Domino Interface

Now that we have defined our design requirements, we needed to determine the tools and approach that we would use to create our framework. We had created previous versions of iPhora Touch using Dojo and wanted to start from scratch on what tools we would use to create our framework. Everyone that I talked to asked me why I was using Dojo since it is big and slow.  So we started looking at different options.  Do we take one of the existing more bare bones MVC framework like Backbone and take components from them to create our framework or do we start totally from scratch using JavaScript or jQuery. There are so many frameworks out there it is amazing. You can find many examples of MVC frameworks in action at todomvc.com. It was very difficult reading up on each framework, understanding them, and experimenting with them to see if they would work for us. Since we were already familiar with Dojo, we decide to start from there.  We found a couple of articles and frameworks that others h

When we created iPhora Touch version 2, it was a multiple page application that utilized Dojo 1.53 and Bootstrap 2.32.  The interface worked well on desktops but broke down when used on tablets. It was totally unusable in a phone environment.  Since it was a multiple page solution each page needed to reload Dojo as you jump from page to page. Since we wanted a secured environment, pages could not be cached. However, this slowed down the loading and response of each page.  Since we were using Dojo 1.53 at the time we did not benefit from any form of AMD. iPhora Touch V2 Community Home Page We wanted to redesign the interface to work well with mobile devices and desktops, have better performance, but at the same time to be a secured environment. Though our iPhora Touch solution is a social community-based solution, we designed it to be a closed environment by default and it is assumed that you are not allowed access to anything, which is contrary to how most social collaborati

As I was writing this series, it cause me to rethink some approaches and redesign part of our MVC framework. Therefore, it took me a bit longer to start this series than I thought. But here goes. Introduction The concept of Model-View-Controller MVC can be implemented in two ways, using a server-side component framework that generates the Web application interface/view or as a JavaScript framework that gets data from the server and generates the Web application interface/view . In this series, we will be discussing how we created and implemented a JavaScript MVC framework. If you a Java developer and would like to implement a server-side MVC framework, Vaadin is a good server-side MVC framework to look into.  For developers in the XPages community, Ulrich Krause and Paul Withers has been blogging about Vaadin. Each approach has its advantages and which approach you use is based on your development skills, tools, and architecture of your web application. If you are a XPages deve

Fall 2015 GRANITE LUG Meeting December 2, 2015 IBM Center Downtown Chicago Room 6601 Come join us for the fall 2015 GRANITE Lotus User Group meeting.  We have a packed day of presentations for administrators, developers and managers. Breakfast and lunch will be generously provided by Ytria, Inc. To register for this event go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-2015-granite-lug-meeting-tickets-19187541453 For community members that can not attend in person, Ytria has set up a web broadcast for this event. www.ytria.com/GraniteUGBroadcast   8:30 AM - 09:00 AM Breakfast and Networking 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM Mastering Your Logs, Everything You Should Know about Logging in IBM Domino Presenter:  Benedek Menesi, Head of Product, Ytria Inc. Domino Properly logging and monitoring what happens in your Domino environment is critically important for both security and performance. In order to get the most out of your log data when things go wrong, it’s vit

Now that MWLUG 2015 is history and MWLUG 2016 is in the planning stage, I can now start writing a series that I have wanted to do for awhile about creating a MVC framework. This will a multi-part series on my adventure into creating my own MVC framework.  I will be talking about MVC in the generic sense and it will include MV* of all types. Creating your own MVC framework? Am I out of my mind? Why in the world would you do that you may ask. There are so many popular and great MVC frameworks available including Angular, Backbone, Ember, React, and etc. Well, SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY. When we rolled out iPhora Touch v2 just before MWLUG 2014, the feedback for the interface was lukewarm at best, it was slow since the page had to be refreshed each time and it did not work well on tablets and other devices.  Though we were using Bootstrap the interface it just would not respond the way that we wanted. So after MWLUG 2014, I set out to figure out a way to improve the design so

If you have not registered for ICONUK 2015, there is still time.  It is coming up next week, September 21-22nd at the IBM Client Centre at IBM South Bank. Tim Clark has done an amazing job in pulling this conference together.  ICONUK 2015 has over 40 incredible sessions. If you missed MWLUG 2015, here is your opportunity to attend some of the best sessions for a small donation of 50 pounds to The Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity . To register go to: https://iconuk.eventbrite.co.uk

As we wind down MWLUG 2015, I want to express a few thoughts. My goal each year has been to create a unique and fun event that provides the best of the best in educating and collecting our community regarding our incredible technologies that we have built our careers around. Each year we try something different making the experience a memorable one. This year we had it in the Ritz-Carlton with the Thursday evening event at the Shakespeare Tavern Theater. Unfortunately, I went to the washroom when the best entertainment was on stage. Damn anybody have pictures. Time to time again you will never see many of the MWLUG sessions at IBM Connect/Lotusphere/IBM Connect ED. The more out of the box from what IBM is telling you the better.  I don't care if you are new to speaking.  If you can communicate and have a topic that would be interesting to the community, then you will be selected. We all have to start from somewhere. Truly great speakers practice and learn from their experience.

If you are IBM business partner coming to MWLUG 2015, we are please to announce the BP session for Wednesday, August 19, 2015.  The session will start at 12:30 PM in the Congress room.  Our friend and community member William Malchisky will help start off this session. Below is the abstract for this presentation. The Business Partner Development session is provided in two cohesive parts allowing for significant feedback and learning. First, join Bill Malchisky and Prabu Ayyagari as they engage the audience in solution-based dialogue around hot topics within Voice of the Partner and provide your feedback directly to IBM. Be certain you will be provided the last information on that project. Second, Larry McCants and Ernie Sutter from IBM's Social Business and Digital Experience Channels have plenty of product updates and demonstrations of IBM's Social Business product portfolio including IBM Social Messaging & Collaboration solutions, IBM Connections, and IBM Connection

It is two weeks away from the official start of MWLUG 2015, after the early bird sessions on Wednesday and a bit of fun, drinks, and food during the Wednesday Evening Exhibitor Showcase Reception, the seventh annual MWLUG 2015 conference will officially open on early Thursday morning. This year it starts a bit earlier. We have lined up an incredible list of speakers for you.  So join us in Atlanta for MWLUG 2015.  We still have a few slot left as I post this blog.  So don't wait, because there will not be any attendee slots left. http://www.mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Register.xsp "Everything Starts From A Dot": The Elements and Principles of Design as the Visual Link to Innovation Katherine Rhodes Fields, Professor of Fine Arts and Head of Printmaking - HCC Central Historically, design, as a practice, is the connection point between the object and the user.  This lecture will focus on the foundations of design and how it has and continues to impact our world.

We are please to announce that the MWLUG 2015 Thursday Evening Social Event is: The comedy, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" in 2 hours at the The New American Shakespeare Tavern.  Dinner will be provided along with this comedy.   The bus will leave immediately from the hotel after the last Thursday session.  The bus will make a number of trips to bring everyone to and back from the Ritz-Carlton.  Please note though it is not far from the hotel, but it has been advised that you take the bus to the theater and not walk. So if you are coming to MWLUG 2015, come join us and learn and have a bit of fun.  Registration is still open go to:  http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Register.xsp For more information go to: http://www.shakespearetavern.com/index.php?/performances/show/cwws_aug2015/

It took me most of the night until 2:00 AM, but the MWLUG 2015 Session Schedule is now online.  http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Schedule.xsp With 53 sessions MWLUG 2015 will be biggest MWLUG ever.  So get registered and we will see you in Atlanta. http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Register.xsp With 53 sessions and a registration fee of $50 USD, that is less than $1 a session.  How we can do this?  Great volunteers and great sponsors from our community plus incredible speakers who devote their own time and resources to educate and help our community.

If you are coming to MWLUG 2015 and would like to join us for the Wednesday Social Event, we will be going to the Coca-Cola Museum which is 4 blocks away from the Ritz-Carlton hotel.  We will be meeting at the hotel lobby at 9:15 and walking over.  The cost of the event is $16 for 13 yrs old to adults and $12 for 3 yrs to 12 yrs.  The museum openings at 10:00 AM.  We will be officially returning at 12:00 PM. For more information:  https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/

Louis Richardson will be presenting on Thursday, August 20, 2015 the MWLUG Keynote presentation "The Greater Good of Social Collaboration." This unique session brings to light the power of social collaboration in helping yourself and others. As members of the IT community, we are also an important part of our local community. Through the MWLUG 2015 Community Outreach Program, we are raising money for organizations that help the local community. Each year we identify an organization in which our contribution would have the greatest impact on the local community of the host city. Over the years we have raised funds for a number of local food banks and the Salvation Army.  I am please to announce the MWLUG 2015 Community Outreach Recipient is the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of the Ritz-Carlton, we will be raffling off a weekend stay at the Ritz-Carlton Downtown Atlanta as the grand prize. Please take the opportunity to help the local community. Each

MWLUG 2015 is becoming the best conference that we have ever organized.  We are happy to announce that the Story Teller, Louis Richardson from IBM will be presenting the MWLUG 2015 Thursday Keynote Session. The keynote session will happen during the Thursday lunch, August 20th, 2015. So don't skip lunch on Thursday or you will feel sorry that you did. Louis will be presenting "The Greater Good of Social Collaboration." This unique session brings to light the power of social collaboration.  So come to this Thursday session and have a great lunch, listen, and learn. Louis Richardson Louis serves as an IBM Storyteller & Enthusiast around the topics of Social Smarter Work. In this role, he has the privilege to meet with leaders around the world who are interested developing a social business culture within their organizations. These conversations provide Louis with a broad exposure to the practical and business relevant impact that social software is having on tod

Each year at the annual MWLUG conference we focus on a theme. This year the theme is "Transforming Collaboration Through Innovation." Design creates innovation by forcing changes on how we perceive and think. Design controls how effective we communicate to users. IBM have been focused on bringing design innovations to products like IBM Verse. We are so fortunate this year to have Phil Gilbert from IBM Design speak about the importance of design for software followed by Kramer Reeves discussing innovations that IBM have been focused on with IBM Verse. For the seventh annual MWLUG conference Phil and Kramer will be lead by one of the most dynamic speakers that our MWLUG committee has ever known about image and design. We are happy to announce that the MWLUG 2015 OGS Guest Speaker is artist and educator Katherine Rhodes Fields. Katherine Rhodes Fields Katherine is an internationally recognized graphic arts educator and contemporary artist whose print work was recently

We are please to announce that we have two great IBM Opening General Session speakers for MWLUG 2015.  The two IBM OGS speakers are Phil Gilbert from IBM Design and Kramer Reeves from IBM Collaboration Solutions.  Along with our guest speaker, Phil and Kramer will be opening the seventh annual Midwest Lotus User Group Conference  in Atlanta, Georgia at the Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta - Downtown, August 19-21, 2015. We are two months away from this incredible conference so get registered and learn why our theme for MWLUG 2015 "Transforming Collaboration Through Innovation" holds so true and is everywhere. We will be announcing the MWLUG 2015 Guest OGS Speaker next week. http://mwlug.com    Phil Gilbert General Manager of IBM Design As General Manager of IBM Design, Phil Gilbert sets the strategy for and leads the transformation of product design at IBM. IBM Design is focused on three things: recruiting & retaining top designers, scaling the consistent practic

We are pleased to announce that sessions for MWLUG 2015 are now online on our web site. For MWLUG 2015 we will have close to 50 business and technical sessions making this the largest and most comprehensive conference that we have ever had. We have over two dozen IBM Champion speakers sharing with you their knowledge and skills. In addition, we have a number of first time speakers and customers sharing their experience with you. First sessions will start on Wednesday afternoon, August 19th. http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Sessions.xsp   That is $1 per session.  How can you beat that and it includes food and entertainment.  So register. MWLUG 2015 marks our 7th conference and will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Downtown - Atlanta Georgia, August 19-21, 2015. MWLUG 2015 is the premier IBM user group conference dedicated to collaboration technologies.   MWLUG 2015 provides you the IBM professional the opportunity to learn, network, and contribute to our great community whi

As advocates of child privacy, we ask everyone in the ICS community to help us.  We are applying for 2015 Chase Mission Main Street grant and we need your vote.  As many of your know, our iPhora Touch technology is based on XWork /Domino and we would like to bring this technology to K-8 schools and ensure that students and teacher information is not be recorded and create iPhora Touch for Education.   Please read below the description on what we are doing.  Unfortunately, you need a Facebook account in order to vote, but every vote counts.  Let's help protect our kids privacy.   There are many cloud-based social collaboration products that offer free services to schools for teachers and students to use in their classrooms. The age-old adage "nothing is free" really does apply in this situation. Many of these "free" services come at the cost of privacy. Information that is shared and exchanged between students and teachers is collected and  aggregated fo

Unfortunately, we have had issues with the abstract submission process for MWLUG 2015 and some abstract submissions never get through the process.  Therefore we are extending the submission deadline until May 29, 2015 at 5:00 PM. If you submitted an abstract and did not get a confirmation email telling you that you have successfully submitted the abstract please resubmit your abstract.  If that does not work, please send your abstract to info@mwlug.com .  We have been trying to isolate the problem.  If you abstract submission failed, please let us know what browser were you using, operating system, and device. Thanks. To submit your abstract go to: http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Abstract.xsp

I am please to announce that registration for MWLUG 2015 is now open.  MWLUG 2015, the 7th annual Midwest Lotus User Group Conference will be held in Atlanta, Georgia at the Ritz-Carlton - Downtown, August 19-21, 2015.  We had a great line up and plans for MWLUG attendees including tour of the Coca-Cola museum. So get registered for this great event. We look forward to seeing everyone there. To register go to: http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Register.xsp

I am please to announce that session abstract submission is now opened for MWLUG 2015.  Abstract submission will close on May 22, 2015 so get your abstracts in.  To submit your abstract go to: http://mwlug.com/mwlug/mwlug2015.nsf/Abstract.xsp This year's theme is "Transforming Collaboration Through Innovation".  So if you have done unique ways of incorporating or using others technologies with the IBM portfolio, different ways of utilizing the IBM portfolio in your business, or taking IBM technology and make it do things that it was not designed to do, we want to hear from you as an innovator. So don't be shy and submit your abstract. MWLUG 2015 session tracks include: Application Development Best Practices in Social Collaboration Customer Business Cases Innovation System Administration As always, if you have never spoken at a conference, here is your opportunity to contribute to our community.  We reserve a number of slots for new speakers.  We decide

About a year ago, it was reported to me that all the kiosks that we help develop for the Take Flight exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in 1995 were removed and replaced with newer kiosks. I was very sadden to hear this.  We developed three different types of kiosks, two outside the 727 and one inside the plane and installed into the back of each seat in the plane. My colleague, Robert Burton developed a compiler using C and assembly that was originally used for developing our Lotus cc:Mail training courses for version 1.0 all the way up to version 2.  The compiler and development kit allowed us to create very dynamic graphics for the DOS platform.  At least it was very dynamic in 1995.  Each of the 20 so kiosks ran on a Gateway 486 with 64M of memory.  Wow!!  Startup and shutdown of these kiosks was done by turning the power on and off.  I wonder what would happen to Windows if that happened. Since we are members of MSI, I decide to make a visit to MSI yesterda