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How do you guys think of Domino/Notes vs MS Exchange?

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domino888

Technical User
Jan 28, 2000
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I am thinking of which one will be more<br>
prospective, I am now a CLP and CLI,and wondering whether I should pay more attention <br>
to MS Exchange.<br>
Thx.
 
Hi, <br>
<br>
i actually work on Notes and i already installed and play with MS exchange.<br>
For me comparison shouldn't appear. Notes is the best one, even if the other one offer compatibilty with other software of the same company, the powerfull of Notes is the capacity of developing simple and complex database.
 
I worked with exchange for a while and am now in an environment with notes. Based on what I can see it is really personal prefance. Notes has some functionality that Exchange does not but personally I like Exchange. But when exchange breaks you better know what is going on within the application or know know someone who is familiar with it. Long nights could be ahead if you do not. <p> <br><a href=mailto: oneworld@goes.com> oneworld@goes.com</a><br><a href= > </a><br>
 
Hi:<br>
Can you say something about why you like Exchange more?<br>
Is it easier? Is it more reliable? Or is it more compatible?<br>
Please give me some points.
 
Hi Domino is hands down a better groupware platform than Exchange. I find it to run much faster than Exchange (similar hardware), has better error logs and seems to be more robust than Exchange (does not crash as often).<br>
<br>
However, Exchange has its popularity with the Microsoft brand name and as most Microsoft NT shops have administrators who only focus on Microsoft products, Exchange is the defacto choice.<br>
<br>
Also, its easier to find MS certified people or resources than Lotus certified people or resources. Go to any major bookstore and you will see shelves of MS resources and if lucky, a few Lotus resources.
 
At the Borders bookstore here in Long Beach, there are about 100 linear feet of Notes related titles! <p>Fred Wagner<br><a href=mailto:frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us>frwagne@ci.long-beach.ca.us</a><br><a href= > </a><br>
 
I've posted this before:<br><br>I used to work for Lotus. I now do Exchange administration. I also do Domino administration. I'm biased in both directions. <br><br>If you want straight-forward, easy to use, easy to administer, simple yet rich e-mail, Exchange is your answer. However, if you need good back-end connectivity, work flow, or mail integration with databases, you can't beat Domino. <br><br>Domino administration isn't easy. There is a lot to learn, and it can be frustrating. However, you can do some seriously cool things with the Lotus suite. Lotus also gives you a lot more in terms of server platforms. I'd never run my internet e-mail on an NT server. With Exchange, you don't have a choice.
 
Hello I am an HP internal technician before that i worked<br>for compaq and with both company's it's about the same<br>Both of them i have to support both.<br>My expiriance is the following ms exchange is a bit more unstable tough only slightly but easy to repair,<br>there never was a problem that i even i i had to call microsoft for it couldn't solve whit in 1 hour.<br>Whit lotus notes how ever that is and hole other story.<br>There aren't often problems whit it and recources are rare.<br>Some problems could only be solved trough complete reinstalls witch i don't find a real sulution.<br>A nother thing a find frustrating to few and confusing errors.<br>every body hates microsoft fore there nummeres errors and<br>bleu screens but the fact is if correctly read they can<br>tell you whats wrong and help you whit microsoft technet<br>and recource kit's to quickly identify and solve the problem.<br>i would verry welcome this in lotus notes.<br><br>HP senior escalation manager.
 
Exchange vs. Notes/Domino ... Exchange is and has always been a mailsystem. Lotus Notes is not ... Domino is a powerful database ... and should not called a mailsystem just because it can &quot;talk&quot; SMTP !!!

Before, my life was fine and dandy ... Now it is awful

- Thank you Notes

Notes/Domino administrator
 
I agree, NOTES was made into a mailsystem to compete with exchange, with the introduction of E2K, colaboration is nearly as good on Exchange as with Notes. Notes is a FILE DATABASE, Exchange is a true MAILSYSTEM. Leave it at that. Although it is a personal preference, I choose Exchange. Only foreign based companies still insist on NOTES. Exchange is more robust and more flexible, where I find notes is not. Again, purely a personal preference.
 
Don't believe half of the above replies. I can't believe that some of these responses are from support people!!!!!

A couple got it right: apples and oranges. Exchange = email system. Notes = document-based, replicable database system with email as a transport mechanism.

There is TONS of Motes support out there (right here. too!!).

You can write applications in Notes. Can you in Exchange?
You have awesome, I repeat, awesome security features in Notes. In fact, the CIA was involved in the early development days of Notes.

Domino (the Notes server) can serve up web pages. Can Exchange?

I could go on, but this is an old feud. Search on the web for Exchange vs. Notes and see what you get.

All the above, BTW, is IMHO....

;)
 
Oh, and maybe one of the best features of all, show me just one virus, trojan horse, worm, etc. that is

1. Targeted for Notes email systems
2. Able to exploit the Notes architecture for it's nefarious ends.....

Lemme see now..... how many use Exchange as it's target???

See what I mean?
 
yert33 - &quot;CIA was involved in the early development days of Notes.&quot; ... There has been no development done to Notes since the dawn of time ... It's a prehistorical system ...
Exchange is the future ...

Yes - you can write applications for Exchange ...

Exchange have multitasking abilities ... Notes have not, It runs in batch'es ...

You are right when you say that almost all viruses are written for MS (Exchange) ... But, You will be infected even if you use Notes ...

Every company today have internet access ... hense, they are exposed to virus ...

That's all for today, folks ... I'll be back

/Magnus, MCSE 2K ...
 
All right, Magnus! (Do you work for Micro$oft?)

Rebuttals:

Notes is under continual development. To wit: Release 6 is now under beta. It supports Java, Javascript, XML, XSL, dynamic HTML, ODBC, and DDE in addition to its native LotusScript and formula language.

Yes, but can you write applications IN Exchange? And I don't mean by using VB or ASP pages or the like. In Notes you can write complete, robust applications with no additional development tools.

Multitasking? Our Domino servers run many, many concurrent threads. I don't even know what you are referring to by &quot;batch'es&quot; [sic].

True, you can be infected by viruses even though you run Notes - but the Notes address books cannot be used to propagate the virus as easily as the exchange/outlook model.

No argument on the exposure to virus because of internet connectivity - but this wasn't the topic here.

Come back...

Trey, (no letters after my name)
 
My Man yert33 knows what he is talking about, while I have had little experiance with exchange, I know you cant deploy a database over the web and create user views in both web browsers and the notes clients in a matter of minutes. The real trick with notes is having good developers, as yert33 said &quot;Don't believe half of the above replies. I can't believe that some of these responses are from support people!!!!!&quot; I got 2 words for ya yert &quot;HELP DESK&quot; support. Notes is only as powerful as the devlopers behind it.
 
Thanks for watching my back, Kyle1. (Is your last name Huang?)

Notes' reputation has suffered so much from disinformation. As promul&quot;gated&quot; by Big Brother(M$). Hopefully it won't be another victim of the curious phenomenon of &quot;if it's superior, it'll die&quot;. Example: the Dodge hemi engine, OS/2, FoxPro (well, M$ almost killed it off when they bought out Fox Software), the Skil 100 power planer (surfboard shapers will pay up to $2000 for these out-of-production tools),etc., etc. ;)

gotcha on the 2 words!
 
Appreciate your points, guys.
I am now working on Domino/Notes Administration, and thinks it is funny:).

And I used 5.0.3 Domino server running on a Windows 2000 PC and find it is quite stable as a web server and smtp server and Notes backup server (it needs some memory though).
So I guess it is quite doable for small business to use PCs running Domino server and not must use expensive AIX/Unix box.(that it why some small business don't want to use Domino)

I was trying the Domino 6 release candidate and heared some complains about it, though I am not sure how it would be, but I heared it is quite different from Version 5.
Do you think so?

----------------------------------------
Power up your Notes/Domino if you know how to use it!
Q1: what is power?
Q2: what is up?
Q3: what is Notes/Domino? *&%$#@
----------------------------------------

 
I must chip in a word here.

I totally agree with some of the above observations. Notes and Exchange DO NOT compare and have nothing in common a part from the ability of sending/receiving mail.

Notes can serve up web pages and do site hosting in a snap. You can build practically any kind of web site with R5, and from the web you no longer have any clue to tell you you're looking at a Notes site (R4.6 sites were much more obvious and rudimentary).

Notes can build whole applications and link third party tools if necessary. Its stability has a proven track record and, if hosted with a rock-stable OS like Sun OS or AIX, you have uptimes that are simply out of reach of the good ol' NT and 2K boxes.

With Notes, you have a great amount of tools IN THE BOX. No need for additional licenses, you just have to activate the corresponding server thread or whatnot to get the functionality. You can even talk to external relational database with standard LS or NotesPump (yeah, I know it got renamed).

Also, a properly-configured Notes server is virtually untouchable by script kiddies and such trash. Our server gets hundreds of hack attempts per hour - none get through. It would take a highly skilled hacker to break a secure Notes box (note that I am not saying it is not possible - statistically, it is, but I don't how).

Finally, upgrading a Notes configuration is incomparably more simple than upgrading from Exchange 98 to Exchange 2000. With Exchange, you basically have to redesign your network, THEN install a whole new product. There is no easy way back if it doesn't work. With Notes, you can back up the server, upgrade it and put it back on-line without interrupting user availability thanks to Notes clustering. All Domino servers are backwards compatible to ensure smooth service for users and maximum data conservation.

Yet, I must also agree with another previous remark. Domino/Notes is not for newbies ! Your Notes experience will only be as good as the people you have serving it.

Although that might probably hold true for Exchange as well, but Domino has a much greater scope and therefore a good administrator needs a high level of training.

But you only train for Notes, whereas with Exchange you need to train for Exchange, for the SMTP server, and for whatever other service Exchange is connected to.

Of course, my Exchange knowledge is severely limited by the fact that I have been brainwashed by Lotus for the past seven years ;-)

PM
 
Notes and Exchange _are_ totally different. For instance Exchange is extremely vulnerable to attack, Notes is not. Exchange grants persmissions, in Notes the Administrator grants permisions. Notes can be highly customized, Exchange sort of can. Exchange requires a dilligent, intelligent administrator, or a complete moe, either way it runs. Notes requires an intelliegent, dilligent Admin AND a DEVELOPER or it won't run and will be virtually useless.

The whole point of Notes is that you can change it to meet your needs and develop amazing things in it. Oh and it does mail. Exchange is a mail server that gained tremendous popularity becuase it was FREE for a while.

Neither Notes nor Exchange are better than the other they serve wholly diff't purposes. Either way you need a REAL admin behind both. Without that they both pretty much suck, only difference is if you have a crappy Exchange admin you might lose all your files. Notes is definitely safer than Exchange.
 
My company moved from exchange to Notes. Now my life is a living hell.

I lost sleep over this new implementation.


 
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