Domino Developers vis-a-vis FlowBuilder 3.0
In my earlier comments, I sorted Domino developers into three groups, so it is fair to ask which ones would find FlowBuilder 3.0 a good fit.

Those who maintain applications, spending most of their Domino development time working on form/field layout and creating views will find FlowBuilder 3.0 a significant challenge. It still requires Java programming (used in the Visual XSP Studio) and applications have to be integrated onto a J2EE framework. The Eclipse Rich Client Platform that is being used in Lotus Workplace is probably a stronger choice. And, there are places where Domino with its Lotus Notes client is still going to be the right choice: a J2EE model lacks replication and encryption standards.

The second tier of business developers will discover a smoother path into J2EE with FlowBuilder 3.0 than with any other development tool. If you have experience with LotusScript, JavaScript, and Java, then FlowBuilder 3.0 will be a natural progression for those looking to increase your skills. I had the opportunity to talk with Matthias Grossmann, CEO of IBS (at http://www.ibs-us.com) about his company's reliance on FlowBuilder 3.0.

He was especially enthusiastic about the structure of FlowBuilder 3.0, how well it uses XML to integrate the flexible document model of Domino into an RDBMS. Because his company creates comprehensive ISO document control programs, he has "To satisfy a lot of different needs" and has found that FlowBuilder gives him a development platform that would be very "Tough to find somewhere else."

The last category of developer, the professional, career developer is going to find FlowBuilder 3.0 a Swiss Army Knife of development capabilities. Moving a Domino application into Flowbuilder 3.0 will permit joining views, portal integration, and easily resolves scalability restrictions. Because FlowBuilder 3.0 is built on open standards, developers can choose an inexpensive Linux/Tomcat/MySQL installation or move up to an IBM AIX base with WebSphere and DB2.

Conclusion
In production use, FlowBuilder 3.0 is being hosted on a mix of everything from Apache Jakarta Tomcat (not technically even a J2EE application server) to Microsoft IIS and SQL-Server. This platform adaptability makes it much easier to justify FlowBuilder, because it seamlessly connects into any IT infrastructure.

Ed Wrenbeck, a consultant in the Detroit Michigan area who specializes in FlowBuilder, has found that a typical FlowBuilder 3.0 installation will employ WebSphere and DB2, but he has identified Oracle as a strong performer. Wrenbeck is so impressed with FlowBuilder 3.0 that he runs a blog dedicated to it at http://www.wrenbeck.com where you can go and pick up new tips.

From a programmer's perspective, FlowBuilder 3.0 is best suited for J2EE programmers and mature Domino developers with a little JSP background and experience in Web development. All the developers with whom I spoke agreed that Trilog's five day class on FlowBuilder was time well spent, as the product is so comprehensive.