Notes

I am in the middle of a weeklong training course called Developing IBM Lotus Domino Applications: Foundation Skills. At the end of this week, assuming that I pass the exam, I will be a Certified Notes Specialist. I don’t expect to have any problems – the course is not difficult, possibly because the general concepts are not new.

If you don’t know, Lotus Notes is a software system that runs on servers. It can be used for e-mail, but also as a database and you can even write programs with it. It is universally hated by users. Notes ‘programmers’ and administrators are fanatical about it, and that is why it still exists. One of the selling features of Notes is that you can rapidly develop an application for your business, to fill a business need, and it doesn’t take much skill. This is true. It is just that the applications created in Notes suck.

As you may already know, I am back at uni. This course counts towards my degree – it is an elective and was chosen against my will. My company needs me to have Notes skills and so it was strongly suggested that I take this course when I discussed my study with The Boss. This was actually a good move, as everything I have learned in the course can be applied immediately to my work.