matnewman.com

WildFire update ... and some thoughts on Linux

Mat Newman  March 11 2010 23:20:02
WildFire! Update

A quick update for those who have been trying to install and configure WildFire on OsX and Linux.  We have identified the issue that prevents the account configuration from launching through the preferences panel correctly and will have an update available shortly.  Thanks to Stanton Sievers from IBM for some pointers.

Linux ... man this OS is MADE for Notes!

Prior to running up Ubuntu 9.04 on my laptop for testing WildFire, my only exposure to Linux was as a server platform for Domino.  I had never really played with, or considered Linux as a personal platform for my applications.

I'm leaning heavily toward rebuilding my laptop after using Ubuntu with Notes 8.5.1.  As I've mentioned in the past, an OS to me is a platform for my applications, and although I have been happy with Windows 7 (MUCH happier than I ever was with Vista), I just could not believe how fast Notes runs on a Linux OS.

The other factor is my reliance on M$ "productivity" software over the last 18 months has been virtually non-existent.  I spend nearly all of my time inside Notes (with Symphony) a browser, Photoshop and Notepad++.

The Photoshop issue is largely moot these days with tools like Wine, and I've been assured that I'll still be OK running it in a Linux environment.  Notepad++ has versions or equivalents for Linux.  Browsers are pervasive (well ... I'll still need to run that browser in a VM for testing!).

The down-side is the Developer client.

Installed on my machine are three versions of Lotus Notes (8.5.1, 7.0.3 and 6.5.4) most of which are running concurrently all day while I test and develop applications across versions using different ID's and locations for multiple clients.  As someone who spends most of his time writing apps or implementing tweaks for customers, I just can't see myself launching VM's all day just to add an action, a field or an agent.

The Admin client isn't that much of an issue, as I can perform most admin mods by opening the appropriate configuration database directly in the Notes client.

So I'll wait patiently until Notes+Designer+Admin is truly cross-platform, while thinking longingly about how much more responsive my do-almost-anything application runs on Linux ... sigh!
Comments

1Jens Bruntt  03/12/2010 1:19:34  
VmWare could help you move to Linux

I like WildFire. Thanks for releasing it.

Regarding the issue with running several versions of the Notes Client including Designer on Linux, you could fix that by running something like VmWare Workstation on your Ubuntu laptop.

Having your separate installations inside images also has the added benefit of you being 100% sure that they do not interfere with your primary Notesclient.

2Michael Beaver  03/12/2010 4:06:14  
WildFire update ... and some thoughts on Linux

Go Linux!! Go Ubuntu!! I'm super happy with Ubuntu 9.10 as my primary development environment, and I agree: Notes is fantastic on that OS. Still, like you though I'm really hoping for the day that Designer is available on non-Windows platforms.

Mat Newman

THE Notes (formerly IBM/Lotus Notes) Guy. Productivity Guru. Evangelist. IBM Champion for IBM Collaboration Solutions, 2011/2012/2013. Former IBMer. HCLite. Views are my own.

#GetProductive #GetHCLNotes

Mat Newman




Home  | 

Get Serious. Get Domino.