Notes 8.5.1: More Mac-like in several ways

October 11 2009

If you aren't reading Mary Beth Raven's series of postings on what's new and great in the Notes 8.5.1 client, you're missing out.  She's been highlighting a whole lot of usability work that went into this release...some of it subtle, some of it in-your-face.

I'm not trying to compete :-)  but I just loaded up 8.5.1 today and I have some first impressions.  I'm sure it comes as a surprise that I have not loaded 8.5.1 earlier.  I did this is a solidarity move, really -- I wanted to run what you were running.  Now, when we start working on our next feature release, I'm sure that I'll be running early betas again like usual, but this time around, I waited, in order to get the full impact at once.  After reading about all the improvements, I was excited to see them real time.

Here are a few subtle things that I noticed specifically on my Macbook.

1) Search box close button is now a Mac "red circle":
Image:Notes 8.5.1: More Mac-like in several ways

2) The main screen font is smoother:
Image:Notes 8.5.1: More Mac-like in several ways

3) Creating a hyperlink is now a menu option as well as a button (OK, this one isn't Mac specific, but I am really happy to see it)
Image:Notes 8.5.1: More Mac-like in several ways

I'm sure there will be many, many other niceties discovered in the next few days, but for now, I'm just happy to finally see this:
Image:Notes 8.5.1: More Mac-like in several ways
and sometime tomorrow, you will be, too. :-)

Ed Brill Highland Park, IL USA Category:  Notes and Domino 8.5  Add/View Comments [42]

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  1. 1  Peter LaComb  | 10/11/2009 8:01:51 PM

    I'll be downloading 8.5.1 as soon as I can. Can't wait to see the changes in Designer.

  1. 2  Mike Brown http://www.browniesblog.com | 10/11/2009 8:42:38 PM

    Enough! Just release the damned thing already!

    It's already October 12th (afternoon, in fact) where I am. What time will the download be available?

    Cheers,

    - Mike

  1. 3  Colin Williams  | 10/11/2009 8:58:43 PM

    Its tomorrow here Ed...can't wait! :)

  1. 4  Ben Perales http://www.cambridge.org | 10/11/2009 9:03:36 PM

    Hi Ed,

    We got an email from IBM Passport advantage saying that 8.5.1 is available for download already. Checked passport site but it's still not there?

    Regards

    Ben

  1. 5  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/11/2009 9:40:26 PM

    @4 I saw that on Erik Brooks' blog. No idea whether the email is generic or generated.... I will obviously blog/tweet when the code is live (and I expect someone will beat me to it).

  1. 6  Hugh Justham  | 10/11/2009 10:18:10 PM

    Any news as to whether Sametime windows will now appear in the Window menu of Notes? The only way to return to Sametime windows that have been covered on Mac is to use exposé.

  1. 7  Tripp Black http://www.mindwatering.com | 10/11/2009 11:17:27 PM

    IBM Domino Server 8.5.1 for Multplatform English eAssembly (CR9SQEN) is showing up. Unfortunately, the plus/minus twistie is empty underneath.

  1. 8  Steven  | 10/11/2009 11:36:40 PM

    Getting closer:

    IBM Domino Server 8.5.1 for Multiplatform English eAssembly(CR9SQEN)

    Size 10 files (4898mb)

    Date posted 12-Oct-2009

    I can see my son's homework now, "How my Dad spent his Columbus Day holiday"

  1. 9  Ulrich Krause http://www.eknori.de | 10/12/2009 2:39:15 AM

    argghhh ... where are my entitlements??

  1. 10  Hans Bornich  | 10/12/2009 2:40:39 AM

    Downloading now @ 2MB/s, I love the smell of fresh installers in the morning.

    I can't find the admin client though.

  1. 11  Dave Harris http://www.wavysworld.com | 10/12/2009 2:58:23 AM

    I'm getting about 60KB/s, and similarly to Hans, no admin client

  1. 12  Ian Scott  | 10/12/2009 3:47:31 AM

    I can't see our entitlements either but I can find the downloads if I dig about although clicking 'download now' just refreshes the page :(

    I suppose this is a fair old effort to get rolled out around the globe though so I'm just going to have to be virtuously patient. I'm presuming the entitlement will reappear when everything is present and correct behind the scenes.

    Nice to see the OpenNTF announcements today dovetailing with 8.5.1 general availability.

  1. 13  Pierre Decrocq  | 10/12/2009 3:56:54 AM

    Where to find "IBM Lotus Notes, Domino Designer and Admin 8.5.1 for Windows English" ? I find to packages : Lotus Notes (440+Mb)and a separate Designer (600+Mb). Help !

    --Pierre

  1. 14  Paul Mooney http://www.pmooney.net | 10/12/2009 4:01:52 AM

    @13 - the designer client is the admin/designer client

  1. 15  Ian Scott  | 10/12/2009 4:02:07 AM

    @13 - See this:

    { Link }

  1. 16  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 4:11:38 AM

    Ed, which Mac OS X version are you using?

    I just installed Notes 8.5.1 on 10.6.1 and get the same results as back in beta times: Empty search box buttons and no twisties in views. In the ND85Forum other users seem to have problems in context with Snow Leopard, too.

  1. 17  Julian Buss http://www.juliusbuss.de | 10/12/2009 4:14:43 AM

    @16 - this is caused by a bug in Mac OS and Lotus dev seems to hope that Apple will fix that. Personally, I would be glad if the Lotus devs would try to find a workaround because everyone will assume this is a Lotus bug, not an Apple bug.

  1. 18  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 4:17:12 AM

    @15: Ian, yes, but did you really get the part "CZ5S0EN"? It still seems to be missing on passport advantage. Maybe we have to wait until it shows up on notes.net (-> "download coming soon").

  1. 19  Ian Scott  | 10/12/2009 4:30:32 AM

    @18 - Peter, I can see part "CZ5S0EN" if I go to 'view all my downloads' then expand 'Lotus Software' and then expand 'IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Client Access License 8.5.1 for Multiplatform English eAssembly(CR9TXEN)'. I can't actually download a damned thing though !

  1. 20  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 4:36:59 AM

    @17: Thank you Julian for your input. Yes, IBM should fix this as soon as possible, because no one really cares about who's fault it is. Right now it is difficult to show it to any Mac enthusiast and say "look, this isn't anymore old school Lotus Notes"...

  1. 21  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 4:44:58 AM

    By the way: There is a lot of other stuff to do at the Mac side of Notes. For example, I know a lot of people who are just waiting to get a decent integrated Groupware/Office package on the Mac, for building really flowing Workflows. Right now there is still no published availability of the necessary Lotusscript LSX toolkit for the Mac platform...

  1. 22  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 4:48:04 AM

    @19: Ian, that may be my problem: I have an entitlement for Designer, but no Enterprise Client Access License (using Domino Collaboration Express). Hopefully the changes in licensing won't mess up the whole story...

  1. 23  Ian Scott  | 10/12/2009 4:59:00 AM

    @22 - Peter, I wondered about that myself. I was confused and to be honest a little alarmed when Notes and Domino had disappeared from the 'Download Finder' page (they were there yesterday) but I've checked and we are licensed through to 2011. There are also things on the list we are not licensed for so I'm tending to think this is just a hiccup and that in the end the licensing changes won't affect anything.

  1. 24  Ian Scott  | 10/12/2009 5:15:47 AM

    Panic over :) Using HTTP from USA instead of Download Director from Ireland.

  1. 25  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 5:45:07 AM

    Designer is there, but the part "CZ5S0EN" seems not to be in the search index (Domino driven? ;-) In my case the Designer entitlement was switched to an Enterprise Client Access License...

  1. 26  Ben Rose  | 10/12/2009 6:06:10 AM

    Same problem with entitlements here, the Notes/Domino files simply aren't listed in most of the places they should be - not just 8.5.1, but older versions affected too.

    If the IBM download site was a source of illegal downloads, global piracy would end overnight...

  1. 27  Michel Mezers  | 10/12/2009 6:15:47 AM

    Just to confirm the above, I've got two sites:

    Domino Messaging Express site can get all but Admin/Designer Client.

    Domino Enterprise site is completely without Domino downloads (no older versions, nothing).

    Guess we'll have to wait for IBM to sort this out.

  1. 28  Peter LaComb  | 10/12/2009 6:28:21 AM

    Well, Ed did say today - not "12:01am", so they still have a good number of hours to straighten it out.

  1. 29  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/12/2009 6:50:20 AM

    @20 Seriously? A bug in a weeks' old operating system and your expectation is the ISV should be the one working around it? We are working through some issues on Snow Leopard with Apple. I don't want to go into further details in public at this time. I personally have not yet upgraded to Snow Leopard (still 10.5.8).

  1. 30  Peter Meuser  | 10/12/2009 7:43:24 AM

    Ed, I see a lot of opportunities with Notes in Mac-only shops. Of course you may wait until Apple is moving, but does it help your mission? After years of Notes clients lacking behind the typical Mac user experience it is really hard to get this crowd...

    I am hopefully, that this problem will be solved by IBM, by Apple or by whoever, but please - make it happen soon!

  1. 31  Michel Meyers  | 10/12/2009 8:58:43 AM

    Just to comment on my own message above: I've managed to download Domino/Admin/Designer 8.5.1 under my Enterprise agreement. You need to look under 'view all my files'. (The categories seem to be gone but the files are there, the Admin client is simply called 'Designer').

    Still no Admin Client under the Domino Messaging Express agreement though.

  1. 32  marco foellmer http://ebf.de | 10/12/2009 11:10:38 AM

    @29 Is it a Apple or Lotus Notes bug? I tried 10.6, 10.6.1 build 1 and build 2.

    Btw: What about Windows 7 support for 8.5.1?

  1. 33  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/12/2009 11:17:02 AM

    @32 I am sure you missed where I said "I don't want to go into further details in public at this time".

    Windows 7 support is planned for 8.5.2, but we are trying to bring it in earlier than that.

    @31 the designer/admin/notes client "all client" kit should be visible, we are changing the description so that it will be easier to find.

  1. 34  marco foellmer http://ebf.de | 10/12/2009 12:20:46 PM

    @33 of course I missed it. For sure it is a matter of language barriers. We would highly appreciate feedback from our ND partner program feedback. I was reporting that several times with 10.6. Waste of time?

  1. 35  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/12/2009 12:26:22 PM

    @34 on 5 September, engineering responded to you and said "(have Apple bugs opened)."

  1. 36  Michel Meyers  | 10/13/2009 6:20:00 AM

    @33 / Ed: The 'All Client kit' is now indeed visible in the Messaging Express assembly (it went from 16 files to 17 files). Thanks for changing the description as well.

  1. 37  Mike Minter  | 10/15/2009 5:57:20 AM

    Ed - is it true that 8.5.x is only for 10.5.x and above? My customer has 1,200+ Macs still at the OS X 10.4.x level and no plans to upgrade the OS. Simply to replace with new Macs over time.

  1. 38  Ed Brill http://www.edbrill.com | 10/15/2009 6:52:13 AM

    @37 official support for Notes 8.5.x is on 10.5.x and above. It may run on earlier versions but isn't supported. Notes 7 obviously will run on earlier versions.

  1. 39  Mike Brown http://www.browniesblog.com | 10/15/2009 6:31:53 PM

    @38

    "official support for Notes 8.5.x is on 10.5.x and above"

    Which would imply Snow Leopard support.

    However, the technote says "Mac OS X Leopard Version 10.5 ... Mac OS X 10.5.5 is minimum required version".

    { Link }

  1. 40  Dan Burnhardt  | 10/16/2009 7:40:12 AM

    I am loading Notes 8.5.1 for the first time on OSX 10.6.1. It loads fine but everytime I shut the client down and restart, it wants to go through setup again. Any workarounds for this?

  1. 41  Keith Budurka  | 10/17/2009 4:03:54 PM

    I upgraded to 8.5.1, no problems there, I then upgraded Adobe Acrobat 9 because of multiple vulnerabilities, and Notes client would crash before loading -- every time.

    Work around? I had to remove 4 lines from the notes.ini file that were for Adobe. Client then loads right up.

    Hope Adobe gets this fixed! I like the integration and use it a lot especially for mails all related to one project or task.

  1. 42  casper  | 11/18/2009 2:57:45 PM

    Keith..

    could you go a little deeper with your solution? take the init file tru bbedit and just delete everything adobe?