I have been working with Notes as a developer, certified consultant and instructor for more than eight years now.
I have followed the evolution of this amazing product since Release 3, and learned all its quirks and programming practices from Formula language to LotusScript and Java (okay - I'm a bit lacking in Java).
This product has evolved tremendously by integrating many abilities having to do with web development, and all LN developers I know have always cheered Lotus on in this direction.
Yet, for the past year I have noticed a disturbing trend - consultancy companies are using more and Java and Web developers to program in Notes. While I have no issues with the level of competence these people have in their respective fields, I have been placed many times with the responsibility of maintaining and changing applications developed by these kind of developers after the fact. I have also lost a job to a junior Java developer because the management of the company found that I was too expensive.
Well, I can tell you one thing - such applications are not good from a Notes development point of view. There are many things one can do in Notes natively without resorting to complicated code, but if the Web/Java developer does not know what a replica is, how the ACL works, what Author/Reader fields are for, how Inheritance works and what to do with views and forms, then this is a recipe for disaster.
I fear that, ultimately, Lotus has created so many functionalities into its product that many managers (and customers) are starting to think that anybody who can write a VB script can develop a whole Notes application.
Has anyone else noticed this ? What are your horror stories on Notes applications developed by third parties ?
I have followed the evolution of this amazing product since Release 3, and learned all its quirks and programming practices from Formula language to LotusScript and Java (okay - I'm a bit lacking in Java).
This product has evolved tremendously by integrating many abilities having to do with web development, and all LN developers I know have always cheered Lotus on in this direction.
Yet, for the past year I have noticed a disturbing trend - consultancy companies are using more and Java and Web developers to program in Notes. While I have no issues with the level of competence these people have in their respective fields, I have been placed many times with the responsibility of maintaining and changing applications developed by these kind of developers after the fact. I have also lost a job to a junior Java developer because the management of the company found that I was too expensive.
Well, I can tell you one thing - such applications are not good from a Notes development point of view. There are many things one can do in Notes natively without resorting to complicated code, but if the Web/Java developer does not know what a replica is, how the ACL works, what Author/Reader fields are for, how Inheritance works and what to do with views and forms, then this is a recipe for disaster.
I fear that, ultimately, Lotus has created so many functionalities into its product that many managers (and customers) are starting to think that anybody who can write a VB script can develop a whole Notes application.
Has anyone else noticed this ? What are your horror stories on Notes applications developed by third parties ?
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