DDSearch 2.10 for IBM Lotus Domino Designer 6
DDSearch 2.10 for IBM Lotus Domino Designer 6 is a plug-in tool for Domino Designer 6 that enables you to search the design of a database for certain keywords. You can download it at http://lotus.com/ldd/sandbox.nsf/0/f090b24ea76b1c0100256c45003e6396. You can choose to search all design elements or filter the results by searching a subset of elements. After you install this program, you'll see a new choice in the Designer 6 Tools menu: Search. This will only find the keywords you search for, though, so if you need to actually replace their values, check out Teamstudio Configurator at http://teamstudio.com/configurator.

Domino JSP tags
Keep an eye out for more tips and articles about Domino JSP tags. One of the exciting developments I've heard about recently is the improved capabilities in WebSphere Studio Application Developer 5 to more easily include Domino JSP tags in your applications. Again, integration is the new name of the game, and those that are able to leverage both the power of WebSphere and Domino in their applications are going to be at the top of their field.

Linux on the desktop with Lotus Notes
I read a really interesting article recently entitled, "SuSE Linux to launch desktop products." You can read it at http://idg.com.sg/idgwww.nsf/unidlookup/9F889F657FEEF20C48256C6200284B55. One of the most fascinating things I read in this article is that the new desktop Linux product, called SuSE Linux Office Desktop, will support Lotus Notes and be available in January 2003. I'm anxious to hear more, but imagine the power of the Notes client available on Linux. And for those that don't believe that Linux can replace Windows PCs in the office today, I'd suggest you take a close look at KDE and other Linux GUI interfaces that are shipping in the latest Linux distributions. When you're browsing the Web, which is how many people do a lot of their work today, you sometimes forget what kind of operating system you're using. It may not happen soon, but I think it's a distinct possibility looming on the horizon.

What about WebSphere?
And what part does WebSphere have in all of this? A pretty good one. While Lotus revenue fell 15% last quarter, WebSphere revenue increased 27%. I'm learning it, and you should think about learning it as well if you're not already. If you want to be a well-rounded Domino developer these days, you need to be at least familiar with what WebSphere can do. Know its strengths and its weaknesses when compared to Domino. I'm definitely enjoying learning it, and it's helping me to recapture the type of excitement that I had when I was first learning Lotus Notes and Domino.

I had the opportunity to attend the WebSphere Express Roadshow in San Mateo on November 7, 2002 and was very excited about what I heard. WebSphere Express is essentially a stripped-down version of the WebSphere Application Server. The main thing it's missing is EJB (Enterprise Java Bean) capability, but if you're just starting out developing applications using the J2EE model, this product will serve you just fine. You can code your HTML pages, servlets, and JSP pages using the included Studio Site Developer (which itself is a stripped-down version of WebSphere Studio Application Developer).