There’s an app for that

I’ve said it before and Neil Wainwright said it again (comment #3) today. Small application development was Lotus’ strength in the late 90s and early 2000’s.

After reading Neil’s comment and going back to work I stared at my workspace for a moment. With all of the tabs filled with icons… I said to myself “There’s an app for that.”

Why is the iPhone so successful? C’mon… It’s just a cell phone. The reason for the  iPhone’s success  is small, inexpensive, and easy-to-install applications that are driving iPhone sales exponentially. The iPhone’s current slogan says it all: “There’s an app for that!”

Compare that to Lotus Domino. It’s just an email system. Or… is it an environment where you can build small (you can argue size if you want), inexpensive, and easy-to-install applications?

I was looking at my workspace and thinking about all of the applications I have built over the years (at too many different jobs).

• Do you need an underwriting system for loans? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need a workflow application to handle 100,000 faxes a quarter? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need a HR timesheet system? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need a Customer Relationship Management system? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need a sales pipeline application? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need a reference library for your sales team? There’s an app for that.
• Do you need 101 different call tracking applications? There’s 101 apps for that.
• Do you need a complete extranet with a content management system? There’s an app for that.

I could go on for pages. All of these systems were built on Lotus Notes/Domino. Some of these applications were created by the departments and we’ve inherited and maintained them over the years. Some of these applications (like the underwriting apps) turned into large systems (which Lotus Notes is very capable of handling).

I’ve met countless developers who just do whatever their manager or project manager instructs them to do. Because of Domino environment, I’ve spent the last ten years in direct contact with customers automating their processes, destroying legacy paper systems, and saving money.

Can other programming environments do the same thing? Of course! It’s just that their environments are not as adept at building small, inexpensive, and easy-to-install applications as Lotus Domino.