Community – TexasSwede

NTF Needs Your Help

Anyone who has been in the Notes/Domino community for some time knows Nathan T Freeman, also known as NTF. He was one of the founders of OpenNTF back in 2001, and has been blogging and presenting on Notes and Domino related subjects for many years. I have learned a lot from him over the years.

*Nathan T Freeman (center) at ConnectED 2015.*

Nathan has always been a very colorful person in the community. I just found out that Nathan is having some serious health issues. His wife Lisa created a GoFundMe to get some help with the medical cost. If you have ever benefitted from something Nathan wrote on his blog or talked about at one of his many presentations over the years, or if you used OpenNTF as a source for code, consider donating to help Nathan and Lisa.

Update on 04/11/2021 by Bob Kadrie: “Nathan was readmitted to the hospital today with unstable vitals, including low blood pressure and oxygen. His heartbeat is also unstable, so they cannot transport him to a larger hospital that may be better equipped to treat him at this point. His doctors are now saying he most likely has a week or less to live.”

Update 2 on 04/12/2021 by Bob Kadrie: “Nathan has was moved to a larger hospital earlier Sunday evening in order to receive more specialized care. Once he was examined, it was determined he was experiencing complete organ failure.
He was then given Fentanyl and placed in a medically induced coma to make him comfortable,
Nathan just passed with his family by his side. He was an incredibly dedicated husband and father. He was also generous, funny. and the best intellectual sparring partner I’ve ever had.
He touched a lot of people in his short time here. He will be missed by many.
Please continue your generous donations in order to assist his family with the massive medical expenses they’ve incurred and in their transition during the days ahead.
Thank you all for bringing a little security to Lisa, Lillian, Meta, Axiom, and Ira Belle. Sandy and I are so sorry for everyone’s loss.”

The GoFundMe goal has been increased, to help Lisa and the children. They will need all the support they can get.

1 Comment

April 10, 2021

CollabSphere / Community / Domino 11 / HCL / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

CollabSphere 2019 – Less than five weeks left!

If you haven’t registered yet for CollabSphere in Boston, time is starting to run out. The conference starts in less than five (5) weeks, and the special price for the rooms at the conference hotel is only guaranteed until October 4.

If you haven’t been to CollabSphere, or its predecessor MWLUG, you have been missing out. It is a very inexpensive confernece (only $100 this year, thanks to generous sponsors), with high quality speakers for the sessions and workshops. The opportunity to network with other customers, business partners and representatives from IBM/HCL is incredibly valuable, in my opinion. There are both organized and impromptu social events during the conference, as well as before and after for the ones arriving early or leaving late.

If you are in the New England area, there is no reason you should not attend CollabSphere, now when it is taking place on HCL’s home turf, where many of the developers live and work.

With Domino 11 coming out at the end of the year, I am sure we can expect some very interesting and exciting announcements at this year’s conference. And don’t miss HCL Day on Monday, with a large number of sessions covering everything from their Cloud Program, the changes to licensing, the HCL Customer Advocacy Program, and much more.

I hope to see you at CollabSphere, especially at my session on Tuesday at 2.00pm, where I will talk about Node-RED and show some cool things you can do with it.

0 Comments

September 24, 2019

#DominoForever / #IBMChampion / CollabSphere / Community / HCL / IBM/Lotus / Notes/Domino / Sametime / Verse / Web Development

CollabSphere 2019 – Submission deadline is closing soon!

The deadline to submit an abstract for sessions at CollabSphere 2019 is tomorrow, Sunday August 18. If you want to speak at the conference, you don’t have much time to act.

So why would you like to speak at CollabSphere? Perhaps your reason is the same as mine was when I started speaking at conferences: I wanted to give back to the community from which I had learned so much over the years. I wanted to share my knowledge with other developers, and perhaps inspire them by showing what could be done with Notes and Domino.

What if you are afraid of public speaking? That is absolutely normal. With practice you get more used to it, and one place where you can practice it in a safe and encouraging environment is at Toastmasters, an international organization focused on public speaking and leadership. There are local Toastmasters clubs all over the world, and you can join at any time.

Even if you are not speaking, you can still register to attend the conference. This year it is held in Boston, close to the HCL office in Chelmsford, and we can expect a lot of exciting news about Notes and Domino 11 (which is due in the end of the year), and perhaps even about Domino 12. This is a can’t-miss conference!

0 Comments

August 17, 2019

Community / HCL / IBM/Lotus / Notes/Domino / Sametime / Verse

HCL Software Creates Portal for Customers and Partners

HCL_Software_Portal HCL Software today launched a brand new portal for customers and partners. HCL Software is a part of HCL Technologies, and this new division was announced as late as yesterday (June 1, 2019) at the same time as HCL announced that the purchase of IBM’s collaboration products had been completed.

The new portal is built using Domino and Portal, and provides customers and partners a place where they can receive product information, learn about purchasing software, get support, connect with partners, and much more.

If you are a customer of IBM Notes, Domino, Sametime, Verse or Connections, or if you are a Business Partner, go to http://bit.ly/mlnHCLw3 and sign up. At the moment the sign-up is disabled, due to the acquisition. But I would suggest to check back in a few days.

0 Comments

July 2, 2019

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus

Are you a Champion? Nominate yourself or someone else!

The yearly nomination of IBM Champions is once again open. Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their contributions to the community or to IBM? Nominate that person!

Do you think you deserve to be an IBM Champion? Nominate yourself! I know it feels strange to nominate yourself, but you are the one that knows best what you have been contributing. There is no way for IBM to know what everyone out there have been doing during the last year, not even if they enlisted IBM Watson…

So how are the IBM Champions selected? Here is the list of criteria IBM published:

We want IBM Champions who:

Demonstrate both expertise in and extraordinary support and advocacy for IBM technology, communities, and solutions.

Share advocacy and influence within and outside their organizations or customer engagements.

Influence and mentor to help others make the most of investments in IBM software, solutions and services.

[Significant] contributions [over the last 12 months] must be above and beyond a nominee’s job duties, but may be internal or external. The list below is just a few examples:

Regularly blogging or creating other technical content

Speaking at multiple events

User Group Conference Committee member (involves the planning and execution of one or more conferences, events, or meetups)

President, Leader, or Board member of a worldwide or local user group

Providing customer references

Regularly being an advocate for IBM products inside your organization, making connections, and educating users

Now is your opportunity to recognize people for what they have been doing during the last 12 months. And don’t be shy, submit a self nomination as well, if you think you deserve it.

Nominations are open until October 22 at https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/ibmchampion/entry/2018ChampionNominations. Don’t miss the deadline!

0 Comments

October 16, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / App Modernization / CollabSphere / Community / IBM/Lotus / Lotusscript / MWLUG / Notes/Domino / Uncategorized / Watson

Six Days Left…

I have finished the slides for my presentation at CollabSphere in Ann Arbor next week. I just have a little more code to add to demo database, and perhaps throw in a bonus or two…

My session will be next Wednesday (July 24) at 9am in Grande III. There are still a few seats available for CollabSphere 2018. The cost is only $100 for 3 days of presentations, workshops, and networking, This is great value for the money!
Don’t miss the latest from IBM and HCL on Notes and Domino 10, Nomad and probably a surprise or two.

1 Comment

July 19, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / CollabSphere / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

My session at CollabSphere 2018

My session Elementary! – Consume Watson Services using Node-RED and Domino 10 has been accepted at CollabSphere 2018. It has been scheduled for first thing in the morning on Wednesday, July 25 at 9.00 am.

During my presentation, I will show how you can integrate IBM Watson into both Notes applications and web applications. You will see how you can use the new Lotusscript classes for HTTP and JSON in Notes/Domino 10. These classes will be used to connect to IBM Cloud, where a Node-RED instance will be used to consume Watson services. By using just a few lines of Javascript, we will translate text between different languages, as well as converting text to speech.

CollabSphere will be a great learning opportunity, especially if you are interested in node.js and how it will be integrated into the upcoming Domino 10. There are a number of sessions focusing on Node.js and Node-RED, and I highly encourage every Notes developer to attend them. Here are just some of the sessions:

This three-day conference will immerse you in an intensive exchange of knowledge and fun with other members of the ICS community. If you have not registered yet, it is about time. Note that the guaranteed room rate will only be available for one more week.

I hope to see you in Ann Arbor, MI in a few weeks.

0 Comments

July 1, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / App Modernization / CollabSphere / Community / IBM/Lotus / Lotusscript / Notes/Domino / Watson

Come see me at CollabSphere 2018!

I will be presenting my session Elementary – Consume Watson Services using Node-RED and Domino 10 at CollabSphere 2018, taking place in Ann Arbor, MI inn just a little over a month (July 23-23). If you haven’t registered yet, hurry up! This amazing conference that Richard Moy have been arranging for 10 years now will be full of news and sessions about Domino 10. If you are a developer, you should be very excited. There are a large number of session focusing on everything from classic Lotusscript and the new improvements coming in Domino 10 to sessions about Node.js and how it is supported in Domino 10. There are even introductions to Node.js and Node-RED, and how you can use them in your Domino environment as well as making yourself more marketable.

In addition to all the technical sessons you also have networking and social events. Don’t miss out on this great and inexpensive ($75) conference!

0 Comments

June 12, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / CollabSphere / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

CollabSphere 2018 – Still time to submit abstracts

The deadline for submissions of session abstracts for CollabSphere 2018 has been extended to Sunday, June 3. This is your opportunity to share your knowledge with the community. Register on the brand new CollabSphere website. The link is http://collabsphere.org/ug/collabsphere2018.nsf/sessionabstract.xsp.

This year we can expect a number of session on technologies more or less new to the Domino community, for example Node.js and React.js, as well as what’s new in the upcoming Notes and Domino 10. So if you haven’t registered for Collabsphere yet, take this opportunity to register and experience the learning atmosphere, networking and a lot of fun.

Hope to see you in Ann Arbor in July for the 10th MWLUG/CollabSphere conference!

0 Comments

May 30, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / CollabSphere / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

CollabSphere 2018 – Registration is Open

The conference formally known as MWLUG (Mid-West Lotus User Group) is now renamed CollabSphere. This year the conference will be held in Ann Arbor, MI on July 23-25.

Visit the brand new website at www.collabsphere.org to learn more, to register for this very cost-efficient conference, or why not submit an abstract for a session?

I have been attending MWLUG for several years myself, and it is an excellent conference. High quality speakers presenting over 50 sessions and workshops, networking with representatives from IBM as well as with presenters and other attendees and an exhibit floor where sponsors and vendors are showing their products and services.

With IBM expanding its portfolio of products and services, and with the new innovations in the rejuvenated Notes and Domino product line, this will be the conference to attend this summer. Expect some exciting news to be presented at CollabSphere, and to see more of the latest version of Domino, due to be released in the second half of 2018.

I hope to see you at CollabSphere, and perhaps even see you present!

0 Comments

April 15, 2018

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM Think / IBM/Lotus

Discount codes for IBM Think 2018 still available!

If you haven’t registered for IBM Think next month yet, it is about time you do it. And I have discount codes to give out, all you have to do it to mail me, either at texasswede@gmail.com or karl-henry@demandbettersolutions.com. Then go to https://www.ibm.com/events/think/register/ and register.

I am very excited about IBM Think, but I am also worried. How will I be able to go to all the sessions I want to attend? That is a good problem to have, though.

See you in Las Vegas in a month!

0 Comments

February 23, 2018

#Domino2025 / #IBMChampion / App Modernization / Community / Connect / IBM/Lotus / Lotusphere / Notes/Domino / Watson

Will I see you at IBM Think?

It is just over a month until IBM kicks off Think 2018 in Las Vegas. This conference takes place March 19-21 and merges several conferences, including IBM Connect (formerly known as Lotusphere).

After attending 19 Lotusphere/Connect conferences in Orlando (as well as one in Nice and one in San Francisco), I am ready for something new and exciting. IBM Think brings in many different parts of the IBM portfolio into one big conference, where we can learn about new and exciting technologies that we may not been exposed to before. I am looking forward to learning more about AI, security, blockchain, IoT and much more.

But I am of course also excited to learn about the upcoming Notes and Domino 10. IBM and HCL has promised too show actual working code at Think, and will present a timeline not only for what features we will see in the end of the year in Domino 10, but also in upcoming versions.

I have a feeling we will finally see functions and features people have been requesting for many years. A large part of the IBM:ers who worked on Notes and Domino moved over to HCL late last year, and I suspect they have been very busy. Here is an excerpt of a session description:

For those of you who want to integrate Domino applications into modern web applications and cloud platforms like Salesforce, etc., we will show you how. Domino is embracing JavaScript, Node.js and open source to become a full-stack web development platform anyone you hire off the street today can be productive in.

If anyone is interested in attending IBM Think I have a special promo code that will give you a $100 discount. Contact me at texasswede@gmail.com (use the subject “IBM Think Promo Code”) and I will mail you a code. You can also contact any other IBM Champion for a code.

See you in Las Vegas in a month!

0 Comments

February 16, 2018

#IBMChampion / Blogging / Community / Personal / WordPress

10th Anniversary of My Blog!

Yesterday marked the 10 year anniversary of this blog, even though it had two different homes over that time.

I had tried blogging a couple of times earlier. In 1995 I went scuba diving in Egypt for a week, and I documented that on the personal web site I had created. This was done in a diary/blog format using an IBM Thinkpad 701 and pictures taken with a Kodak DC-40 digital camera. All HTML was coded by hand. Some years later I installed the blog templates for Lotus Domino to try it out, but I was never motivated to start blogging for real.

But in 2008 it was the right time. The IBM business partner Lotus911 (later GBS) had registered the domain BleedYellow.com and offered free blog hosting, using IBM Connections. I also felt more confident and wanted to share some code and knowledge as a way to pay back for all the help I had been getting.

I registered an account and started blogging right before Lotusphere 2008. I kept blogging at BleedYellow.com for a number of years, but in October 2012 I moved my blog to WordPress and my own domain. I was able to import all my existing blog entries to WordPress, so you can still view them even though GBS did shut down their US operations in 2015.

I started by blogging mostly about Notes and Domino, with some more personal articles. Eventually I expanded my blogging to cover other technologies, like web development using Javascript and jQuery, but still with an eye towards Domino developers.

Lately I have also started to share code related to NetSuite, a platform I have now been working with for a little over a year. I have been wanting to blog more about NetSuite, but been lacking the time. But don’t expect the content about Notes and Domino to go away. Version 10 is coming later this year, and I expect there will be plenty of new features to write about!

At times I have not been blogging as much as I wanted, due to work as well as some health issues I had in 2016. I apologize about that. I hope to be able to blog more frequently in the future. I have several subjects lined up, I just need the time to write.

Thank you for reading my blog and commenting on my articles. To know that I was able to help someone makes it worth to keep blogging.

3 Comments

January 19, 2018

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus

2018 IBM Champion for ICS

Together with a number of other people, I today received a mail from IBM telling me that I had been selected as one of the IBM Champion for ICS. This is the fifth year I have received this honor, and every year I am grateful to everyone who nominated me.

I also want to thank Libby Ingrassia, World Wide Manager of the Champion Program, and Alan Hamilton, Manager of the ICS Champion program. They are doing a great job supporting us Champions!

For those not familiar with the IBM Champion program, this is a program where IBM recognizes people who are NOT IBM employees for demonstrating both expertise in and extraordinary support and advocacy for IBM technology, communities, and solutions.

IBM Champions are enthusiasts and advocates: IT professionals, business leaders, developers, executives, educators, and influencers who support and mentor others to help them get the most out of IBM software, solutions, and services.

The IBM Champion program recognizes these innovative thought leaders in the technical community and rewards these contributions by amplifying their voice and increasing their sphere of influence.

Being an IBM Champion is a huge honor for me. I have been working with Notes and Domino since 1995, and when I was first selected as a Champion in 2014, it spurred me to contribute even more to the community. I have been presenting at several conferences over the last few years, and I think the confidence I gained from being selected made me submit presentations to those conferences.

So thank you IBM, not only for honoring me as a Champion but also for giving me the confidence to do new things in the community!

3 Comments

January 12, 2018

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / Notes/Domino / Sametime / Verse

ICON UK – Webinar about IBM’s Domino 10 and HCL partnership

On November 9 at 15.00 BST (16.00 CET, 10am EST), ICON UK will host a special edition of their “Around The Table” webinar series focusing on the recently announced strategic partnership between IBM and HCL. The partnership, which covers the Notes, Domino, Verse and Sametime product families, will deliver a multi-year roadmap for the products, and Notes/Domino 10 has already been announced for a 2018 release.

The webinar is free. You can read more about it at https://iconuk.org/iconuk.nsf/events.html, where you also can register.

1 Comment

November 8, 2017

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus

Nominate your Champion(s)!

It this time of the year again: nominations for IBM Champions!

Do you know someone in the community that deserves the title of IBM Champion? Someone who demonstrates both expertise and extraordinary support and advocacy for IBM products, solutions and communities. Perhaps someone who arranges user conferences, create videos to show different concepts, blog and share code. Or someone who speaks at conferences and thus promotes IBM products.

Nominate that person. Or if you are that person, nominate yourself! You are the one that knows the best what you have done. Nominations are open for another week, until November 13, and the URL is https://developer.ibm.com/champions/nominate/.

Finally, here is a video where Libby Ingrassia, IBM Champion Program Manager, explains what the IBM Champion program is, who the Champions are and how to nominate.

https://youtu.be/pK9g3hrK6lc

0 Comments

November 6, 2017

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / jQuery / Lotusscript / MWLUG / Notes/Domino / Programming / Web Development

My MWLUG presentation: Elementary!

MWLUG 2017 – Elementary!

Yesterday I presented at MWLUG, and I want to share my presentation with both the ones attending and anyone who was not able to be there. I am posting two version, one with just the slides, and one with speaker notes, where I tried to capture the content, if not the exact verbiage of the session.

I hope to be able to post the demo database with the code later this week or early next week.

1 Comment

August 9, 2017

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / Javascript / jQuery / Lotusscript / MWLUG / Notes/Domino / Programming / Uncategorized / Web Development

My presentation at MWLUG

Tomorrow, August 8, you are welcome to attend my presentation “Elementary!” at MWLUG 2017. In about 45 minutes I will show how to easily incorporate Watson functionality in your own applications, both on the web and in your Notes client applications.

I will be using Node-RED and IBM BlueMix to do this, and I think many will be surprised how easy it is, and how little code is needed. For example I will implement translation from English to Spanish with two (2) lines of server side code. To call this from the web you just need another handful of lines.

I hope to see you tomorrow at 5pm!

0 Comments

August 8, 2017

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Notes/Domino

Will I see you at MWLUG?

It is less than 2 weeks left to MWLUG 2017, an outstanding Conference that I will be attending for the third year. This will also be the third year I will be speaking, and this time it will be a brand new presentation. My session, AD103, will be on Tuesday, August 8 at 5pm.

I hear that there are still a couple of openings left. If you have attended a previous MWLUG conference you are entitled to 25% off the registration fee of $100. But even at $100 this is a great deal, with over 50 sessions and much more.

So what are you waiting for? Register, and I will see you in two weeks in Alexandria, VA!

0 Comments

July 26, 2017

#IBMChampion / Community / IBM/Lotus / MWLUG / Programming

A few openings left for MWLUG 2017

There are a a few openings available for MWLUG in a couple of weeks. The conference is taking place August 8-10 in Alexandria, VA. It is shaping up to be a great experience, with over 50 sessions, two free workshops as well as social events and two round table discussions with IBM on the future of development. Among the many great presenters you will find 20 IBM Champions, as well as several IBMers.

The early bird registration has expired, but if you are a previous attendee, you get $25 off the regular price of $100. If you haven’t registered yet, don’t miss out on this great conference!

I hope to see you at MWLUG. My session Elementary – Incorporating BlueMix, Node-RED and Watson in Domino applications will be Tuesday, August 8 at 5pm.

0 Comments

July 17, 2017

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