Beyond The Yellow Bubble

In the past the battleground in the computing industry always seemed to be between increasing processor speed and increasingly complex software.  This was perhaps summed up by the expression "what Intel giveth, Microsoft taketh away".  With Vista, Microsoft probably took too much.  Moore's law seems to be slowing down... Software developers can no longer rely on Intel covering up for slower software.  Even IBM have suffered.  Notes 8.x adds a new shiny interface any many additional features but it seems Intel have not yet delivered fast enough processors to make this client run as fast as many of us would like.

The next battleground seems to be screen real estate.  Prior to Microsoft Windows the typical computer user ran a single application at a time.  After Window's we saw people running multiple applications but switching between them.  The main reason for this was that each application demanded so much screen real estate it was not practical to have multiple windows open on the monitor simultaneously.  I know I design most of my Notes applications to exploit every last pixel I have access to.

One of the really cool things about the Notes 8.x client is the sidebar.  This is an area with cool widgets etc that I can use as I switch between (Notes) application windows.  Similar concepts are starting to appear in browsers and other software.  One of the pushes for this is social computing and the need for constant visibility to IM, RSS feeds, tweets etc.  I think in time this will give rise to the adoption of wide screen monitors, allowing us to retain the existing aspect ratio for the application space and accommodate the additional need for a side bar.

Browsers and other software are starting to follow the lead of Lotus Notes and add a tabbed interface as a way of providing users with a way of better managing simultaneous access to multiple windows.  The rise of SOA and the increasing use of portals, mashups, composite applications etc is now demanding that we cram even more onto the screen.  The effectiveness of these new UIs is often constrained by the screen real estate available (or the user's eye sight).  A classic example of this is the new Domino 8.5.0 Designer client.  I am sure after I have used this product a little longer I will appreciate the value of having "100+" windows open at the same time.  But for now I tend to live in the tiny little window that Eclipse leaves me for my LotusScript code.  I fully expect to see improvements in the Designer client in 8.5.1, 8.5.2 and beyond.  My solution to this "problem" has been to acquire a Samsung 305T.  This is a massive 30" wide screen monitor that supports 2560 x 1600 resolution.  Without a doubt this is one of the best acquisitions I have made to help me get my work done as a Notes 8.5 developer (yes I just got promoted).  Even with all those eclipse windows open I can still see a workable 68 lines of LotusScript code at a time.  So armed with my new monitor, DDE LotusScript editor (8.5.1) and the .DominoFramework,  I will be a lean mean programming machine.

Note: A Samsung 305T monitor is not the complete solution.  My desktop at home now has a total of three monitors.  One is a standard 1280x1024 (XGA) monitor and another a stardard widescreen  (1680 x 1050) montitor.  The widescreen is great for the Notes client to allow me to see a typical Notes applications window and still use that sidebar.  I tend to use the third monitor for my Web browser as most Web sites are still designed for that resolution.  Using the three in combination I can be looking at my code at the same time as viewing how it rendors on both a Notes and Web client.  (With A BB on my desk I get all three key clients).  I also have the capacity to view my application at the various resolutions I am likely to need to support.  Not having to switch windows is HUGE.   Now I have to convince my clients that additional monitors represents a worthwhile investment in developer productivity, especially to get the most out of the new Designer 8.5 client (Intel, I need your help too!).