Archive for September, 2007
links for 2007-09-28
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Here are two excellent new resources for you.
The first is a 27 minute overview of the Lotus Strategy and Portfolio. The second is a 37 minute demonstration of the capabilities of the Lotus portfolio integrated together.
Maureen is asking some questions
Two in fact:
- is it ok to remove database properties from the infobox selection hierarchy in Designer (where infoboxes remain)?
- is it ok to have to click on the database header in the bookmarks or make another gesture to get to database properties?
Read her post and let her know what you think. Personally I’m OK with both, I think that the eclipse-based designer will need us to relearn a lot of things anyway, apart from all the good it will have to offer, so I’m not too worried about the design team making changes where necessary.
A short "Tech Tools update"
I’ve been wanting to write a post on a few of the tools I’ve been using recently for a little while now, so here goes! Hopefully one of my two readers will find it useful interesting!
Windows Live Writer
Back up and running with WLW, though with an older beta copy. The current version uses one of those awful web install routines, and apart from trying to install a load of other stuff rather than what I wanted, it failed. Every time. Why do they have to make it so difficult?
Luckily I had a previous version which was just the standard exe, so back up and running.
Still, like Glen, I need to find a decent Linux blogging client though.
Link: Windows Live Writer download
I’ve been signed up to Facebook for a little while now, and finally uploaded a profile pic! I’m happy to have some friends, and I’ve added a few applications. So far so good!
I do have a few issues with the layout though. For me, it doesn’t make good use of the screen estate with its centered fixed width, but other than that I’m finding it easy enough to use.
I Also added the Facebook extension for Firefox, which lets me login and follow status updates from a toolbar.
Overall Facebook seems like a bit of fun, but I’m not sure how useful it really will be for me over time. I certainly don’t see myself getting “addicted” like it seems others have!
One thing I will say though, I can see this being great within the enterprise, I honestly think I’d get more out of a tool like this at work than I envisage for me personally right now. Thoughts for the Lotus Connections developers maybe!?
Interesting, I’ll keep playing. 
Links: Facebook, my profile
I had also signed up to Twitter a while back, but a little like with Facebook, I honestly didn’t really “get” it. I understand what it does, its just didn’t see myself getting anything out of it. Again, like with Facebook, I’m making a bit more of an effort, I added my phone and IM details, and we’ll see how we get on. Though I am already finding the SMS messages to my phone when I’m not online a little intrusive! How would I cope with a Blackberry!?
I do actually quite like the Twitter app for Facebook that shows my “tweets” over there, its easier than updating my Facebook status. And I can see it being more fun if some of my family were also twitterers. You listening bro’s!?
coComment
I have resisted up until now to talk about these guys. I signed up just before they released a fairly major “upgrade”, which got a lot of coverage on the blogosphere, but I didn’t want to wade in as a newbie user.
I was able to use their former interface right of the bat, it was easy, and seemed to do “what it said on the tin”. Not so with the new incarnation! They had some serious issues when they rolled out the changes, and to be perfectly honest, the new interface is harder to get around. Worst of all though, and thouroughly frustrating, is that it doesn’t seem to be picking up most of my comments!
These problems are mostly why I have put off implementing it natively here on the blog. Oh, and lack of time! 
Lets hope they keep working at it, and things get better.
Link: coComment
Jing
I checked this out after seeing a tweet from Luis Suarez, and thought I’d give it a go. It looks promising, I can see it helping get hold of screenshots easier for some blog posts.
Just a shame there is no Linux version 
Link: Jing
Disclaimer: This is all my own opinion, and my thoughts are not to be considered recommendations!
Phew, I feel better now!
Technorati tags: WindowsLiveWriter, WLW, Facebook, Twitter, coComment, Jing
5 commentslinks for 2007-09-25
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BBC NEWS | Business | Microsoft ‘mulls Facebook stake’
Microsoft is reported to be in talks to buy a stake in Facebook that could value the social networking website at as much as $10bn (£5bn).
Say this isn’t so. How can it be worth that much!? -
BBC NEWS | Technology | Apple warning on unlocked iPhones
No surprises there then….
links for 2007-09-24
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BBC NEWS | Technology | Time for Apple to face the music?
Some good quotes here, and good to see Apple being questioned like this on the beeb website.
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Peter D Cox - The Microsoft hegemony begins to crumble
…anyone who cares about the notion of monopoly and its distortion on business, creativity - and plain common sense, has absolutely no excuse for using its products without a justification that will satisfy its financial and ethical stakeholders.
links for 2007-09-20
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developerWorks spaces are micro-sites focused on a software project, development activity, user group community, technical expert, or any other technical subject of interest to you. Join one of our spaces today, or apply for your own.
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Mourinho makes shock Chelsea exit
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has stunned the world of football by leaving Stamford Bridge by mutual consent.
Bad news for Chelsea. -
India’s Yuvraj smashes six sixes in an over
Yuvraj Singh became the first player in Twenty20 history to hit six sixes in an over in India’s match against England.
It just had to be against England! -
Virtual worlds opened up to all
Interesting development, a new web-based virtual world
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Big future beckons for tiny chips
Moore’s law still holding true, at least for a few more years
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Mango. The first Free enterprise language learning course available on the Internet.
Revisited: What am I missing? (admin help [still] needed!)
Thanks to those who responded to my previous bleat for help, I have been back to try and get this working but still no luck!
The situation is as follows:
- Domino 7 sever running on RHEL as a guest in VMware
- I can ping from the host both IP address and hostname of the guest
- I can ping the host from the guest
- The Domino server is up and running and I can connect over http and run the Domino web admin
- nmap shows port 1352 as open on the guest
- I have allowed incoming traffic from the guest to the host in my firewall
- the VM has a fixed IP addressed and is running in host-only mode
- I have added the IP address and FQHN for the guest to my host’s “host” file
- I can connect to the guest from the host via SSH and FTP
The continuing problem is that I can’t connect from the Notes or Admin client on the host. I’m not sure whether I made that apparent before. I have tried the following:
- I have a connection document configured for the server.
- I have tried using both a FQHN or the IP address as destination address
- When I try opening a database and enter the server name, I get the error:
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IBM Lotus Notes
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The server is not responding. The server may be down or you may be experiencing network problems. Contact your system administrator if this problem persists.
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OK
--------------------------- - When I try opening a database and enter the IP address, I get the error:
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IBM Lotus Notes
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Unable to find path to server. To trace this connection, use File - Preferences - User Preferences - Ports - Trace (Notes client) or Trace command (Domino server)
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OK
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To me this makes no sense, and is beyond my networking problem-solving abilities, I feel I can’t see the wood for the trees!
Has anyone else done this? I can’t imagine I’m the only one! So I must be missing something simple, right? Any ideas most welcome!
In the meantime, I going to install a Notes client in another guest VM and try to get them talking.
Wish me luck!
2 commentsBeware of Skype…(?)
On Sunday, August 5, 2007 Bush signed the revised Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) into law, in which the U.S. Congress spinelessly caved in and gave legal authority to the Bush administration to continue to intercept and spy on electronic communications. Then, on Thursday, August 16, 2007 the whole worldwide Skype network goes down. Coincidence?
And make up your own minds.
I’m not making any comment one way or the other, and don’t want to bring politics into this, but just the thought that this could be done is rather worrying!
Via a comment on a post from Chris.
No commentsNew to Me . . . too!
Still catching up with email and blog reading, not helped by the excitement over the Notes Domino 8 release while I was away!
This post from Michael Smelser caught my eye:
The functionality I am referring to is running the Notes client in “Kiosk” mode, that is running a Notes application as if it were a stand alone product. What this does is it launches an application full screen on a users computer with no toolbars or bookmark bars.
So how do we manage it? Easy!
To launch the application in Kiosk mode use this in your Notes icon, startup script, whatever:
“[path to Notes executable]” /kiosk “[path\db.nsf]”
(e.g. “C:\Program Files\lotus\notes7\nlnotes.exe” /kiosk “af\main.nsf”
I didn’t know how this was done either, thanks Michael!
5 comments