Notes on Productivity Home Page

I know I have mentioned this previously, but the fact that applications developed 20 years ago can still run today in Lotus Notes without change. And the confidence inspired by an unbroken track record and commitment by IBM to support backward compatibility.

I know that there is also a negative aspect of this unique feature (not keeping up with contemporary trends or user expectations), but let's focus for a moment on the positive aspects of this for once.

How many executive sponsors of a commercial development project would be truly delighted with the notion that an application they are funding today will be able to continue to operate FOREVER, without forcing them to fund ongoing enhancements or bug fixes (caused by sloppy vendor changes)over many many years?

In other words if the code ain't broken they don't need to pay to fix it.

I know what you mean, Ian. I have a Notes application that I cobbled together in 1993. It's as ugly as, well, let's just say that it looks like Windows for Workgroups. But IT WORKS and it has been running flawlessly for 17 YEARS. I know I could update the UI but it does the job and the ROI continues.

Exactly, but the main benefit of rock solid backward compatibility, is the aviodance of a huge ongoing maintenance and development cost.

In addition, the rip & replace alternative slows down receiving the benefits of system upgrades due to the high ongoing maintenance cost and the extensive testing time required.

I know that people like shiny & new, but at least with Lotus Notes it's a choice, not something that is forced down your throat.

I love Lotus Notes because it is so much fun. Even the work-arounds are fun. I love that my boss can ask for something and I develop it fast and look like a super smart person. Even though I am a moron..