts to order. Follow this blog entry and the linked information to learn what you need to know. Sponsor or not, comment here if you have a favorite! You know the shirts: The first four years, managed by Henry "NEWBS" Newberry, with Rocky "Lotusgeek" Oliver --- 2000 - "Notes World Order" 2001 [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
email
15
Time to talk about the CULT shirt for 2011
Fri, Sep 10th 2010 3:40p Andrew Pollack Heres the official trial-balloon. Should there be a CULT Shirt for 2011? How many people/companies are interested in sponsoring it? Anyone have any great ideas? To be honest, I want to see some enthusiasm before I start down the road of gathering sponsors, ordering shirts, and doing drawings...... [read] Keywords: lotus
11
Time to talk about the CULT shirt for 2011
Fri, Sep 10th 2010 1:32p Andrew Pollack Here's the official trial-balloon. Should there be a CULT Shirt for 2011? How many people/companies are interested in sponsoring it? Anyone have any great ideas? To be honest, I want to see some enthusiasm before I start down the road of gathering sponsors, ordering shirts, and doing drawings...... [read] Keywords: lotus
27
Linux ext3 file system performance wierdness
Thu, Sep 2nd 2010 7:41a Andrew Pollack Ive had trouble off and on with a couple of Domino servers on linux. The server goes pear shaped and when I ssh in and look at the console, Domino is reporting drive errors. If you attempt to do anything on the OS at all, you quickly see that the whole file system has shifted into a read-only state. This is a bit like a car with a transmission problem shifting into limp-home mode. Needless to say, Domino doesnt like being unable to write to the disk. It has happened to me specifically with the m [read] Keywords: domino
linux
server
16
Linux ext3 file system performance wierdness
Thu, Sep 2nd 2010 5:01a Andrew Pollack I've had trouble off and on with a couple of Domino servers on linux. The server goes pear shaped and when I ssh in and look at the console, Domino is reporting drive errors. If you attempt to do anything on the OS at all, you quickly see that the whole file system has shifted into a "read-only" state. This is a bit like a car with a transmission problem shifting into "limp-home" mode. Needless to say, Domino doesn't like being unable to write to the disk. It has happened to me specificall [read] Keywords: domino
linux
server
16
A few tips for car sales people - if you ever want my business.
Tue, Aug 31st 2010 4:00a Andrew Pollack Ive been shopping for cars again. This one is a replacement for the spousemobile, so unlike the one for my daughter, this will be new. Having done a fair bit of shopping, here are some tips for you car sales people out there. #1. Do not bullshit me. I may know more than you think. Its just possible that I know how to build that car youre showing me. One lady insisted that I could ignore the EPA mileage sticker on a new Honda or Nissan (which happened to be what is on her lot) because (and I quot [read] Keywords:
15
A few tips for car sales people - if you ever want my business.
Mon, Aug 30th 2010 11:04p Andrew Pollack I've been shopping for cars again. This one is a replacement for the spousemobile, so unlike the one for my daughter, this will be new. Having done a fair bit of shopping, here are some tips for you car sales people out there. #1. Do not bullshit me. I may know more than you think. It's just possible that I know how to build that car you're showing me. One lady insisted that I could ignore the EPA mileage sticker on a new Honda or Nissan (which happened to be what is on her lot) because (and [read] Keywords:
18
Creating a form generating tool that lets non-technical publshers create rich web forms
Sun, Aug 22nd 2010 12:51a Andrew Pollack Ive been working on a tool for a client that wants to be able to create web forms to use on their site without learning any programming at all. At the same time, I dont trust any data from the browser side on a web site. I always assume that the browser side is open to hackers. That means any submitted form data has to be validated before it is accepted. Heres what I did... For publishing, I used the CKEditor, which is the web browser rich editor Ive standardized on. For most web publishing uses [read] Keywords: domino
16
Creating a form generating tool that lets non-technical publshers create rich web forms
Sat, Aug 21st 2010 10:13p Andrew Pollack I've been working on a tool for a client that wants to be able to create web forms to use on their site without learning any programming at all. At the same time, I don't trust any data from the browser side on a web site. I always assume that the browser side is open to hackers. That means any submitted form data has to be validated before it is accepted. Here's what I did... For publishing, I used the CKEditor, which is the web browser rich editor I've standardized on. For most web publish [read] Keywords: domino
20
That didnt take long. Oracle is suing Google over the use of Java. Is IBM next?
Fri, Aug 13th 2010 11:39p Andrew Pollack According to this report, Oracle is suing Google over the use of Java in its Android operating system and applications. It hasnt been that long since Oracle bought Sun, and with it gained a controlling interest in the way the Java license is interpreted. On the one hand, it seems unlikely that this suit will go anywhere. On the other hand, by betting your operating system and application strategy on a run time environment that is controlled by one of your top competitors, you are only asking for [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
application
applications
google
java
oracle
12
That didn't take long. Oracle is suing Google over the use of Java. Is IBM next?
Fri, Aug 13th 2010 9:27p Andrew Pollack According to this report, Oracle is suing Google over the use of Java in its Android operating system and applications. It hasn't been that long since Oracle bought Sun, and with it gained a controlling interest in the way the Java license is interpreted. On the one hand, it seems unlikely that this suit will go anywhere. On the other hand, by betting your operating system and application strategy on a run time environment that is controlled by one of your top competitors, you are only asking f [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
application
applications
google
java
oracle
18
IBM has invented the time machine - and not in a good way
Tue, Jul 20th 2010 12:54p Andrew Pollack Steve Mills is now in charge of both hardware and software. According to The New York Times.... The management changes, announced in an e-mail message to I.B.M. employees, were intended to improve the company’s products and services, Mr. Palmisano wrote. For example, computer hardware and software are for the first time being placed under the oversight of one executive......Increasingly, Mr. Palmisano wrote, computer systems must be “designed and brought to market as tightly integrated” pa [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
12
IBM has invented the time machine - and not in a good way
Tue, Jul 20th 2010 10:54a Andrew Pollack Steve Mills is now in charge of both hardware and software. According to The New York Times.... The management changes, announced in an e-mail message to I.B.M. employees, were intended to improve the company’s products and services, Mr. Palmisano wrote. For example, computer hardware and software are for the first time being placed under the oversight of one executive......Increasingly, Mr. Palmisano wrote, computer systems must be “designed and brought to market as tightly integrated” pa [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
12
A lot of work, but something Ive always wanted to do -- Fixing up a car for one of my kids
Sun, Jul 18th 2010 10:38p Andrew Pollack One of the things Ive thought about for years and have always wanted to do, is to fix up a car for one of my kids. Im not sure why, but its just something that Ive thought about since they were really small. Of course, daydreams being what they are, the reality is never quite as grand in scale -- the 70s era muscle car turns out to be a 2002 Kia, and instead of an old pole barn to work in, the car is up on ramps in my driveway. Still, Im really enjoying getting to do the work, being able to do t [read] Keywords:
15
A lot of work, but something I've always wanted to do -- Fixing up a car for one of my kids
Sun, Jul 18th 2010 8:38p Andrew Pollack One of the things I've thought about for years and have always wanted to do, is to fix up a car for one of my kids. I'm not sure why, but its just something that I've thought about since they were really small. Of course, daydreams being what they are, the reality is never quite as grand in scale -- the 70's era muscle car turns out to be a 2002 Kia, and instead of an old pole barn to work in, the car is up on ramps in my driveway. Still, I'm really enjoying getting to do the work, being ab [read] Keywords:
27
Old Spice -- Their marketing team fully groks social media.
Tue, Jul 13th 2010 10:41p Andrew Pollack You know the old spice guy (Im on a boat)? I dont care for their products, but their ad people have gone social nuclear. Read this to see how theyve totally Got social media promotion. http://tcrn.ch/cfSo3W..... [read] Keywords:
22
Product Review: Plantronics Savi Office wireless headset
Tue, Jun 22nd 2010 12:26p Andrew Pollack Overview
While at The View conference in Boston, on the recommendation of Chris Miller I took at close look at the Savi Office wireless headset from Plantronics at the display booth. What I was looking for was a good wireless headset that had better range and quality than the various Bluetooth devices I’ve tried. The representative from Plantronics and I had an interesting conversation about the future of various VoIP products, after which he decided to give me his demo display model to try ou [read] Keywords: domino
office
wireless
12
Ed Brill has a blog. Peter OKelly has blog...
Wed, Jun 16th 2010 10:34p Andrew Pollack Ed is an executive at one of the largest corporations in the world. Peter is not an executive. Hes a smart guy and he works for Microsoft, but its not the same. When Ed makes a statement about a product, he is literally speaking for IBM. When Peter makes a statement, hes sharing his opinion. Im not discounting Peters opinion. Hes a smart guy and hes got a lot to say. On Eds blog, any lunatic with an axe to grind can post pretty much anything they want without moderation. At most, truly crazy or [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
microsoft
18
How about Traveler for Desktop?
Tue, Jun 15th 2010 4:12p Andrew Pollack With Traveler for Apple iPhone et. al; the host OS provides the client. With Traveler for Android, however, I understand theyre building the mail, calendar, and address book clients. I wonder how hard it would be to make a Traveler implementation for native Java. The Android stuff should be 90% there already. Better yet, is the interface to the traveler servlet documented anywhere? Could we build an OS Native implementation for Apple, Windows, and Ubuntu?..... [read] Keywords: domino
traveler
apple
desktop
interface
iphone
java
ubuntu
12
Why XPages is not LCD any more
Tue, Jun 15th 2010 1:28p Andrew Pollack LCD (Lotus Component Designer) failed in the marketplace. Since the bulk of it was repurposed for Notes Domino as the XPages designer, one of its criticisms has been that heritage. While Im not a big fan of the architecture -- the fact that it relies on J2EE is a huge turn off for me -- Im not willing to buy the argument that because it came from LCD it must be no good. First, while I agree with Robs comments up to a point and while the intent was clearly to just slide in LCD as a low-cost and l [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
xpages
36
Fixing Domino Designer -
Tue, Jun 15th 2010 11:47a Andrew Pollack I’m limiting this post to things specific to fixing the Domino Designer Client. I may talk in another post later about next steps and new features, new design architectures, library interfaces to other design tools, and changes to the client strategy – but for now those are off limits. First – Move XPages to a standalone tool. The XPages application has no business being inside the old Notes Designer Client, and keeping it there has a strong negative impact on one of the key goals of XPage [read] Keywords: domino
notes
xpages application
Unified Comunications Server? That ship sailed -- its time to move on.
Mon, May 17th 2010 10:31p Andrew Pollack While nobody was looking, Unified Communications has already happened -- just not the way you were told it would. UC was supposed to be about turning your PC into a telephone system. While several companies were pushing hard for this to come true -- Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Avaya, etc... other companies made it happen in reverse. RIM and APPLE have lead the way with Nokia and Google close behind. Theyve put your PC in your telephone. Id say I fall in to the category of early adopter on the idea of [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
apple
google
microsoft
rim
server
unified communications
