Trying to sum up my thoughts, feelings, and reactions
I was going to try and write some wise words that would show that I totally understood the marketing messages and technical information I received at IBM developerWorks, and could succinctly communicate them to you, but I can't. At least not yet. And I can't really blame this on IBM/Lotus (at least not entirely). There was just a lot of information to absorb. I have to say that I think they're coming closer to communicating a unified and succinct message as time goes on, but they still have to overcome some missteps from earlier in the year, such as how the removal of Garnet from Domino 6 was handled. I just hope they get the message as clear (and loud) as possible before Notes and Domino 6 is released in a few months.

I was trying to think of a way to describe the effect the conference had on me, and the term that came to mind was PTID (Post-traumatic Information Disorder). But don't worry. I'll recover. It will just take a lot of training therapy, some refocusing of my perception of the industry and my role in it, and maybe a little vacation time as well. You'll be able to see the effects of the conference on me and how I'm recovering by reading the articles I write for DominoPower over the course of the next year and beyond.

One thing that became clear to me was that there's so much I need to learn in order not only to stay current in the Lotus/IBM field but just to catch up. Yes, I know a whole lot about Domino, but now it's becoming increasingly obvious to me that I also need to know a lot about Java, Linux, and J2EE-compliant servers like WebSphere, among other things. Does this mean that I think that Lotus Domino is less important? No, I obviously think that Lotus Domino can do fantastic things for an organization. I also think that it's one of the most underutilized products out there.

But I also know that Domino is not always the best tool for every application, and that when integrated with other tools like WebSphere, it can become even more powerful, not less. The time has come not just to learn such things as Java, XML, J2EE, Web Services, and other technologies, but to truly master them and apply them on real-world applications that actually make an impact on the bottom line.

"Just roll around. You be a'right."
OK, I had so much brain overload from the conference that afterwards I did something I'm ashamed of. I went to see the dumb teen comedy The New Guy (at http://www.sony.com/thenewguy). If you saw the commercial for the movie, then you might remember the scene where the new guy is climbing a rope. His prison mentor lights the rope and says, "Motivation is on its way." In a matter of moments, the new guy falls to the ground on fire, and the prison mentor says, "Just roll around. You be a'right." It was then I realized that I was the new guy and the rope was all of the changes in the industry and the new things I have to learn. The IBM developerWorks conference was what set the rope on fire, and I'm climbing as fast as I can, hoping not to be overwhelmed by the flames of change.