Am I really reading/hearing this?

January 26 2006

Yes, readers, it's true -- right alongside quotes from articles by Reuters, eWeek,CRN, and other news publications, a series of quotes from bloggers about Lotusphere 2006 are being shown on the main screen as we lead up to the start of the closing session (and during Surjit's presentation as well!):

Paul Mooney (from http://www.pmooney.net/blogsphe.nsf/d6plinks/PMOY-6LBL7Q )
"There is no architectural shift in moving to the new version.. none at all. This is progression.  There will be no rip and replace to upgrade, and backward comparability will be standard (as it always is).  The upcoming Notes clients will be managed centrally, by administrators."

Declan Lynch (from http://www.qtzar.com/blogs/qtzar.nsf/d6plinks/DLYH-6LBHJL )
"The new Hannover client. At the moment all I can say is WOW. it looks great and seems to be pretty fast.  this looks like a product that end users will finally be very very happy to use."

Ben Poole (from: http://www.benpoole.com/weblog/200601251302 )
"Personally, I have been blown-away by what IBM are doing with Workplace, and more specifically, the managed client technology found therein. I've been following all this stuff since just before version 2.0 came out, and each leap forward has been a quantum one."

Warren Elsmore:  (From http://webhost.bewithus.com/hosted/we/blog2.nsf/d6plinks/WELE-6LBJD6 )
"Sametime connectivity with AIM, ICQ, Apple iChat, Yahoo! IM and Google Talk - "This is huge" - oh yesss....... this is very, very huge! No additional cost, and if I understand correctly - it's server side. "

Chris Miller: (From: http://www.idonotes.com/IdoNotes/IdoNotes.nsf/dx/01232006114620PMCMI8SJ.htm )
"Sessions - packed to overflow and closed capacity.  Reminds me of days of old.  You had to fight to get in early and have a seat.  Rooms went to overflow so you could hear and not see the presenter.  It is back! "

Richard Schwartz (From: http://smokey.rhs.com/web/blog/PowerOfTheSchwartz.nsf/d6plinks/RSCZ-6LC8QZ )
All Notes apps will run in Hannover. All Notes apps will run in Hannover. All Notes apps will run in Hannover. All Notes apps will run in Hannover. We get it, but keep repeating. It would be incredibly cool to show a Notes 1 app running in Hannover.
Did you get a pair of those yellow boxing gloves?  I know they were tough to come by -- sold out on Monday!  Good news -- you might win some during the closing session, or you can bid on this ebay auction!

Oh -- and you're about to read/here something else -- for the first time, Lotus is announcing a multi-year commitment to future Lotuspheres.  See you here again next year -- January 21 to 25, 2007.  "And we'll be here for many more Lotuspheres to come."  Yes!

Ed Brill Lotusphere 2006, closing session Category:  Lotusphere ’06  Add/View Comments [23]

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  1. 1  Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 1/26/2006 2:37:23 PM

    gloves could be found today, they must have replenished the Lotus Stuff Store

  1. 2  Jeff dominojeff.com | 1/26/2006 2:40:47 PM

    What is the link to the Lotus Stuff Store? I haven't been able to find it.

    Thanks,

    Jeff

  1. 3  Karen  | 1/26/2006 2:54:44 PM

    { Link }

  1. 4  Steven Joseph  | 1/26/2006 3:52:03 PM

    That was it? Great news that it is not going to Vegas, but even for you Ed, that was over-hyped!

    Considering my first Lotusphere in Orlando was 1997, that's not really saying too much...

    What we really need to do is get it back to the pre-9/11 attendance when you had to get in the first day or sit on a waiting list and hope you got in!

  1. 5  Brian Benz http://www.softwaresoapbox.com | 1/26/2006 4:24:51 PM

    Hey, I was kind of hoping for Vegas for my own selfish reasons....

  1. 6  Darren http://www.dadams.co.uk | 1/26/2006 4:45:05 PM

    Vegas may be okay for US travellers, but for international travellers (like us Brits) it's a nightmare to get to. That would cut the number of non-US attendees which can't be a good thing.

  1. 7  Ed Brill www.edbrill.com | 1/26/2006 4:47:13 PM

    @4 - Steven, I think this is pretty signifcant myself. It's never been offered before -- and it's yet another indication that IBM's commitment to Lotus has never been stronger.

  1. 8  Darren http://www.dadams.co.uk | 1/26/2006 4:52:15 PM

    By the way, who was the comedian for the closing session (which I missed)?

  1. 9  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 1/26/2006 4:55:37 PM

    @8 - They did tell me...but I forgot his name already.

    An uncensored pretty unknown apparently but very funny.

  1. 10  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 1/26/2006 5:23:21 PM

    @8 - Found it..."Jim Gaffigan" { Link }

  1. 11  Vincent  | 1/26/2006 5:49:01 PM

    Given that the gloves are now off, & to continue the boxing analogy, can't help but think that the "Greatest of all time" - Muhammad Ali - would have been a fit end. But then I'm Irish & we love our boxing!

    I think I remember seeing him in an advert which IBM did for championing Linux of late so I'm really not moaning :)

  1. 12  Tony Campbell-Cooke  | 1/26/2006 6:24:37 PM

    Sounds like it's time to restart Lotusphere Europe again. From the expectations in this blog, the pressure for places is likely to be back big time and a lot of customers/partners will end up disappointed. From my one-time experience of Orlando and several in Europe, I know that the Europe event just hasn't got the same scale and zing that Orlando has (and a bunch of us got food poisoning last time I went in Nice!). But at least we got to hear the presentations and feel the enthusiasm for the product, to invigourate our dedication to the future of Notes/Domino. Please pass my feelings on, Ed.

    Thanks

    Tony

  1. 13  Pete www.corefusion.com | 1/26/2006 8:28:11 PM

    I don't exactly remember the year, but it was probably around year 3, 4, or 5 that they announced a 5 year deal with the Dolphin and Swan, so it isn't really the first time that they announced a multi-year commitment to LS. Glad they have, although, personally I cringe every year that I have to go to Orlando, again, but at least a) It's warmer than Toronto and b) It's Lotusphere baby!

    Lucky number 13 in the can, looking forward to number 14 next year.

    --Pete

  1. 14  Richard Schwartz http://www.rhs.com/poweroftheschwartz | 1/26/2006 11:19:46 PM

    Yep, Pete. Just got back from number 13, too, and I was about to say that myself. There was a previous five year committment to 'sphere in Orlando in that time frame. If I remember correctly, Jeff Papows made a big deal of the announcement at the closing session.

  1. 15  Ben Poole http://www.benpoole.com | 1/27/2006 4:46:59 AM

    Having done just two 'spheres: this year in Orlando, and Berlin in 2000, I have to say this: they just don't compare, sorry. The VIEW are doing a great job with European conferences, and IBM Lotus do a great job of the "proper" Lotusphere conference. I wouldn't mess with the formula, no matter how much I want more of a European presence. The US 'sphere is just done the US way. Wouldn't work in Europe.

    No, to me, the area missing out is Asia-Pac. Focus on these poor guys, not Europe and the USA!

  1. 16  Ben Rose http://www.jaffacake.net | 1/27/2006 6:28:36 AM

    Quick thread semi-hijack.

    The UK user group forums are now open at { Link } and we're already talking about future meets.

    I've had some of the LS2006 presenters offer to do a session at the UK meets so it's quite an exciting time.

    If you haven't registered already, get over there. Cheers.

  1. 17  Lars Olufsen  | 1/27/2006 8:06:42 AM

    I agree with Ben, here ... Lotusphere Europe just isn't the same and never will be.

    If you really want to help us "non-US customers", have your account managers tell OUR managers how important and valuable it is for us to participate, and why it can't be substituted for a developers seminar in Copenhagen.

    I'm constantly faced with an attitude not unsimilar to "Why a long Notes-conference in the USA? I don't see the WinZip specialists going anywhere!"

    Seriously ... they still think "product" not "platform" and I think a lot of us need all the help we can get on that subject.

  1. 18  Bill Brown  | 1/27/2006 10:37:35 AM

    @13, I think it was my first 'sphere in 99 they made that announcement.

    @14 Yep, it was Papows. Remember the highwire entrance to the Sunday bash? He sure had a flair for the dramatic.

  1. 19  Bob Congdon http://www.bobcongdon.com/blog | 1/27/2006 11:24:33 AM

    Highwire entrance? That wasn't Papows. That was Steve Beckhardt, then president of Iris. And... it actually wasn't Beckhardt doing the trip down the wire. It was a stunt double. The big switch that Steve threw right after the high-wire act was supposed to create a huge arc of electricity in the air but due to high humidity it just sort of fizzed and died...

    One year when the party was at SeaWorld they showed a video of a "stunt" Papows doing a show with Shamu. Pretty funny, especially given his reputation -- at the end of the video he made a joke making it clear that it wasn't him.

  1. 20  Wild Bill http://www.billbuchan.com | 1/27/2006 5:06:06 PM

    Talking of stunts, I do remember John Landry coming through the ceiling in a spider man suit. Us poor Europeans were at the second session (in them there days, there were two sessions - something I think we'll get to next year)....

    Second time, Landry got stuck, which was amusing.

    So Ed - time to parachute onto the Dolphin ? Water-ski onto the beach ?

    ---* Bill

  1. 21  Mike Robinson http://www.invcs.com | 1/27/2006 5:34:26 PM

    Aren't the exchange rates pretty good coming from most (western) European countries? I remember when my company had a display at Admin 2004, the overall travel costs in some respect were cheaper than going from Boston, MA to Orlando,FL! And I had to deal with a deflated US dollar to boot.

    Anyway is it cost, or just really want a replica of the Orlando event in Europe?

    Mike

  1. 22  Dave Harris http://www.wavysworld.com | 1/28/2006 6:16:17 AM

    @15 Ben, Thanks for that. Here in A/P there's not a lot, although the launch of 7 last year was by all accounts very good, and I know one of the people involved, Stephan Wissel, made it to Orlando this year. Don't forget, though, that A/P is vast, and from SE Asia it can be almost as difficult, commercially at least, to get to Aus as to the US.

  1. 23  Roberto Boccadoro  | 1/30/2006 2:41:14 AM

    I agree with my friend, the excellent Darren Adams : Vegas is a nightmare to get to. We did 3 IBM conferences there and it has always been quite a pain to go there.

    I would also like to point out that this is the first time they show bloggers quotes together with press quotes. This is just another sign of the importance that bloggers ( some of them at least, the trusted and respectable ones ) are getting.