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The Lotus conspiracy |
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I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as anyone. From John Grisham's books, movies like The Insider and L.A. Confidential, even the Vegas cabbie who once tried to tell me all about the secret nuclear testing going on in Oakland, it's fun to speculate about what may or may not be going on behind the scenes.
However, I have yet to unravel the conspiracy that would explain why so many seem eager to take down Notes and Domino. I'm sure you remember the recent Radicati report that harshly criticized Lotus' long-term plans, suggesting that its Workplace collaboration platform represents an "end-of-life" strategy for Domino. More recently, there was the Meta Group survey that found Domino's average annual total cost of ownership to be $300.19 per user, while Exchange 2003's yearly TCO was $143.96, 52% less than Domino.
These are just the latest examples. In 2000, many assumed Domino would be obliterated by Exchange, forcing Al Zollar to mount a defense. Or when a top Domino application development firm abruptly decided to refocus its efforts on Exchange, eyebrows were again raised.
Instead of focusing on a conspiracy, I'm sure Lotus would say these actions are caused by a jealous industry that knows Notes and Domino are superior collaboration products, but is that the whole story? Is the amorphous Lotus strategy easier to disparage than to decipher? Are decision-makers too easily seduced by Microsoft's advances? Is there a secret connection between Lotus and the grassy knoll or Area 51?
OK, perhaps there's really no conspiracy. Or, maybe that's what "they" want us to think.
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