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Decipher this...


Over at Ed's, in a discussion about Kevin Turner's announcement that Microsoft projects a "feeding frenzy" of customer opportunities next year, MS's Jim Bernardo states
I don't know a single customer who's decided they're going to move to Exchange for email, and leave all their apps on Notes...in fact, when I talk to customers considering the move, I usually suggest that if that's their plan, they probably should either rethink it, or stay on Notes...
to which Keil Wilson and I respond that we know a number of organizations who are, in fact, running Exchange for mail while using Domino for applications.


Jim replies
I can't think of any (perhaps there are some) who've ONLY moved email to Exchange, aren't doing SharePoint in some form or other, aren't utilizing other (no, I'm not talking about Office) MS technologies as well, and don't have a plan for transitioning completely off of Notes.
to which I express disbelief that Jim doesn't know any customers who are running Exchange mail and Domino apps.


Jim lastly states
I don't know any who have made a business decision, and let's be crystal clear, in the last five years or so (I know several who did before that)to move to Exchange for email and leave apps on Notes.


Okay, so I think I finally understand what he's trying to say.  Every customer he knows of that's moved from Notes mail to Exchange mail who also has Domino apps PLANS to move the apps to a Microsoft technology as well.

I guess my confusion arises over the meaning of "plans."  Hell, I PLAN to quit drinking, work hard, get rich and save the world.  But I usually get drunk, play around, stay broke and watch life pass by.

Conversely, people don't PLAN to get into car wrecks, get pregnant, lose a bet or be late to work.  But we live in the really real world.  A plan usually just a list of things that never happen.

Incidentally, what's with Kevin Turner's choice of words?  Is it more accurate than he realizes?  A frenzy usually isn't very good news for whatever's being fed upon, don't you know!

Comments

1 - Just worked with a customer today who migrated to Exchange within the past 5 years for mail but still have Notes around for apps. I'm not sure if they have Exchange.

And I doubt that an MS salesperson would try to keep someone from switching to Exchange. Isn't their strategy to now tell customers that they are supposed to use the MS tool to convert the Notes apps to MS?

And haven't we already discussed MS "FUD" earlier this week?? It just keeps coming! Emoticon

2 - I have lots and lots of customers (CoexLinks, obviously, not Midas or CoexEdit) who have migrated to Exchange but keep their Domino apps. A fair number started out thinking they would move the apps as well, but very few do. Many know full well they will not move the apps.

3 - We are going through precisely that migration RIGHT NOW! Of course, Turner could argue that within 5 years we will have migrated completely from Notes/Domino, but as I am not a prophet, I don't know if that will be true.

4 - Uhhh, one customer here. Forced move to Exchange 2 years back, still cranking out Notes apps...heck we've even seen Notes use in a division that had never used Notes before. NO plans to drop Notes. Maybe the MS guys don't know their customers?

Know their customers? I don't think they know their products. I am in the process of setting up a SQL Server with the idea we'll use it for stuff Notes isn't good for, like relational data. I'm still trying to figure out HOW to generate front end for the db. Exactly what do I need, what IDE can I use, how do I implement the interfaces to the db? 3 days and I'm still installing tools. I'd go LAMP but that's not (yet) 'corporate standard' so I'm kinda stuck in the MS world for this project. As I flop around trying to get something working, I recall setting up my Domino development server - 1 CD, 30 minutes and I'm writing code...Oh yeah, I LOVE that MS stuff. (not!)

Oh, and that CoexLinks thing? Magic! Made the forced march to Exchange pretty close to painless.

5 - @Doug,
Why not try using DB2? (if you have version 7 that is) or you can use lotus script and ODBC to keep the data in SQL Server and present it using Notes.
You can't just *do* a front end in SQL Server, you need .NET/VIsual Basic/C#/Access or some other development tool. I used Visual Foxpro as my front end.

Wayne

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