**Lotus Notes** is the client side af et [[client–server]], [[collaborative software|collaborative]] program, udviklet solgt af [[International Business Machines|IBM]] Software Group. IBM beskriver softwaren som et "integrated desktop client option for accessing business [[e-mail]], calendars and [[applications software|applications]] på en [[IBM Lotus Domino]] server."(([[http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/notes "IBM's home page for Lotus Notes"]] Definition of Lotus Notes)) Prior to release 4.5, the term ''Lotus Notes'' referred to both the client and server applications.(([[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/ls-NDHistory/ "The History of Notes and Domino"]]))
=====Features=====
Lotus Notes can be used for email, calendaring, [[Personal information management|PIM]], [[instant messaging]], [[Web browsing]], and a variety of feature-rich custom applications. It can be used to access both local- and server-based applications and data. The current version of Lotus Notes is 8.5. (See http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/ for more details).
In the early days of the product, the most common applications were threaded discussions and simple contact management databases. Today, Notes also provide [[blogs]], [[wiki]]s, [[RSS]] [[aggregators]], [[Customer relationship management|CRM]] and [[Help Desk]] systems, and organizations can build a variety of custom [[application software|applications]] for Notes using Domino Designer.
Lotus Notes can be used as an [[Internet Message Access Protocol|IMAP]] and [[Post Office Protocol|POP]] e-mail client with non-Domino mail servers. Recipient addresses can be retrieved from any [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol|LDAP]] server, including [[Active Directory]]. The client also does web browsing, although it can be configured to launch the default browser instead.
Features include group calendaring and scheduling, [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol|SMTP]]/[[MIME]]-based e-mail, [[Network News Transfer Protocol|NNTP]]-based news support, and automatic HTML conversion of all documents by the Domino [[HyperText Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] task.
Notes integration with IBM's Sametime instant messaging allows users to see other users online and [[instant messaging|chat]] with one or more of them at the same time. Beginning with Release 6.5 this functionality is built into Notes and [[presence information|presence]] awareness is available in email and other Notes applications for users in organizations that use both Notes and Sametime.
Since version 7, Notes has provided a [[web service]]s interface. Domino can be a [[web server]] for [[HTML]] files too; authentication of access to Domino databases or HTML files uses Domino's own user directory and external systems such as Microsoft's [[Active Directory]].
A design client is available to allow rapid development of [[database]]s consisting of forms, which allow users to create documents; and views, which display selected document [[field (computer science)|fields]] in columns.
In addition to being a [[groupware]] system (e-mail, calendaring, shared documents and discussions), Notes/Domino is also a platform for developing customized client–server and web applications. Its use of design constructs and code allows easier construction of "workflow"-type applications, which typically have complex approval processes and routing of data.
Since Release 5, Lotus server clustering has been able to provide geographic redundancy for servers.
Later in its product lifecycle, Lotus Notes adopted leading design techniques and prevailing user interface and navigation paradigms first popularized by [[Microsoft]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Mozilla]] and others. Features Lotus Notes may have first included were [[GUI tab]]s for multiple pages, searches and functions, and squared-off workspace [[chiclet]]s which are now used on the iPhone.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}
Lotus 8.5 is the newest release, providing more advancements in building custom software applications
====== Data replication ======
The first release of Notes included a generalized replication facility. The generalized nature of this feature set it apart from predecessors like [[Usenet]] and continues to differentiate Notes from many other systems that now offer some form of synchronization or replication. The facility in Notes and Domino is not limited to email, calendar, and contacts. It works for any data in any application that uses [[Notes Storage File]] (NSF) files, which are the standard container for data in the Notes architecture, for its storage. No special programming, tagging, or other configuration is required to enable replication.
Domino servers and Notes clients identify NSF files by their Replica IDs, and keep replicate files synchronized by bidirectionally exchanging data, metadata, and application logic and design. Replication between two servers, or between a client and a server, can occur over a network or a [[point-to-point]] modem connection. Replication between servers may occur at intervals according to a defined schedule, in near-[[real-time]] when triggered by data changes in server clusters, or when triggered by an administrator or program.
Creation of a local replica of an NSF file on the hard disk of a Notes client enables the user to fully use Notes databases while working off-line; the client synchronizes any changes when client and server next connect. Local replicas are also sometimes maintained for use while connected to the network in order to reduce network [[latency]]. Replication between a Notes client and Domino server can run automatically according to a schedule, or manually in response to a user or programmatic request. Since Notes 6, local replicas maintain all security features programmed into the applications. Earlier releases of Notes did not always do so. Early releases also did not offer a way to [[encryption|encrypt]] NSF files, raising concerns that local replicas might expose too much confidential data on [[laptop]]s or insecure [[home office]] computers. But more recent releases offer encryption, and as of Notes 6 it is the default setting for newly created local replicas.
====== Security ======
Notes was the first widely adopted software product to use [[public key cryptography]] for client–server and server–server authentication and for encryption of data; it remains the product with the largest installed base of PKI users.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} Until US laws regulating encryption were changed in 2000, Lotus was prohibited from exporting versions of Notes that supported symmetric encryption keys that were longer than 40 bits. In 1997, Lotus negotiated an agreement with the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] that allowed export of a version that supported stronger keys with 64 bits, but 24 of the bits were encrypted with a special key and included in the message to provide a "workload reduction factor" for the NSA. This strengthened the protection for users of Notes outside the US against private-sector [[industrial espionage]], but not against spying by the US government.[[http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/19.52.html#subj1 "The Swedes discover Lotus Notes has key escrow!"] ''The Risks Digest'', Volume 19, Issue 52, 1997-12-24] This implementation was widely announced, but with some justification many people did consider it to be a [[Backdoor (computing)|backdoor]]. Some governments objected to being put at a disadvantage to the NSA, and as a result Lotus continued to support the 40-bit version for export to those countries.
Under current US export laws, Lotus Notes supports only one version of the Notes PKI with 128-bit symmetric keys, 1024-bit public keys, and no workload reduction factor. The Domino server includes security tools support [[S/MIME]], [[Secure Sockets Layer|SSL]] 3.0 with industry standard key sizes for HTTP and other [[Internet Protocol|Internet protocols]], [[X.509]] client certificates, and an integrated [[certificate authority]].
Notes and Domino also uses a code-signature framework that controls the security context, runtime, and rights of custom code developed and introduced into the environment. Notes 5 introduced execution control lists (ECLs) at the client level.{{Clarify|date=November 2009}} Notes/Domino 6 allowed ECLs to be managed centrally by server administrators through the implementation of Policies. Since release 4.5, the code signatures listed in properly configured ECLs prevent code from being executed by external sources, to avoid [[computer virus|virus]] propagation through Notes/Domino environments. Administrators can centrally control whether each mailbox user can add exceptions to, and thus override, the ECL.
====== Database security ======
Every database has an access control list (ACL) that specifies the level of access a user or a server can have to that database. A user's access level determines what tasks he or she can perform in the database; A server's access level determines what information the server can replicate. (The names of access levels are the same for users and servers.) Only a user or administrator with Manager access can create or modify the ACL. To set an ACL, the Manager selects the access level, user type, and access level privileges for each user or group in a database. Default entries in the ACL can be set when the Manager creates the database. The manager can also assign roles if the database designer determines this level of access refinement is needed by the application.
====== Programming ======
Notes/Domino is a cross-platform, secure, distributed document-oriented database and messaging framework and rapid application development environment that includes pre-built applications like email, calendar, etc. This sets it apart from its major commercial competitors, such as [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Microsoft Exchange]] or [[Novell GroupWise]], which are generally purpose-built applications for mail and calendaring that offer APIs for extensibility.
Lotus Domino databases are built using the Domino Designer client, available only for [[Microsoft Windows]]; standard user clients are available for Windows, [[Linux]], and [[Mac OS]].[Domino Designer clients available here http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/downloads/ls/lsndad/] A key feature of Notes is that many replicas of the same database can exist at the same time on different servers and clients, across dissimilar platforms; the same storage architecture is used for both client and server replicas. Originally, replication in Notes happened at document (i.e. record) level. With release of Notes 4 in 1996, replication was changed so that it now occurs at field level.
A database is a Notes Storage Facility (NSF) file, containing basic units of storage known as a "note". Every note has a UniqueID that is shared by all its replicas. Every replica also has a UniqueID that uniquely identifies it within any cluster of servers, a domain of servers, or even across domains belonging to many organizations that are all hosting replicas of the same database. Each note also stores its creation and modification dates, and one or more Items.
There are several classes of notes, including design notes and document notes. Design notes are created and modified with the Domino Designer client, and represent programmable elements, such as the GUI layout of forms for displaying and editing data, or formulas and scripts for manipulating data. Document notes represent user data, and are created and modified with the Lotus Notes client, via a web browser, via mail routing and delivery, or via programmed code.
Document notes can have parent-child relationships, but Notes should not be considered a hierarchical database in the classic sense of [[information management system]]s. Notes databases are also not [[Relational model|relational]], although there is a [[SQL]] driver that can be used with Notes, and it does have some features that can be used to develop applications that mimic relational features. Notes does not support atomic transactions, and its [[file locking]] is rudimentary. Notes is a [[document-oriented database]] (document-based, schema-less, loosely structured) with support for rich content and powerful indexing facilities. This structure closely mimics paper-based work flows that Notes is typically used to automate.
Items represent the content of a note. Every item has a name, a type, and may have some flags set. A note can have more than one item with the same name. Item types include Number, Number List, Text, Text List, Date-Time, Date-Time List, and Rich Text. Flags are used for managing attributes associated with the item, such as read or write security. Items in design notes represent the programmed elements of a database. For example, the layout of an entry form is stored in the rich text Body item within a form design note. This means that the design of the database can replicate to users' desktops just like the data itself, making it extremely easy to deploy updated applications.
Items in document notes represent user-entered or computed data. An item named "Form" in a document note can be used to bind a document to a form design note, which directs the Lotus Notes client to merge the content of the document note items with the GUI information and code represented in the given form design note for display and editing purposes. The resulting loose binding of documents to design information is one of the cornerstones of the power of Lotus Notes. Traditional database developers used to working with rigidly enforced schemas, on the other hand, may consider the power of this feature to be a double-edged sword.
Notes applications development uses several programming languages. [[Formula language|Formula]] and [[LotusScript]] are the two main ones. LotusScript is similar to, and may even be considered a specialized implementation of, [[Visual Basic]], but with the addition of many powerful native classes that model the Notes environment, whereas Formula is similar to [[Lotus 1-2-3]] formula language but is unique to Notes.
[[Java (programming language)|Java]] was integrated into Lotus Notes beginning with Release 4.5. With Release 5, Java support was greatly enhanced and expanded, and [[JavaScript]] was added. [[LotusScript]] is the primary tool in developing applications for the Notes client, as well as server-based processing. Java and JavaScript are the primary tools for developing applications for browser access, allowing browsers to emulate the functionality of the Notes client. The Notes client can now natively process Java and JavaScript code, although applications development usually requires at least some code specific to only Notes or only a browser. However, the Mac client does not support Java and the Windows client usually does not support the most recent version of Java.
As of version 6, Lotus established an [[XML]] programming interface in addition to the options already available. The Domino XML Language (DXL) provides XML representations of all data and design resources in the Notes model, allowing any XML processing tool to create and modify Notes/Domino data.
Since Release 8.5, [[XPages]] were also integrated into Lotus Notes.
External to the Lotus Notes application, IBM provides toolkits in [[C (programming language)|C]], [[C++]], and [[Java (programming language)|Java]] to connect to the Domino database and perform a wide variety of tasks. The C toolkit is the most mature, and the C++ toolkit is an objectized version of the C toolkit, lacking many functions the C toolkit provides. The Java toolkit is the least mature of the three and can be used for basic application needs.
====== Database ======
Notes includes a [[database management system]] but Notes files are different from relational or object databases because they are document-centric. [[Document-oriented database]]s such as Notes allow multiple values in items (fields), do not require a [[database schema|schema]], come with built-in document-level access control, and store RichText data. Some object-relational features are being developed, and Domino 7 supported a restricted release add-on allowing the use of IBM's DB2 database as an alternative store for Notes databases. With Domino 8, this is available without a special request. A Notes database can be mapped to a relational database using tools like DECS, [LEI], JDBCSql for Domino or NotesSQL.[[http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product4.nsf/wdocs/notessqlhome NotesSQL]]
It could be argued that Notes is a multi-value database system like [[Pick operating system|PICK]], or that it is an object system like [[Zope]], but it is in fact unique. Whereas the temptation for relational database programmers is to [[database normalization|normalize]] databases, Notes databases must be [[denormalization|denormalized]]. RDBMS developers often find it difficult to conceptualize the difference. It may be useful to think of a Notes document (a 'note') as analogous to an XML document natively stored in a database (although with limitations on the data types and structures available).
The benefits of this data structure are:
# No need to define size of fields, or datatype;
# Attributes (Notes fields) that are null take up no space in a database;
# Built-in full text searching.
==Use as an Email Client==
Lotus Notes is commonly deployed as an end-user email client in larger organizations, with IBM claiming a cumulative 145 million {{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} licenses sold to date. (IBM does not release the number of licenses on current maintenance, nor does it track number of licenses in current use.) {{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}
When an organization employs a Lotus Domino server, it usually also deploys Lotus Notes for its users to read mail and use databases. However, the Domino server also supports POP3 and IMAP mail clients, and through an extension product (Domino Access for Microsoft Outlook) supports native access for Microsoft Outlook clients. Lotus also provides iNotes (in Notes 6.5 renamed to "Domino Web Access" but in version 8.0 reverted back to iNotes), to allow the use of email and calendaring features through Internet Explorer and Firefox web browsers on Windows, Mac and Linux. There are several spam filtering programs available, and a rules engine allowing user-defined mail processing to be performed by the server.
=== Comparison with other email clients ===
The designers of Lotus Notes aimed to build a collaborative application platform where email was just one of numerous applications that ran in the Notes client software. Lotus lore has it that the first mail inbox application written by Lotus was a proof-of-concept for a sales presentation. The Notes client was also designed to run on multiple platforms including [[Windows]], [[OS/2]], [[Mac OS|Mac]], SCO Open Desktop UNIX, and Linux. These two factors have resulted in the user interface containing some differences from applications that only run on Windows. Furthermore these differences have often remained in the product to retain backward compatibility with earlier releases, instead of conforming to Windows UI standards. The following are some of these differences.
* Properties dialog boxes for formatting text, hyperlinks and other rich-text information can remain open after a user makes changes to selected text. This provides great flexibility to select new text and apply other formatting without closing the dialog box, selecting new text and opening a new format dialog box. Almost all other Windows applications require the user to close the dialog box, select new text, then open a new dialog box for formatting/changes.
* Properties dialog boxes also automatically recognize the type of text selected and display appropriate selections (for instance, a hyperlink properties box).
* Users can format tables as tabbed interfaces as part of form design (for applications) or within mail messages (or in rich-text fields in applications). This provides users the ability to provide tab-style organization to documents, similar to popular tab navigation in most web portals, etc.
* End-users can readily insert links to Notes applications, Notes views or other Notes documents into Notes documents.
* Lotus Notes made near-instantaneous full-text searching available before other email applications, including [[Microsoft Outlook]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
* Deleting a document (or email) will delete it from every folder in which it appears, since the folders simply contain links to the same back-end document. Some other email clients only delete the email from the current folder; if the email appears in other folders it is left alone, requiring the user to hunt through multiple folders in order to completely delete a message. In Notes, clicking on "Remove from Folder" will remove the document only from that folder leaving all other instances intact.
* The ''All Documents'' and ''Sent'' "views" differ from other collections of documents known as "folders" and exhibit different behaviors. Specifically, mail cannot be dragged out of them, and so removed from those views; the email can only be "copied" from them. This is because these are ''views'', and their membership indexes are maintained according to characteristics of the documents contained in them, rather than based on user actions interaction as is the case for a ''folder''). This technical difference can be baffling to users, in environments where no training is given. ''All Documents'' contain all of the documents in a mailbox, no matter which folder it is in. The only way to remove something from ''All Documents'' is to delete it outright.
Lotus Notes 7 and older versions had more differences:
* Users select a "New Memo" to send an email, rather than "New Mail" or "New Message". (Notes 8 calls the command "New Message")
* To select multiple documents in a Notes view, one drags one's mouse next to the documents to select, rather than using {{keypress|⇧ Shift}}+single click. (Notes 8 uses keypress conventions.)
* The searching function offers a "phrase search", rather than the more common "or search", and Notes requires users to spell out boolean conditions in search-strings. As a result, users must search for "delete AND folder" in order to find help text that contains the phrase "delete a folder". Searching for "delete folder" does not yield the desired result. (Notes 8 uses or-search conventions.)
Like other popular commercial software packages, Lotus Notes has had its detractors(([[http://lotusnotessucks.4t.com/]], "Lotus Notes Sucks" website.))(([[http://www.ihatelotusnotes.com/]], "I Hate Lotus Notes" website.)) as well as supporters[[http://www.openntf.org]]. Critics at a variety of web sites, many titled with disparagements of Lotus Notes products, assert that there are dedicated email clients that are simpler, more intuitive and have a lower purchase price. Proponents argue that richer capabilities and advanced programmability are available, and that purchase price is a small fraction of [[total cost of ownership]]. Also that its security against viruses and trojans is not matched in any other email system[[http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/commerical/understanding_lotus_notes_security_execution_control_list_ecl_settings_785 "Understanding Lotus Notes Security and Execution Control List"]]. Many of the differences mentioned above are seen by some as weaknesses in the product, especially when the user interface is compared with more specialized applications.
Later releases of the product have made great headway in addressing end-user complaints.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}
Notes 8.0 (released in 2007) became the first version to employ a full{{Weasel-inline|date=February 2009}} user-experience team [[http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/marybeth Mary Beth Raven Blog]], resulting in a greatly improved{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} Notes client experience. Additionally, Notes 8.0 now runs in the open source [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]] Framework, opening up more application development opportunities through the use of Eclipse plug-ins.
The improved user experience builds on Notes 6.5 (released in 2003), which upgraded the e-mail client, previously regarded{{By whom|date=March 2009}} as the product's [[Achilles heel]]. Features added at that time included:
* drag and drop of folders
* replication of unread marks between servers
* follow-up flags
* reply and forward indicators on emails
* ability to edit an attachment and save the changes back to an e-mail
==Criticisms==
Publications such as ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2006 have criticized Lotus Notes for having an "unintuitive [user] interface" and cite widespread dissatisfaction with the [[usability]] of the client software. ''The Guardian'' indicates that Notes has not necessarily suffered as a result of this dissatisfaction due to the fact that "the people who choose [enterprise software] tend not to be the ones who use it."[{{cite web
| url = http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1705106,00.html
| title = Survival of the unfittest
| work = ''Guardian Unlimited'' | date = 2006-02-09
}}] Lotus violates an important usability law that dictates that a consistent UI is often better than a new and improved alternative. Since Microsoft has set the standard for Windows applications, Lotus's deviations (F9 versus F5, New Memo versus New Mail, etc.) have undermined its usability on a Windows platform.
Since Notes release 8, F5 is now used to refresh the mail inbox (and other views as well) and the "New Memo" button text has also changed to "New Message".
== History ==
Lotus Notes has a history spanning more than 20 years.[[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/ls-NDHistory Official history of Lotus Notes] IBM DeveloperWorks Web Site] Its chief inspiration was ''PLATO Notes'', created by David Woolley at the [[University of Illinois]] in 1973. In today's terminology, PLATO Notes was a message board, and it was part of the foundation for an online community which thrived for more than 20 years on the [[PLATO system]]. [[Ray Ozzie]] worked with PLATO while attending the University of Illinois in the 1970s. When PC network technology began to emerge, Ozzie made a deal with [[Mitch Kapor]], the founder of [[Lotus Software|Lotus Development Corporation]], that resulted in the formation of [[Iris Associates]] in 1984 to develop products that would combine the capabilities of PCs with the collaborative tools pioneered in PLATO. The agreement put control of product development under Ozzie and Iris, and sales and marketing under Lotus. In 1994, after the release and marketplace success of Notes R3, Lotus purchased Iris. In 1995 [[IBM]] purchased Lotus.
When Lotus Notes was initially released, the name "Notes" referred to both the client and server components. In 1996, Lotus released an [[HTTP]] server add-on for the Notes 4 server called "Domino". This add-on allowed Notes documents to be rendered as web pages in real time. Later that year, the Domino web server was integrated into release 4.5 of the core Notes server and the entire server program was re-branded, taking on the name "[[IBM Lotus Domino|Domino]]". Only the client program officially retained the "Lotus Notes" name, however end users are generally unaware of this differentiation, so even though more than ten years have passed since the re-branding, references to the "Lotus Notes Server" are still fairly common.
Image:Notes65Welcome.png|IBM Lotus Notes 6.5 default Welcome Page
Image:ln7.jpg|IBM Lotus Notes 7 customized Welcome Page
Image:Lotus Notes 8 home.png|IBM Lotus Notes 8 Welcome Page
==Versions==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release
! Date
! Lotus Notes
|-
| 1.1
| 1990
|
|-
| 2
| 1991
|
|-
| 3
| May 1993
|
|-
| 4
| January 1996
| Removed support for Netware servers
|-
| 4.1
|
|
|-
| 4.5
| December 1996
| Server renamed to "Domino", added native [[HyperText Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] server, POP3 ([[Post Office Protocol|POP]]) server, added Calendaring & Scheduling, and introduced Java support. Also included [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol|SMTP]] MTA "in the box", but not installed by default.
|-
| 4.6
|
| Added [[Internet Message Access Protocol|IMAP]] support. OS/2 and Unix client support dropped. No Mac client for this particular release.
|-
| 5
| 1999
| Moved [[Simple Mail Transfer Protocol|SMTP]] functionality from a separate MTA task to become a native ability of the mail routing task, improving performance and fidelity of internet email. Major improvements to [[HyperText Transfer Protocol|HTTP]] server. Notes client had a major interface overhaul. Java support greatly expanded and enhanced.
|-
| 5.0.8
|
| Added a new webmail interface, called iNotes (later changed to Domino Web Access in Release 6).
|-
|6.0
| nowrap | September 2002
| Added Domino Web Access (formerly iNotes Web Access) support. Dropped OS/2 server support.
|-
| 6.0.1
| February 2003
|
|-
| 6.0.2 (Japan Only)
| June 2003
|
|-
| 6.5 / 6.0.3
| September 2003
| Added Lotus SameTime Instant Messaging integration to the Notes client (Windows only).
|-
| 6.5.4 / 6.0.5
| March 2005
|
|-
| 5.x
| 30 September 2005
| Support Ended for Lotus Notes 5.x [http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/i/software/domino/support/eosr5.html IBM End of Support Reference]
|-
| 6.5.5
| December 2005
|
|-
| 6.5.6
| March 2006
|Release 6.5.6 is the last Maintenance Release for the 6.5.x code stream
|-
| 7.0
| August 2005
| Added [[IBM DB2|DB2]] support as database storage
|-
| 7.0.1
| July 2006
| Added native Linux client, with [http://www.ibm.com/software/swnews/swnews.nsf/n/nhan6rfrrb?OpenDocument&Site=software initial release] certified for [[Red Hat Enterprise Linux]].
|-
| 7.0.2
| September 2006
| Added blog template, [[rss]] feed support, [[iCal]] support, [[SAP ERP|SAP]] integration and "Nomad" which allows you to take your Notes client with you on a USB device.
|-
| 7.0.3
| October 2007
| '''Current server versions available:''' All Platforms — Windows, Linux (Red Hat, SuSE x86 and zSeries), i5OS, z/OS, Solaris 9 & 10.
'''Current client versions available:''' Windows, Mac OS X, Linux/x86 (Red Hat & SuSE initially).
Various versions of the client have been run under [[Wine (software)|Wine]] on [[Linux]], but with varying degrees of success and no official support. The Notes 7 client and Domino Designer 7 are known to install and run well under version 0.9.19.[[http://wiki.winehq.org/LotusNotes Support info for running Notes 7 on Wine] The Official Wine Wiki] Domino servers can also translate most databases into HTML for browser based users.
|-
| 7.0.4
| April 2009
|
|-
| 8.0
| August 2007
| '''Current server versions available:''' Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX.
'''Current client versions available:''' Linux and Windows XP/Vista English.
|-
| 8.0.1
| February 2008
| IBM added support for Widgets and Google Gadgets.
|-
| 8.0.2
| August 2008
| Integrated viewers for Microsoft Office 2007 documents ([[Office Open XML]]). Number of performance improvements.
|-
| 8.5
| December 2008
| ID Vault, New Roaming Features, [[xPages]], DAOS (disk space savings range from 40% to 60%), ... Some performance improvements. Domino Designer ported to Eclipse. Windows 2008 Support (Read more [http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/notes85-new/ here.])
|-
| 8.5.1
| 12 October 2009
| Several Improvements to performance and UI. Significant improvements to functionality, performance and stability of Eclipse-based Designer client
|-
| 8.5.1 FP1
| 12 December 2009
| Added support for Windows 7 and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.2)
|-
| 8.5.1 FP2
| 26 March 2010
| This is mainly a fix release.
|}
Lotus Notes donated parts of code to OpenOffice.org[{{cite web|url=http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/10/ibm-to-contribute-lotus-notes-code-to-openoffice-org|title=IBM to contribute Lotus Notes code to OpenOffice.org|first=Ryan|last=Paul|publisher=ars technica|date=2007-09-10|accessdate=2009-06-21}}] on September 12, 2007.
==Future==
Since the IBM acquisition of Lotus, some industry analysts and mainstream business press writers, along with IBM competitors, have made predictions of the impending demise of Lotus Notes. One noted example of this was an article published in ''[[Forbes]]'' magazine entitled "The decline and fall of Lotus", published in April 1998. Since then, IBM claims that the installed base of Lotus Notes has increased from an estimated 42 million seats in September 1998 {{Citation needed|date=May 2007}} to approximately 145 million cumulative licenses sold through 2008 (([[http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Ibm-NYSE-IBM-938111.html "Global Businesses Choosing Lotus Software"]] IBM Press Release January 15, 2009)). (IBM does not publish the number of licenses on current maintenance. Additionally, Lotus users who no longer pay maintenance are permitted to keep using the software—they are simply not permitted to install subsequent releases.)
Speculation about the decline of Notes was fueled by lingering market confusion emanating from IBM placing marketing emphasis on [[Websphere]] and [[IBM Workplace]] in 2003 and 2004. IBM Workplace, however, has been discontinued(([[http://www-306.ibm.com/common/ssi/fcgi-bin/ssialias?infotype=an&subtype=ca&htmlfid=897/ENUS906-251&appname=isource "Software withdrawal and service discontinuance: IBM Workplace Messaging"]] IBM Press Release December 12, 2006)), thus this source of confusion about the future of Notes and Domino has been rendered moot. While the future of any product in the technology sector cannot be predicted, IBM has made announcements that indicate that it continues to invest heavily in research and development on the Lotus Notes product line.
Notes 8, which was previously code-named "[[Hannover]]" (after the location of the 22nd Deutsche Notes User Group meeting, where it was first shown to the public) incorporates Notes into a larger [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]] framework and includes support for productivity editors based on the [[OpenDocument]] format.[[http://news.com.com/IBM+backs+OpenDocument+in+Lotus+Notes/2100-1012_3-6072931.html "IBM backs OpenDocument in Lotus Notes"] CNET News.com, Article published in May, 2006] (These editors have also been released in a standalone package called [[IBM Lotus Symphony]].) In addition, IBM executive Ken Bisconti has made public comments on several occasions asserting that there will be releases 9 and 10 of Notes and Domino.[[http://www.computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/1CEC245081A1BF26CC2570FF00148759 "Lotus set to uphold the future of Notes"] Article published in January, 2006]
In 2005, some analysts concluded that Lotus is losing market share to [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Microsoft Exchange]].[[http://www.forbes.com/technology/2005/04/06/cz_dl_0406notes.html "IBM In Denial Over Lotus Notes"] Article published in April 2005] There is no general agreement, however, about methods of accurately calculating share in the messaging and collaboration market.[[http://www.shared-spaces.com/blog/2005/04/response_to_dan.html "Response to Daniel Lyons: "IBM In Denial Over Lotus Notes""] Blogpost by Michael Sampson, Research Director at Shared Spaces] Figures based on seat count may be skewed by the presence of unused seats that are counted as a result of "bundled CALs", and figures based on customer count may be skewed by difference in typical customer organization sizes. IBM has asserted that growth shown in the revenue figures for the Lotus brand, as published in their audited annual financial report, show the continuing strength of the Lotus Notes product in the market. According to these figures, the Notes and Domino product line has sustained double-digit growth since late 2004 and continuing through 2006, including 30% year-to-year growth in Q4 of 2006.
IBM contributed some of the code it had developed for the integration of the [[OpenOffice.org]] suite into Notes 8 to the project.[[http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/buzzentry.jspa?selectedCategoryID=5&threadID=2191&tstart=0 "IBM Joins OpenOffice.org Community"]] IBM also packaged its version of Open Office for free distribution as IBM Lotus Symphony.[[http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/buzzentry.jspa?selectedCategoryID=5&threadID=2581&tstart=0 "IBM Releases Office Desktop Software at No Charge to Foster Collaboration and Innovation"]]
Notes/Domino 8.0.1 shipped in February 2008,[[http://www.edbrill.com/ebrill/edbrill.nsf/dx/introducing-my-widgets-in-notes-8.0.1 Blog entry by Ed Brill at IBM about Notes 8.0.1]] and 8.0.2 came in the summer. Notes 8.5, which includes a MacOS client, support for [[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] in addition to [[Red Hat Linux]] and [[SUSE Linux]], as well as an Eclipse-based Domino Designer, shipped in December 2008. Version 8.5 also offers a new Ajax-enabled web programming paradigm called [[XPages]].[[http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/nd85forum.nsf/Customer/5c4ad1b4a7e79bfa852574600013f2d8?OpenDocument XPages Hello World sample application on 8.5 Public Beta Forum]]
==See also==
* [[List of IBM products]]
* [[Comparison of e-mail clients]]
* [[IBM Lotus Domino]]
* [[IBM Lotus Domino Web Access]]
* [[IBM Lotus Notes Traveler]]
* [[IBM Lotus Symphony]]
* [[XPages]]
* [[Comparison of feed aggregators]]
== Alternative software ==
*[[OpenOffice.org Base]] (Linux/Windows/MacOS/FreeBSD/UNIX)
*[[Oracle Application Express]] (Linux/Windows)
*[[Ms_access|Microsoft Access]] (Windows)
*[[Wavemaker]] visual, drag and drop development, standard Java deployment, open source (Windows/Linux/MacOS)
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==Externe links==
* [[http://www.ibm.com/software/lotus/notesanddomino/ Lotus Notes and Domino home page]]
* [[http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/ Lotus Notes home page]]
* [[http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/dominowiki.nsf Lotus Notes and Domino Wiki]]
* [[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/lotus/library/ls-NDHistory The History of Notes and Domino]]
* [[http://lntoolbox.com/en/notesini-reference.html notes.ini Reference]]