Notes on Productivity www.NotesOnProductivity.com http://www.notesonproductivity.com/ica/nop.nsf/ en-us Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:32:55 -0700 Domino Admins: How to respond to US-CERT Alert TA13-010A? Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:32:55 -0700
I recently read about the Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Vulnerability published by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. As I understand it, vulnerabilities have been discovered which could allow a sandboxed application to promote itself in privileges to be able to access files and resources outside of the sandbox - such as accessing your files or internet communication. US-Cert Vulnerability Note VU#636312 advises disabling or removing completely the Java runtime environment so that web browsers cannot launch Java.

While I understand and am concerned about the security threat, I am also concerned about the impact of disabling or removing the Java runtime environment. In my simple tests I found that web pages and resources ceased to function fully for need of the appropriate Java runtime.



It appears that Oracle can or will release a security update that may address at least part of this threat but questions remain: What would the impact be if Java is uninstalled altogether? How would this likely affect web use? What about the Lotus Notes Components that make use of Java?

I am still trying to wrap my head this and would appreciate any information that you think may help myself or others that may read this post.
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a
I recently read about the Oracle Java 7 Security Manager Bypass Vulnerability published by the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. As I understand it, vulnerabilities have been discovered which could allow a sandboxed application to promote itself in privileges to be able to access files and resources outside of the sandbox - such as accessing your files or internet communication.   US-Cert Vulnerability Note VU#636312 advises disabling or removing completely the Java runtime environment so that web browsers cannot launch Java.

While I understand and am concerned about the security threat, I am also concerned about the impact of disabling or removing the Java runtime environment. In my simple tests I found that web pages and resources ceased to function fully for need of the appropriate Java runtime.

20130112 - Java Runtime Plugin Missing.jpg

It appears that Oracle can or will release a security update that may address at least part of this threat but questions remain: What would the impact be if Java is uninstalled altogether? How would this likely affect web use? What about the Lotus Notes Components that make use of Java?  

I am still trying to wrap my head this and would appreciate any information that you think may help myself or others that may read this post.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/domino-admin-how-to-respond-to--us-cert-alert-ta13-010a?opendocument&comments ShortURL - a link shortener for Domino Mon, 26 Nov 2012 16:32:32 -0700 http://www.stdi.com/stdi/home.nsf/e0fdcda544a79270852570d7005e5285/2f89dd64498d734c852577b500033a17!OpenDocument

For this reason, many people rely on URL shorteners, such as Bit.ly to provide a simple alias. The resulting URL above comes out as: http://bit.ly/Thpp2u a total of 20 characters shortened from from 119. Not bad!

The concern I have always had using public link shortening services is what happens when they shut down. Since many of these services are free to the user, they expect to monetize their service with ads, etc. The problem is have no guarantee they will be here in 10 years, or next year, or tomorrow.

I have looked for Open Source URL shorteners and found several that could be implemented by a web savvy programmer. Of course, being partial to the IBM Domino stack, I hoped to find a solution I could run in Domino.

Today, on a quest to find something else, I serendipitously stumbled across ShortURL for Domino. It's a free download by Dieter Stalder, the founder of STDI Consulting.

Less than 5 Minutes later I had the database on my IBM Domino Server serving up URLS. Since I already have a short domain name (ICA.com) I decided to use that for starters but I plan to add it to all of my domains.

Here is what that 119 character URL at the top of this post looks like when I run it through my URL shortener:

http://ica.com/go/ShortURL

The ShortURL app does not generate an
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino http://www.stdi.com/stdi/home.nsf/e0fdcda544a79270852570d7005e5285/2f89dd64498d734c852577b500033a17!OpenDocument

For this reason, many people rely on URL shorteners, such as Bit.ly to provide a simple alias. The resulting URL above comes out as: http://bit.ly/Thpp2u a total of 20 characters shortened from  from 119. Not bad!

The concern I have always had using public link shortening services is what happens when they shut down. Since many of these services are free to the user, they expect to monetize their service with ads, etc. The problem is have no guarantee they will be here in 10 years, or next year, or tomorrow.

I have looked for Open Source URL shorteners and found several that could be implemented by a web savvy programmer. Of course, being partial to the IBM Domino stack, I hoped to find a solution I could run in Domino.

Today, on a quest to find something else, I serendipitously stumbled across ShortURL for Domino. It's a free download by Dieter Stalder, the founder of STDI Consulting.

Less than 5 Minutes later I had the database on my IBM Domino Server serving up URLS. Since I already have a short domain name (ICA.com) I decided to use that for starters but I plan to add it to all of my domains.

Here is what that 119 character URL at the top of this post looks like when I run it through my URL shortener:

http://ica.com/go/ShortURL

The ShortURL app does not generate an unfriendly alias. I can create any unique alias I want.

While this is certainly not a polished app it does the job. It would not take much to enhance this to provide a web interface and to autogenerate and validate links. There may even be an xPages app by now.

In any case, now, I can shorten URLS without concern that the service will go away. And, because it is built on Notes and Domino I can extend the features to suit my needs.

Are you using ShortURL or a similar tool for IBM Domino?

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/shorturl---a-link-shortener-for-domino?opendocument&comments Any idea why IBM Notes for Mac does not consistently refresh views? Wed, 21 Nov 2012 15:18:45 -0700
Scenario:

User opens a view and runs an agent or script that will change a field value - let's say the "categories" field.

On the Windows version of Notes, the user can do this and immediately see that the view gets refreshed. The new data is shown in the view.

If user opens the same Notes application on the Mac version of Notes and repeats the process, the view remains static until he either exits the application and reopens the view or he manually selects View\Refresh.

This causes confusion for Mac users of Notes because what they see in the view does not reflect the changes they have just made - at least not until they manually refresh the view.

The desired behavior of course is for the view to be refreshed - just as it is in the Windows version of Notes.

What's strange is that we are using the same code for both clients and the code calls a view refresh.

As far as I can tell, this appears to be specific to Mac version of Notes, but I'm open to other ideas....

Any ideas?

P.S. Using Notes 8.5.3 for Windows and for Mac with all fixpacks.
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views
Scenario:

User opens a view and runs an agent or script that will change a field value - let's say the "categories" field.

On the Windows version of Notes, the user can do this and immediately see that the view gets refreshed. The new data is shown in the view.

If user opens the same Notes application on the Mac version of Notes and repeats the process, the view remains static until he either exits the application and reopens the view or he manually selects View\Refresh.

This causes confusion for Mac users of Notes because what they see in the view does not reflect the changes they have just made - at least not until they manually refresh the view.

The desired behavior of course is for the view to be refreshed - just as it is in the Windows version of Notes.

What's strange is that we are using the same code for both clients and the code calls a view refresh.

As far as I can tell, this appears to be specific to Mac version of Notes, but I'm open to other ideas....

Any ideas?

P.S. Using Notes 8.5.3 for Windows and for Mac with all fixpacks.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/any-idea-why-ibm-notes-for-mac-does-not-consistently-refresh-views?opendocument&comments Who uses Lotus Notes in the Boston area? Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:41:50 -0700 [Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/who-uses-lotus-notes-in-the-boston-area?opendocument&comments NotesBook brings your Lotus Notes Notebook (Journal) to your iPhone or iPad Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:50:45 -0700 Notesbook. While I have not yet tried his application personally, it appears to have a the makings of a core information support tool for getting things done with Lotus Notes. I'm particularly pleased to see that there are plans to add support for multiple Notebooks.

We get requests daily looking for mobilization tools to recommend. Soon, I plan to evaluate Notesbook as a possible companion app to eProductivity and the free Reference DB (If you have already done this I'd like to hear from you.)

Meanwhile, Domino To Go, Notesbook and Lotus Domino were recently featured on Appcelerator Titanium’s Developer Blog.

Congratulations, Julian. Nice to see coverage like this for a productivity tool that works with Domino.
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad Mobile Computing Wendy Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad Notesbook. While I have not yet tried his application personally, it appears to have a the makings of a core information support tool for getting things done with Lotus Notes. I'm particularly pleased to see that there are plans to add support for multiple Notebooks.

We get requests daily looking for mobilization tools to recommend. Soon, I plan to evaluate Notesbook as a possible companion app to eProductivity and the free Reference DB (If you have already done this I'd like to hear from you.)

Meanwhile, Domino To Go, Notesbook and Lotus Domino were recently featured on Appcelerator Titanium’s Developer Blog.

Congratulations, Julian. Nice to see coverage like this for a productivity tool that works with Domino.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notesbook-brings-your-lotus-notes-notebook-journal-to-your-iphone-or-ipad?opendocument&comments You probably won’t guess the cause of this Notes mail folder problem Tue, 22 May 2012 20:45:30 -0700 Update: I've posted the solution as a response comment. See below...

As an IBM Champion, I often have to save clients from misinformation and FUD about Lotus Notes. Other times, I have to save them from themselves. Sometimes, I just have to put on my cape and save the day. I love challenges, but some are harder than others...

A client called me recently to tell me that after many years of happily using Lotus Notes, he now had a problem: his folders in his Lotus Notes Mail are disappearing - yes disappearing. Let me explain. He opens his Lotus Notes mail and clicks on "Folders" in the left hand outline. Normally, this would expand to show the list of available folders. In his case, as soon as you click on the folders entry the list of folders disappears. I created a new database with just a few test messages and folders - same problem.

[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem Update: I've posted the solution as a response comment. See below...

As an IBM Champion, I often have to save clients from misinformation and FUD about Lotus Notes. Other times, I have to save them from themselves. Sometimes, I just have to put on my cape and save the day. I love challenges, but some are harder than others...

A client called me recently to tell me that after many years of happily using Lotus Notes, he now had a problem: his folders in his Lotus Notes Mail are disappearing - yes disappearing. Let me explain. He opens his Lotus Notes mail and clicks on "Folders" in the left hand outline. Normally, this would expand to show the list of available folders. In his case, as soon as you click on the folders entry the list of folders disappears. I created a new database with just a few test messages and folders - same problem.

Some background: The mail file in question is 8GB (I  know, that's another issue) and the problem only occurs on only two of the 5 computers that have replicas of this database. I do the normal stuff to check for database issues including various levels of Fixup and Compact all the way to the extreme end of replacing the database with a fresh replica. Finally, think it was something machine specific I even did a full wipe and reinstall of Notes client. No luck.

The problem occurred when opening that one file and it did not matter if accessed it locally or on the Domino Server. What's really strange is that I could open the file from my workstation and all folders appear just fine. I even tried different versions of the Notes Mail template from 6.x - 8.5x. Same result.

Having exhausted the options I could think of, I contacted my friend, Stephan Wissel, who knows all there is to know about Notes. Stephan reminded me of his recommended tips fixing a Lotus Notes database. Stephan then offered some additional suggestions on how to troubleshoot my client's Notes database issue:
Checklist:
1) Network compression enabled?
2) ODS51 with design and data compression?
3) Are the NSF properly defragmented?
Note: The settings above don't replicate ---> check these on each machine
4) Good idea is to have FolderReferences enabled

When Notes replicates the view/folder indexes are not replicated, only documents. So if client hasn't used some of the NSF for a while the view indexer will need to reindex the folder he tries to open - and that might take time. A manual "updall" from the command line probably helps (use my fix-script to be sure).

I tried all of the above with no improvement. I want to thank Stephan, though. checklist is a little more extensive than my own and it helped me rule out fixes that would not work.

Meanwhile, customer is not happy and talking about dumping Lotus Notes and switching to GMail. I'm not happy because I know that would be a disaster for him but I couldn't fix his problem and I was unable to explain why his folders disappear on two of his 5 computers.

Then I found it. It's probably not what you think.

In the next blog post, I will share the solution I found and it did not involve a migration to GMail.

Meanwhile, if you want to guess at the cause and fix, here's your opportunity...

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/you-probably-wont-guess-the-cause-of-this-notes-mail-folder-problem?opendocument&comments A question only a Lotus Notes for Mac user can answer... Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:23:19 -0700 this topic to this blog, seeking an answer to question. The title I chose did not actually ask a question. So, as you might expect, I didn't get the answer I hoped for.

If you are a Lotus Notes for Mac user, I'd appreciate your quick thoughts on this.
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notes-mac-users-can-you-answer-this-question Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notes-mac-users-can-you-answer-this-question?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notes-mac-users-can-you-answer-this-question this topic to this blog, seeking an answer to question. The title I chose did not actually ask a question. So, as you might expect, I didn't get the answer I hoped for.

If you are a Lotus Notes for Mac user, I'd appreciate your quick thoughts on this.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/notes-mac-users-can-you-answer-this-question http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/notes-mac-users-can-you-answer-this-question?opendocument&comments How to use File and Folder Aliases in Lotus Notes for Mac Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:02:46 -0700
Oops. I should have tried it first.

When I drag the alias into a Notes document, Notes properly shows the attachment type:



However, when I go to open the attachment, I get an error indicating that the file is already open in Mac OS X.



I use this capability all the time with Lotus Notes on Windows. Works great. Next to doclinks, this is a powerful feature for managing information that resides outside of Lotus Notes.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I can do this with Lotus Notes on the Mac.

I told my client I would reach out to the Lotus Notes Community to see what I could learn...

Please post any feedback below. Thanks!
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac
Oops. I should have tried it first.

When I drag the alias into a Notes document, Notes properly shows the attachment type:

Image:How to use File and Folder Aliases in Lotus Notes for Mac

However, when I go to open the attachment, I get an error indicating that the file is already open in Mac OS X.

Image:How to use File and Folder Aliases in Lotus Notes for Mac

I use this capability all the time with Lotus Notes on Windows. Works great. Next to doclinks, this is a powerful feature for managing information that resides outside of Lotus Notes.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that I can do this with Lotus Notes on the Mac.  

I told my client I would reach out to the Lotus Notes Community to see what I could learn...

Please post any feedback below. Thanks!

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/how-to-use-file-and-folder-aliases-in-lotus-notes-for-mac?opendocument&comments Technology Solves Problems, Frustrates - David Allen Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:59:28 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen Notes & GTD Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/technology-solves-problems-frustrates---david-allen?opendocument&comments What if computer problems were real? Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:06:43 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=what-if-computer-problems-were-real http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/what-if-computer-problems-were-real Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/what-if-computer-problems-were-real?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/what-if-computer-problems-were-real
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/what-if-computer-problems-were-real http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/what-if-computer-problems-were-real?opendocument&comments Take the 14 day GTD Challenge and Get More Done Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done Getting Things Done Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/take-the-14-day-gtd-challenge-and-get-more-done?opendocument&comments Invitation: Super Productivity Tools for Superwomen Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:17:34 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen Getting Things Done Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/invitation-super-productivity-tools-for-superwomen?opendocument&comments Why some users only see Notes as email Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:05:06 -0700
For some users of Lotus Notes, that's all they can see, access, or use.

What an extraordinary waste of resources to pay well for talent and expertise, give workers and extraordinary tool to support them, and then lock it down so all they can use is email.

Today, I worked with a senior executive at a large organization. He had transferred from a global organization that used Outlook. Now, he has Lotus Notes. Like many highly productive executives, he's involved in a GTD community (this one happened to be on LinkedIn) where he learned that Lotus Notes could be transformed into a highly effective information and action management tool. He contacted me for some guidance and I offered to help him. I asked him if he had received any training in how to use Notes. He replied no, so I offered to do a quick web meeting to get him started. It was there that I found out that his Lotus Notes was locked down to the screen above. So, for him, Notes truly is about email and basic PIM. He could not view the Notes workspace or anything else. Strictly email and calendar.

I showed him my Lotus Notes desktop, specifically my Notes workspace where I have over 400 icons on my workspace neatly organized across more than a dozen tabs. It may sound like a lot but Lotus Notes makes it very easy for me to get things done quickly by organizing my work in this way. We reviewed some of the features of Notes and within minutes he said that he could see how Notes could do so much more and that prior to our meeting he had only heard the negatives about Notes. Now, he was interested to learn more about Lotus Notes and what it could do for his organization.

In the short time we had, I did not make him a Notes expert, but I did manage to give him a glimpse into a tool that has served me and many others quite well for over two decades. The very tool he has on his desktop has the ability to transform the way that he and his team comm
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email

For some users of Lotus Notes, that's all they can see, access, or use.  

What an extraordinary waste of resources to pay well for talent and expertise, give workers and extraordinary tool to support them, and then lock it down so all they can use is email.

Today, I worked with a senior executive at a large organization. He had transferred from a global organization that used Outlook. Now, he has Lotus Notes. Like many highly productive executives, he's involved in a GTD community (this one happened to be on LinkedIn) where he learned that Lotus Notes could be transformed into a highly effective information and action management tool. He contacted me for some guidance and I offered to help him. I asked him if he had received any training in how to use Notes. He replied no, so I offered to do a quick web meeting to get him started. It was there that I found out that his Lotus Notes was locked down to the screen above. So, for him, Notes truly is about email and basic PIM. He could not view the Notes workspace or anything else. Strictly email and calendar.

I showed him my Lotus Notes desktop, specifically my Notes workspace where I have over 400 icons on my workspace neatly organized across more than a dozen tabs. It may sound like a lot but Lotus Notes makes it very easy for me to get things done quickly by organizing my work in this way. We reviewed some of the features of Notes and within minutes he said that he could see how Notes could do so much more and that prior to our meeting he had only heard the negatives about Notes. Now, he was interested to learn more about Lotus Notes and what it could do for his organization.

In the short time we had, I did not make him a Notes expert, but I did manage to give him a glimpse into a tool that has served me and many others quite well for over two decades. The very tool he has on his desktop has the ability to transform the way that he and his team communicate, collaborates and coordinate their work.

I am glad I was able to champion the software he already has and give him a new outlook on Lotus Notes.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/why-some-users-only-see-notes-as-email?opendocument&comments DominoPower: Getting Things Done with Lotus Notes Thu, 9 Aug 2012 20:20:57 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes Getting Things Done eProductivity Team http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/dominopower-getting-things-done-with-lotus-notes?opendocument&comments PCWorld: Making Lotus Notes users more productive Wed, 25 May 2011 01:31:00 -0700 For the second time in just six months, PCWorld's Robert Strohmeyer writes about making Lotus Notes users more productive. As a follow-up to his article, "master your email so it doesn't master you", Strohmeyer talks about the recent announcement of eProductivity Stand-Alone:
Last week, eProductivity released a new version of the product, eProductivity Stand-Alone, designed for Notes users who lack the administrative permissions to change their mail template. However, like its enterprise-grade cousin, eProductivity Integrated, it still has the ability to turn messages into next actions, set customized contexts, categorize the inbox, and walk you through your weekly review.
While he no longer uses Lotus Notes as his primary email system - a point not missed in his article - he's quick to point out that there are many professionals who depend on Notes for the bulk of their daily business communications, calendar tracking, and other essential work stuff.
I should take a moment to say that, while Notes isn't my preferred communications tool, it does happen to be the chosen messaging and calendar platform of a certain Mr. David Allen. And I think it's fair to say that Mr. Allen knows a thing or two about GTD. And when I last spoke to David Allen about his personal toolkit for GTD, he claimed to use eProductivity. So there's a solid recommendation for you.
Strohmeyer also mentions the new "Essentials" version of eProductivity that is free and does not require any change to the user's mail file.

I enjoy reading Robert's Smart Productivity articles
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive Notes & GTD Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive For the second time in just six months, PCWorld's Robert Strohmeyer writes about making Lotus Notes users more productive. As a follow-up to his article, "master your email so it doesn't master you", Strohmeyer talks about the recent announcement of eProductivity Stand-Alone:
Last week, eProductivity released a new version of the product, eProductivity Stand-Alone, designed for Notes users who lack the administrative permissions to change their mail template. However, like its enterprise-grade cousin, eProductivity Integrated, it still has the ability to turn messages into next actions, set customized contexts, categorize the inbox, and walk you through your weekly review.
While he no longer uses Lotus Notes as his primary email system - a point not missed in his article - he's quick to point out that there are many professionals who depend on Notes for the bulk of their daily business communications, calendar tracking, and other essential work stuff.
I should take a moment to say that, while Notes isn't my preferred communications tool, it does happen to be the chosen messaging and calendar platform of a certain Mr. David Allen. And I think it's fair to say that Mr. Allen knows a thing or two about GTD. And when I last spoke to David Allen about his personal toolkit for GTD, he claimed to use eProductivity. So there's a solid recommendation for you.
Strohmeyer also mentions the new "Essentials" version of eProductivity that is free and does not require any change to the user's mail file.

I enjoy reading Robert's Smart Productivity articles. I first met Robert at the GTD Summit in San Francisco. He's not only technically minded but he's also an avid GTDer. As a result, I appreciate the fact that he concludes with this recommendation:
If you're a Notes user interested in bringing GTD to your inbox, eProductivity is definitely worth a look.

Source: PCWorld: Productivity Stand-Alone Brings GTD to Lotus Notes

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/pcworld-making-lotus-notes-users-more-productive?opendocument&comments User Satisfaction with IBM Lotus Notes for Email and Tasks Skyrockets with eProductivity Thu, 19 May 2011 12:00:00 -0700 Guest post by Ryan Heathers of eProductivity

In January 2011, you may recall that we conducted a survey of eProductivity users. Over 400 respondents later, some very interesting data points emerged.

One trend that jumped out was the shift in user satisfaction with IBM Lotus Notes once users installed eProductivity...



If you click the graph above, you'll see the survey source data that this graph is based on. As you can see, we're not making this stuff up.

So what conclusions might we draw from this?

Well, it's no secret that many people dislike the user experience of Lotus Notes. But that might not be telling the whole story here. There are legions of people who dislike (hate?) Microsoft Outlook as well, not to mention the many other enterprise software packages that people love to loathe.

I think one of the keys here is that eProductivity allows users to personalize and customize their IBM Lotus Notes experience. Without needing IT assistance, users can get Lotus Notes to work the way they want to work. In other words, this is another example of the "consumerization of the enterprise" that puts choice back in the end-users hands, engaging and empowering them. Prior to eProductivity, this wasn't possible for end-users of Lotus Notes.

Additionally, the world-class information management tools in eProductivity, powered by GTD, just flat out work. They deliver great results as evidenced by other results from the survey telling
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity Lotus Notes Ryan Heathers http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity Guest post by Ryan Heathers of eProductivity

In January 2011, you may recall that we conducted a survey of eProductivity users. Over 400 respondents later, some very interesting data points emerged.

One trend that jumped out was the shift in user satisfaction with IBM Lotus Notes once users installed eProductivity...

User Satisfaction with IBM Lotus Notes Mail & Tasks compared to using eProductivity for Lotus Notes

If you click the graph above, you'll see the survey source data that this graph is based on. As you can see, we're not making this stuff up.  

So what conclusions might we draw from this?

Well, it's no secret that many people dislike the user experience of Lotus Notes. But that might not be telling the whole story here. There are legions of people who dislike (hate?) Microsoft Outlook as well, not to mention the many other enterprise software packages that people love to loathe.

I think one of the keys here is that eProductivity allows users to personalize and customize their IBM Lotus Notes experience. Without needing IT assistance, users can get Lotus Notes to work the way they want to work. In other words, this is another example of the "consumerization of the enterprise" that puts choice back in the end-users hands, engaging and empowering them. Prior to eProductivity, this wasn't possible for end-users of Lotus Notes.

Additionally, the world-class information management tools in eProductivity, powered by GTD, just flat out work. They deliver great results as evidenced by other results from the survey telling us about time savings, empty inboxes, and reduction of stress.

Now that we've launched eProductivity Stand-alone - which requires literally just a couple of clicks to install - and the free Essentials Edition, we expect this trend to continue. It's even more of a no-brainer for users to personalize their Lotus Notes with the right tools.

And, more choice in Lotus Notes users hands + using the right tools = greater satisfaction.

Hey, we might even seen sites like this one boom in popularity. IBM would welcome that, right?

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-satisfaction-with-ibm-lotus-notes-for-email-and-tasks-skyrockets-with-eproductivity?opendocument&comments The Scoop on What’s New at eProductivity Fri, 13 May 2011 06:03:00 -0700 http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=changes-at-eproductivity http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/changes-at-eproductivity eProductivity Ryan Heathers http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/changes-at-eproductivity?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/changes-at-eproductivity
Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/changes-at-eproductivity http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/changes-at-eproductivity?opendocument&comments End user looking for resources to learn more about Lotus Notes Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:59:47 -0700 Eric, do you have any recommendations on some resources (books, web sites, etc.) that I could use to gain some additional expertise in using Lotus Notes with eProductivity?As far as learning about eProductivity, we have a learning resource page. As far as current resources for end users that want to learn more about Lotus Notes I have less to share. Because I am now removed from a end-user Notes training, most of the books and resources that I have are now many year/versions old. I know there are good resources out there. Most of what I found in Google were resources for administrators or developers. These wont be helpful for this individual.

So, I'm asking the Lotus community to help by posting comments with links to end-user (not admin or dev) resources for Notes users.
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes Eric, do you have any recommendations on some resources (books, web sites, etc.) that I could use to gain some additional expertise in using Lotus Notes with eProductivity?As far as learning about eProductivity, we have a learning resource page. As far as current resources for end users that want to learn more about Lotus Notes I have less to share. Because I am now removed from a end-user Notes training, most of the books and resources that I have are now many year/versions old. I know there are good resources out there. Most of what I found in Google were resources for administrators or developers. These wont be helpful for this individual.

So, I'm asking the Lotus community to help by posting comments with links to end-user (not admin or dev) resources for Notes users.

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/user-looking-for-resources-to-learn-more-about-lotus-notes?opendocument&comments Looking for IBM/Lotus BP in Zimbabwe Wed, 9 Feb 2011 11:05:28 -0700
Anyway, we explained that Foundations hardware is no longer available and recommended that they contact a Lotus BP to assist them in planning a deployment of Lotus Notes/Domino. Unfortunately, I do not have a referral to offer.

I'm going social and reaching out to the Lotus (oops, IBM) community to see what you may know that can help.

Do you know of an outstanding Lotus/IBM BP in Zimbabwe?

Thanks!

Eric
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe Lotus Notes Eric Mack http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe
Anyway, we explained that Foundations hardware is no longer available and recommended that they contact a Lotus BP to assist them in planning a deployment of Lotus Notes/Domino.  Unfortunately, I do not have a referral to offer.

I'm going social and reaching out to the Lotus (oops, IBM) community to see what you may know that can help.

Do you know of an outstanding Lotus/IBM BP in Zimbabwe?

Thanks!

Eric

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/looking-for-ibmlotus-bp-in-zimbabwe?opendocument&comments Making Lotus Notes Personal #LS11 Tue, 1 Feb 2011 19:15:00 -0700
The final opportunity to hear Eric Mack present at Lotusphere 2011 is "Getting Things Done with Lotus Software: Making Lotus Notes Personal". This Bird-of-Feather session focuses on the practical tips and tricks you can use right away to get more from Lotus Notes.

Eric has over 17 years of Lotus Notes experience, so he has much to share. Come on by for some casual yet focused conversation.

Here's the details:

Getting Things Done with Lotus Software: Making Lotus Notes Personal
Date: Wednesday, February 2nd
Time: 5:45pm - 6:45pm EST
Location: SW Pelican

As usual, attending a session from Eric means you'll have opportunities for free productivity resources. Bring your business cards and stay tuned!
[Originally posted on the Notes on Productivity web site. (http://www.NotesOnProductivity.com)]

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/trackback?open&id=making-lotus-notes-personal http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/making-lotus-notes-personal Lotusphere Ryan Heathers http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/making-lotus-notes-personal?opendocument&comments http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/making-lotus-notes-personal
The final opportunity to hear Eric Mack present at Lotusphere 2011 is "Getting Things Done with Lotus Software: Making Lotus Notes Personal". This Bird-of-Feather session focuses on the practical tips and tricks you can use right away to get more from Lotus Notes.

Eric has over 17 years of Lotus Notes experience, so he has much to share. Come on by for some casual yet focused conversation.

Here's the details:

Getting Things Done with Lotus Software: Making Lotus Notes Personal
Date: Wednesday, February 2nd
Time: 5:45pm - 6:45pm EST
Location: SW Pelican 

As usual, attending a session from Eric means you'll have opportunities for free productivity resources. Bring your business cards and stay tuned!

Originally posted on Notes On Productivity ]]> http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dxcomments/making-lotus-notes-personal http://www.ica.com/ICA/NOP.nsf/dx/making-lotus-notes-personal?opendocument&comments