Collaboration Technology 2.0

Apologies to My Fair Lady, but Ian wrote 'Does the world hate Lotus Notes? Well I bear the scars from an organisation that did.

I introduced Notes into Crossrail as part of a tech upgrade connecting distributed offices that Exchange could not manage (at the time). It was a well thought through implementation that never went wrong. Users were given sufficient training and the technical and business benefits clearly explained. However, amongst certain Exec's the whingeing never died down - and these were people who's Secys and Staffers could scarcely use Word or Excel. I was even accused by someone of having taken a bribe from IBM for putting Notes in.

Why? I can only recall that in the early days of the tech boom (when Microsoft shares were cheap by comparison to IBM's) many CIO, CTO etc in both the US and Europe eschewed Notes' technical supremacy in order to leverage their personal investment by introducing Exchange. Whether an investment is emotional or financial, it will overcome all reason.

I don't believe so. I have been using it since (coughs) 1991 and though it can infuriate at times the spirit behind it (ie Collaboration) is the key component for me.

I left my mobile phone behind last week and had to use a BT payphone - what a shocker!

In short, and I read the instructions, to make one call in London it cost £3.0. Not only that but I lost another £2.0 to the machines veracious appetite for money. I complained to the operator immediately and have been sent a letter to my home (they took my address) asking that I phone in to discuss my 'unfortunate loss'. I've called twice and the 'refund operative' is always away from her desk. - So a local call cost be £5.0.

They don't call the UK Treasure Island for nothing. Pity the poor tourist!

Ed Brill has blogged overnight as part of an effort by IBM Lotus to attack the putative Enterprise Mac market with the launch of the Lotus Notes 8.5 client which takes better advantage of the OSX environment.

August Bank Holiday sees my home town transformed. It's Plum Fayre time. The plum was brought back from the Middle East by Richard 1 (lion heart) and entrusted to the care of the monks of Pershore Abbey. The Benedictine brothers were diligent breeders and propagators of their charge until Henry VIII imposed a windfall tax on the monasteries and closed them down - the plum, however, survived and thrived.

 

From my house I can see what remains of the Abbey and the Fayre Ground including the goings-on from Teddy bear parachuting off the tower to Morris Dancing etc. While cooking lunch I burnt myself in a minor way on the finger - result three blisters. Foraying out, in search of a plaster, I came across a group of St John's Ambulance staffers helping out in case of an accident. I asked what the best remedy for a burn was.

 

I was immediately set upon, taken into their tent and a 'trainee' given the task of administering to me. Twenty minutes later after rubber gloves, ice pack, burn gel and a bandage that made my hand look like a boxer's before the gloves go on I was dispatched to the sunshine.

 

Why go on about all this? The useful tip I picked was that if you or your offspring want to get involved with London Olympics (in a non-competitive way) volunteer for St John's Ambulance and you'll probably get in.

 

London 2012 will be fantastic, we are all excited about welcoming the world to this great capital. 

It's amazing how outdated attitudes resist all evidence and reason. Or as a manager of mine said after we had set up full VPN access to the full suite of business application, 'Never underestimate the forces of reaction.'                                 

For workers who can operate independently, telecommuting makes sense. It saves huge sums in terms of fuel prices and commuting time. Yet many managers cling to the notion that an employee who is not in the office is not working making it difficult to be judged on the quality of work rather than the quantity of office time.

The trouble is that senior managers live in rarified air; or inhabit and area 'above the cloud line' as another exec put it. Like the gods of Mt Olympus they are inured to the fates of mere mortals and have no interest in sparing employees the wear and tear of travel.

There was a time that the only way to sell a PC was to have the label 'IBM PC compatible' on the box (Vista ready was not even a twinkle in Bill's eye).