ND8 Upgrade Step 2.5 - Traveler rocks, but Quickr.....

Now that I have my admin server up and successfully running on Domino 8.0.1, I felt it was time to start playing with the other "toys" that are available to Domino customers. Namely Lotus Notes Traveler and Quickr Entry 8.0.1.
If you haven't heard about Traveler, I highly recommend you taking a look at it if you don't mind Windows Mobile devices. I know, it's no iPhone, but it allows you to wirelessly,(only wireless, there is no add in for cradle based devices), sync your Lotus Notes PIM data to the handheld. Currently, I am only using it on the internal wifi at the office on an HP iPAQ and was amazed at how easy it is to set up. To be honest, the A.D.D kicked in and I didn't even read the instructions, I just blew through the install and it was up and running. But that's when I hit my first hiccup.
Had I read the installation instructions I would have noticed that it does have a really nice automatic configuration untility built into the installation package that adds the needed internet site to the server configuration document. But when the new config is added, it also knocks out any other config you have in place. Which explains why my iNotes login stopped working correctly. So it was time to remove the Traveler service from the servertasks= line and set the "Load Internet configurations from Server\Internet Sites documents:" to disabled. Once that was done and the HTTP task restarted, things started working normally again. That's when I made sure that my test mail server was clear of anything else...and I upgraded that to 8.0.1 and installed Traveler there. It worked and I was happy. I have to say that the engineers did a really nice job putting Traveler together. The speed at which it works really blows me away after what I have seen over the past couple of years using other PIM sync apps. Another perk to the product is that you don't need to have it installed on your own mail server. You can install it on any Domino server within your domain and it will "talk" to your home mail server and sync the data across. My only wish for the product is that they are able to make it work with Palm OS based wireless devices. Oh, and iPhone/Touch too. To find out more about Traveler, check out the information on Lotus website.
So with that task behind me, I turned my attention to Lotus Quickr Entry 8.1 that is part of your Lotus entitlement. But that too led me to a quick stop point when I found out, via Twitter (thanks Phig!), that the internet sites configurations are not supported on Lotus Quickr. So, I'll have to circle around and hit that one again when I have my test app server upgraded and give that another shot.
So there are lots of really cool stuff available out there, for free, as part of your entitlements with Lotus. Spend some time and get to know them! You'll thank me!

Quickr Entry 8.1 available?

According to Mr. Brill, Quickr Entry 8.1 is available for download off of the PA sites today, but I don't see it yet. Stay tuned, hopefully it's rolling out in stages! Search for part number CR72XEN.

Update:
Right now, you can find the file for download by doing this:

• log into PA
• Click on View All My Downloads
• Expand the Lotus Software area
• Use your browsers find function to search on Quickr or the part number CR72XEN.

Hazzah!

So let's celebrate with a little "All along the watchtower" live composed by Bear McCreary

Oh where oh where have the downloads gone?

I got an email tonight from a reader of the 'ol House O' Blog inquiring if I had heard anything about the updated InstallShieldTuner for Lotus Notes 8 that was talked about at one of the Lotusphere sessions. So far, the only version available on the Passport Advantage site for us, the unwashed masses, is the same version that was released in August of 2005. Add to that the still missing Quickr Entry edition and I am feeling the post-Lotusphere momentum slowing even further.

Come one IBM, let's keep that train rollin!

Quickr Entry answer

It appears that I'm not alone on this one.
As I had eluded to in early posts, the Quickr Entry edition had not been an available option for download off of the Passport Advantage site for my company. After making a couple phone calls to the PA folks and with the help of Jim, the Cleveland area sales rep, we have an answer. It appears that while we do have all the appropriate rights to download and use the software, there is a "glitch" in the system that is making it not available for people to download. So if you think you should have access to Quickr Entry, keep checking your download site. They are hoping to have this resolved by the end of the week. Stay tuned!

Quickr Personal has a new name

I was reading Ed's post this morning about the channel announcements of Lotus Quickr 8.1, which includes the announcement of Lotus Quickr Entry. The new name for the promised Lotus Quickr Personal edition that we heard about at Lotusphere. From what I've read of the announcment, the Quickr 8.1 platform as a whole sounds pretty cool, but I will likely only have a chance to look at the Entry addition when it hits March 28th. From the IBM website:

Lotus Quickr Entry provides:

• A content store
• A set of Web services that provides personal file sharing
• A set of downloadable connectors (similar to plug-ins) that provide access to Lotus Quickr entry places from within desktop applications

Note: The personal file sharing capabilities of Lotus Quickr Entry are also included with Lotus Quickr Standard.

I hope it will provide a good "foot in the door" to get people at the office interested in it! Stay tuned!