English
IBM this year decided to host all of their big conferences in one place, all at the same time. Thomas Watson's motto for IBM employees for a long time was a single word "Think", so the marketing genius of IBM decided that we should all join together under this banner in 2018.
If you have used IBM Notes for any length of time as an end user, you no doubt have come to the point of frustration trying to find that seldom used but all important app or database tile. Or worse, clicked on a tile only to find it is no longer functional because the database moved or the app is no longer supported.
Similarly, application development and maintenance can be a challenge if it is left up to the end user to find, install and manage apps and databases.
For administrators, who want to have a handle on their IBM Notes client environment, it is crucial to understand what you are working with from the outset.
If you use IBM Notes, it is quite likely you also use plugins. Plugins are very useful things, allowing companies to make menu and content changes, or even context menu changes (right-click menus) in Notes. Building on plugins, widgets can also be created for use in the sidebar. Widgets can use multiple plugins to provide improved usability and presentation value to your Notes client desktop. In short, plugins are powerful little bits of functionality that can be centrally developed then deployed across a large number of users. But as with many things in the tech world, all this goodness comes with security concerns.
IBM Notes plugins are powerful little bits of code that can do a lot to enhance and customize your Notes desktops, but they can be a challenge to deploy in a secure yet efficient manner. Many companies lock down the end user’s Notes environment, and for good reason. Many a help desk call is the result of a user experimenting in their configuration files not really knowing what they are doing, resulting often in a non-functioning Notes client. So what are some best practices for deploying Notes plugins?
IBM Notes, a.k.a. Lotus Notes, allows you to use multiple programming languages in multiple-platform client message integration, including Lotus Formula language, LotusScript, JavaScript, HTML, Java, and XPages. This is a nice cornucopia for those who want some latitude and depth in their integrative apps--especially a program which factors-in many parameters in CRM and web-based business communications. The various languages used in Lotus Notes/IBM Notes help users communicate across different business and social media platforms, and the various codescript choices available as the app and encryption demands require it.
