A confession...
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Until today, I had not installed the notes 8 client as my everyday client. To be very honest I'd had no need to, the changes in the client didn't really justify me spending my time to move across. The databases I use everyday aren't going to change becuase I use Notes 8. and the emails I send and receive will have pretty much the same content whether I am reading it with Notes 7 or Notes 8. I was also put off by the horror stories of Notes 8 performance. Lately though a few customers have come to me for custom Notes plug-ins development so it was time to bite the bullet, and now that we're up to Notes 8.0.1 I thought most of the rough edges will have been cleared up.
Initial impressions
Performance was not what I expected, it actually doesn't feel that slow to me. I did not install Symphony so no idea if that makes a difference, and I do have 2Gbs of memory, I'm sure that makes a difference.
IBMers must have a really good vision/optician plan, as someone shrunk all the icons. Seriously my bookmark bar (docked the open button) is miniature, Notes desktop icons that I added there are squished and unrecognizable. Even the icons in the views appear smaller to me. Perhaps IBM believes the Notes crowd is getting younger, sadly I think most of us are getting older. Is there an option that says, View, Large Icons? I looked through preferences
I am screwed with my shortcut keys. Many of the accelerators I used everyday are gone. Alt-B-1 no longer there, in fact if I am on the workspace, I get zero Alt combos for the dock, where did they go? Alt, F,D,O; Alt F,D,F gone. This one bugs me and the reason it bugs me the most is that Alt F, D does nothing, which means it isn't used, why could it not have been mapped to mimic the new Alt F, T ??
Workspace, yes I still use the Workspace, I have finger memory and I find it easier to navigate than bookmarks, and how can I put this, it's as ugly as that dog that won the ugliest dog contest and that's being mean to the dog. The chiclets have lines that carry on past the depressed button, all looks very shabby and rushed. Considering the Workspace is now what almost 20 years old, the plastic surgeons didn't do a very good face lift.
UPDATE: I turned on textured workspace (I normally have it turned off as it slows down Sametime screenshare) and the workspace looks better.
Widgets, interesting idea but needs more work. I tried to add a widget and the wizard has this ugly text UI, it feels like one of those features where an IBMer internally had put together a hack, a VP saw it in a demo and it ended up in the product before it was fully finished and the UI folks had a chance to look at it. The first widget I tried to add was a clock, somehow I have managed to add it, so that it added a Widget to my sidebar that has a title of "Add a Gadget to Your Webpage" and it shows a Google browser window with the Add this gadget to your webpage option. Now I can't figure out how to remove it. I hit the right mouse button on it and I get the Internet explorer right mouse button options, nothing about removing the page, any ideas on how to remove this sucked greatly appreciated.
Multi Level Undo and in-line spell check. It's been over 10 years since Microsoft introduced these features to Office, and typing this blog entry I can tell you they're already being used. Finally.
All my existing databases appear to work just fine, which is great news as I have a lot of databases, oops sorry, applications.
File Preferences, how many options?
Alt-Enter still works, thank goodness.
Where's my status bar for changing fonts and things? Why are are the useful tool bars turned off by default? I have to turn on the tool bar to be able to set my font etc?
Before you start flaming me, remember this, I am a Notes fan, I use it in preference over Outlook. I have been using Notes for 17 years, I acknowledge that change is often necessary. I will continue using/learning Notes 8, I just feel like it's still a little rough around the edges. I would think that if most people are honest with themselves they will probably agree with my initial impressions too.
Until today, I had not installed the notes 8 client as my everyday client. To be very honest I'd had no need to, the changes in the client didn't really justify me spending my time to move across. The databases I use everyday aren't going to change becuase I use Notes 8. and the emails I send and receive will have pretty much the same content whether I am reading it with Notes 7 or Notes 8. I was also put off by the horror stories of Notes 8 performance. Lately though a few customers have come to me for custom Notes plug-ins development so it was time to bite the bullet, and now that we're up to Notes 8.0.1 I thought most of the rough edges will have been cleared up.
Initial impressions
Performance was not what I expected, it actually doesn't feel that slow to me. I did not install Symphony so no idea if that makes a difference, and I do have 2Gbs of memory, I'm sure that makes a difference.
IBMers must have a really good vision/optician plan, as someone shrunk all the icons. Seriously my bookmark bar (docked the open button) is miniature, Notes desktop icons that I added there are squished and unrecognizable. Even the icons in the views appear smaller to me. Perhaps IBM believes the Notes crowd is getting younger, sadly I think most of us are getting older. Is there an option that says, View, Large Icons? I looked through preferences
I am screwed with my shortcut keys. Many of the accelerators I used everyday are gone. Alt-B-1 no longer there, in fact if I am on the workspace, I get zero Alt combos for the dock, where did they go? Alt, F,D,O; Alt F,D,F gone. This one bugs me and the reason it bugs me the most is that Alt F, D does nothing, which means it isn't used, why could it not have been mapped to mimic the new Alt F, T ??
Workspace, yes I still use the Workspace, I have finger memory and I find it easier to navigate than bookmarks, and how can I put this, it's as ugly as that dog that won the ugliest dog contest and that's being mean to the dog. The chiclets have lines that carry on past the depressed button, all looks very shabby and rushed. Considering the Workspace is now what almost 20 years old, the plastic surgeons didn't do a very good face lift.
UPDATE: I turned on textured workspace (I normally have it turned off as it slows down Sametime screenshare) and the workspace looks better.
Widgets, interesting idea but needs more work. I tried to add a widget and the wizard has this ugly text UI, it feels like one of those features where an IBMer internally had put together a hack, a VP saw it in a demo and it ended up in the product before it was fully finished and the UI folks had a chance to look at it. The first widget I tried to add was a clock, somehow I have managed to add it, so that it added a Widget to my sidebar that has a title of "Add a Gadget to Your Webpage" and it shows a Google browser window with the Add this gadget to your webpage option. Now I can't figure out how to remove it. I hit the right mouse button on it and I get the Internet explorer right mouse button options, nothing about removing the page, any ideas on how to remove this sucked greatly appreciated.
Multi Level Undo and in-line spell check. It's been over 10 years since Microsoft introduced these features to Office, and typing this blog entry I can tell you they're already being used. Finally.
All my existing databases appear to work just fine, which is great news as I have a lot of databases, oops sorry, applications.
File Preferences, how many options?
Alt-Enter still works, thank goodness.
Where's my status bar for changing fonts and things? Why are are the useful tool bars turned off by default? I have to turn on the tool bar to be able to set my font etc?
Before you start flaming me, remember this, I am a Notes fan, I use it in preference over Outlook. I have been using Notes for 17 years, I acknowledge that change is often necessary. I will continue using/learning Notes 8, I just feel like it's still a little rough around the edges. I would think that if most people are honest with themselves they will probably agree with my initial impressions too.
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Comments
Posted by Jamie Jenkins At 06:19:01 PM On 04/01/2008 | - Website - |
Posted by Glen At 07:55:09 PM On 04/01/2008 | - Website - |
Posted by Adi At 12:00:59 AM On 04/02/2008 | - Website - |
I still run 7 and 8 all the time (in fact at the same time), and on the up side I have found that I have learned all of the new shortcuts for 8 so they are as natural as the old 7 tricks. And if I had the choice now I would always go for 8, the benefits outweigh the slightly rough around the edge bits.
Posted by Matt White At 03:14:40 AM On 04/02/2008 | - Website - |
I also like the concept of the widgets but they need more work as well. Actual applications in the side bar like TwitNotes and the Sametime client are great.
Posted by Kevin Kanarski At 11:13:12 AM On 04/02/2008 | - Website - |