Personal Blog of Thomas Hampel - Creative Mythbusting in Development and Collaboration

Happy Birthday - (Lotus) Notes turns 34 today

27 November 2023 Thomas Hampel
Happy Birthday Lotus Notes!

Today, 34 years ago, release 1.0 of Lotus Notes was built/compiled marking the beginning of an incredible journey
Image:Happy Birthday - (Lotus) Notes turns 34 today


And in just a few days, a new episode of this journey is going to start when HCL Domino 14 (and Sametime 12.0.2) will be released.

Find out about the cool new features in the latest release during our exclusive webcast launch on December 7 @ 10am ET.
To attend live, please Register now!
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Tagged with: Notes

Let’s Connect - Nordics! Meet us in Denmark and Sweden

18 November 2023 Thomas Hampel
Dear Domino Community in the Nordics,

Meet me at
Let's Connect Nordics for an extraordinary community meetup happening in the heart of Copenhagen/Denmark and the beautiful city of Stockholm in Sweden next week!
Get ready for a gathering filled with warmth, an
exciting agenda, and the shared magic that makes our Domino community truly special.

Event Details:

Why Attend?
  • Learn
    What's new in the Domino and beyond. Experience new options for your digital journey and see live demos that have never been shown before.
    Be the first to experience our latest products and innovations. Our team will showcase exciting developments and answer any questions you may have.
  • Your Voice Matters
    Engage with HCL leadership, partners and customers in conversations during our interactive sessions. We want to hear your thoughts, your challenges, and your victories.
    Your voice matters to shape our product roadmap.
  • Surprises:
    From exclusive product sneak peeks to personalized experiences, we have planned a few surprises to make your time with us truly memorable.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow enthusiasts, industry experts, and professionals. Share your experiences, ideas, and insights while expanding your network
  • Cool & Inspiring Speakers
    ...of course:)

How to attend?
To secure your spot at this must-attend event, please register via the Event website for
Copenhagen and/or Stockholm
Spaces are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible.


I'm looking forward to seeing you in Denmark and Sweden for two fantastic meetups filled with learning, networking, and fun.
Let's come together to celebrate our Domino community and the shared passion that unites us!
PS: Feel free to bring along your colleagues, friends, or anyone who will enjoy the event.


References:

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Tagged with: Conference

Is HCL Notes/Domino using Oracle Java?

13 October 2023 Thomas Hampel
The short answer: No!

Background:

On January 23, 2023, Oracle
announced (again) yet another new licensing model for Oracle Java that represents a dramatic price increase for large organizations.
This can lead to interesting discussions since e.g., a 40,000-employee organization could be asked spending USD $2.5M annually just on Oracle Java alone.

What Java version is used by Notes and Domino?

Notes and Domino are providing the Java runtime as part of the product, so customers do NOT need to download or install the Java runtime environment separately.
Since the JVM/JDK is part of the licensed product, it is covered under the
product license of HCL or previously the product license of IBM.

With the
acquisition of the product by HCL, dependencies to IBM Java were removed and got replaced with OpenJDK effectively in version 11.0.0 of HCL Notes/Domino.
Java updates are provided by HCL (and previously by IBM) typically as part of regular fix packs.

Here is a simplified overview of what Java version is used in the product:
Notes/Domino
Java Version
Java Vendor
JVM Remarks
14.0.x
17 LTS
IBM Semeru
OpenJ9 Open Edition
12.0.x
8
AdoptOpenJDK, later IBM Semeru
OpenJ9 renamed to Adoptium
11.0.x
8
AdoptOpenJDK, later IBM Semeru
OpenJ9 renamed to Adoptium
10.0.x
8
IBM
IBM J9 see IBM FAQ
 9.0.1
8
IBM
IBM J9 see IBM FAQ
9.0.0
6
IBM
IBM J9





a more comprehensive overview of which Java flavour and patchlevel is included in which release of Domino is provided later on in this blog post.

For details, please refer to

Special cases and exceptions?
  • MacOS : old versions of the IBM Notes Client before(!) 9.0.1 IF17 did not include any Java runtime. Customers may have manually installed a JVM, e.g. the Oracle runtime.
    Starting with
    Notes Client 9.0.1 IF17 the product includes the IBM Java runtime. Customers are encouraged to upgrade to a more current version of the HCL Notes Client for MacOS.
  • IBMi (=iSeries) : HCL Domino will use the version provided by the platform.
  • HCL Client for Application Access (HCAA), formerly known as IBM Client for Application Access (ICAA), does not provide a Java VM, it uses a JVM that you choose to install yourself.
    Only for acessing Domino applications that are running Java code >in< the HCAA client, a JVM needs to be provided.

What about Nomad, Verse, Enterprise Integrator, SAP Connector, etc?

These products are addons to Domino and unless otherwise specified they leverage the JVM provided by Domino.


IBM? OpenJDK? Semeru? Adoptium? Eclipse? - Are you confused as well?

It's not easy to even get a basic understanding of the various project names, forks, branches and takeovers, but I'll try providing a short intro without covering the entire
history of Java nor what Java itself is.
In the context of Notes and Domino, this is what you need to know:
  • OpenJDK is a free and open-source implementation of the Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE), it is a Java Development Kit (JDK)
  • OpenJ9 is a java virtual machine (JVM), contributed to the Eclipse project by IBM
  • AdoptOpenJDK was a project for producing vendor neutral builds of OpenJDK
  • AdoptOpenJDK merged into Eclipse Adoptium, to provide a prebuilt OpenJDK, that release is now named Temurin
    With this move, Adoptium is, according to them, is not allowed to release OpenJ9-based or GraalVM-based runtimes
  • IBM comes to the rescue and provides OpenJ9 builds at no charge as the IBM Semeru runtime which includes the OpenJ9 Java VM
  • IBM Semeru comes in two flavours:
    a) IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition, which is open source (GPLv2) licensed and is not
    TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit) certified
    b) IBM Semeru Runtime
    Certified Edition, which is Java TCK-certified
  • Former "IBM Java" has been moved into IBM Semeru Runtime Certified Edition at Java version 11
  • HCL Notes and Domino are using IBM Semeru Open Edition.

For better understanding of the above, here is a chart that explains:

Image:Is HCL Notes/Domino using Oracle Java?
As outlined above, HCL Notes and Domino is embedding IBM Semeru and does not use any Oracle Java.

Table: Java versions is used by Notes and Domino

Source:
KB0037886 - What is the impact to JVM support in Notes/Domino with Oracle's announcement to charge?
Notes/Domino Version Java Runtime Vendor Java Version
V12 12.0.2 Fix Pack 2 IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 8 Semeru jdk8u372-b07
12.0.2 Fix Pack 1 Semeru jdk8u362-b09
12.0.2 AdoptOpenJDK 8 OpenJDK jdk8u345-b01
12.0.1 Fix Pack 1 OpenJDK jdk8u312-b07
12.0.1 OpenJDK jdk8u302-b08
12.0.0 OpenJDK jdk8u282-b08
V11 11.0.1 Fix Pack 8 OpenJDK jdk8u372-b07
11.0.1 Fix Pack 7 OpenJDK jdk8u352-b08
11.0.1 Fix Pack 6 OpenJDK jdk8u332-b09
11.0.1 Fix Pack 5 OpenJDK jdk8u312-b07
11.0.1 Fix Pack 4 OpenJDK jdk8u302-b08
11.0.1 Fix Pack 3 OpenJDK jdk8u282-b08
11.0.1 Fix Pack 2 OpenJDK jdk8u265-b01
11.0.1 Fix Pack 1 OpenJDK jdk8u252-b09 tzdata 2020a
11.0.1 OpenJDK jdk8u242-b08 tzdata2019c
11.0.0 OpenJDK jdk8u222-b10
V10 10.0.1 FP8 IBM Java 8 IBM Java 8.0 SR7FP6_tzdata2022a
10.0.1 FP7 IBM Java 8.0 SR6FP25_tzdata2021a
10.0.1 FP6 IBM Java 8.0 SR6FP10_tzdata2020a
10.0.1 FP5 IBM Java 8.0 SR6FP5_tzdata2019c
10.0.1 FP4 IBM Java 8.0 SR5FP40_tzdata2019c
10.0.1 IBM Java 8.0 SR5FP21
10.0.0 IBM Java 8.0 SR5FP16ifix
V9 9.0.1 Fix Pack 10 Interim Fix IBM Java 8.0 SR6FP25
9.0.1 Fix Pack 10 IBM Java 8.0 SR5FP21 tzdata2018e
9.0.1 Fix Pack 9 IBM Java 8.0 SR4FP5
9.0.1 Fix Pack 8 IBM Java 8.0 SR3FP12
9.0.1 Fix Pack 7 IBM Java 6 IBM Java 6.0 SF16FP30
9.0.1 Fix Pack 6 IBM Java 6.0 SF16FP20
9.0.1 Fix Pack 5 IBM Java 6.0 SF16FP15
9.0.1 Fix Pack 4 IBM Java 6.0 SR16FP4
9.0.1 Fix Pack 3 IBM Java 6.0 SR16FP2
9.0.1 Fix Pack 2 IBM Java 6.0 SR16
9.0.1 Fix Pack 1 IBM Java 6.0 SR15FP1
9.0.1 IBM Java 6.0 SR14 + ifix
9.0.0 IBM Java 6.0 SR12+ ifix





Remarks:

IBM SDK, Java Technology Edition, Version 6 has reached end of life, see
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/java-sdk-downloads-version-60

How to check which Java version is used?

From the program directory of the Notes client or Domino server:

cd jvm/bin
./java -version


Example:

Checking the Java version used by the HCL Notes Client 14.0 (Early Access version) on Windows:

Image:Is HCL Notes/Domino using Oracle Java?

C:\Program Files\HCL\Notes>cd jvm/bin

C:\Program Files\HCL\Notes\jvm\bin>java -version
openjdk 17.0.4.1 2022-08-12
IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 17.0.4.1 (build 17.0.4.1+1)
Eclipse OpenJ9 VM 17.0.4.1 (build openj9-0.33.1, JRE 17 Windows 7 amd64-64-Bit
Compressed References 20220812_237 (JIT enabled, AOT enabled)
OpenJ9   - 1d9d16830
OMR      - b58aa2708
JCL      - 1f4d354e654 based on jdk-17.0.4.1+1)



References:

Finally
:
I hope this brief explanation will help to better understand the usage of Java in our product and provides you with enough of a justification to upgrade to the most current version of HCL Notes and Domino.

so
upgrade NOW !
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Tagged with: Domino Eclipse Notes

Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?

20 September 2023 Thomas Hampel
Hot on the heels of our HCL Nomad for Web V1.0.9 Gold Release, we have deployed the next Pre-Release of HCL Nomad for web into our Sandbox Environment !
We have updated the environment and are inviting you to try out the latest version (V1.0.10.5384-3229).

This Pre-Release of V1.0.10 includes a VERY important new piece of functionality - HCL Domino Designer in your browser!

Yes, you read that correctly! You now have the ability to launch the HCL Domino Designer in your browser - just like you do with the HCL Nomad for Web client.
You will have the ability to make design changes to your HCL Domino applications without having the HCL Domino Designer client installed onto your computer!


Like the installable Domino Designer client, this browser based Designer allows to manage design elements like forms, @formulas...
Image:Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?

...views, pages...
Image:Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?

...LotusScript Agents and Script Libraries (including the LS Debugger)
Image:Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?

and a lot more of what you expect from your well known Domino Designer.
Since it runs in the same context as Nomad, the same restrictions will apply - meaning there is no Java and so it wont be possible to build XPages or Java code with it.

Personal note:
A remarkable improvement compared to the classic Notes Client is the properties dialog which now is a sidebar and longer is a free floating window. Hope you like it as much as I do?
Image:Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?


Interested in trying this new Designer yourself?

Just head over to the HCL Nomad Sandbox and create an account or log in to get started.
Image:Running HCL Domino Designer in your browser?

Within the Sandbox environment we have a number of Domino Sample Applications for you to use while in the HCL Nomad Sandbox.

In order to easily access these Sample Applications we have modified the Feedback Forum to now have the ability to add the Icons to your Workspace for you.

To access the Feedback Forum, follow these steps:

1. Log into the HCL Nomad Sandbox

2. From the "Recent Applications" page, click on "Open Application" in the top-right corner of the page

3. In the "Look in" field, select "NomadWeb/SandboxBeta" as the Domino server

4. Scroll through the list of applications until you locate "Nomad for Web Browsers Feedback" and double click on that entry


Once you have the Feedback Forum open, you will see a new entry on the left navigator titled "Deploy Sample Apps".
When you click on that option, five (5) Sample Applications will be added to your Workspace.



References:
.




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Tagged with: Development Nomad

Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc

15 September 2023 Thomas Hampel
I'm using a Canon printer for years and it works very well despite being 10+ years old.
All computers on the network are using this printer for years.


Now I wanted to add a new Apple Macbook to my configuration and of course wanted to configure this printer.

The printer is detected on the Bonjour network, but unfortunately it can not find any driver.


Looking up
Canon's Support website the printer is still listed with all its drivers. However, not for the latest Apple operating systems like Ventura, Big Sur, Catalina, nor Mojave, High Sierra, or Sierra.
The
latest driver version available is for MacOS 10.11 (El Capitan) - its called MP640 series CUPS Printer Driver Ver. 11.7.1.0 (OS X)

Image:Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc

Trying to install it on any current MacOS release is failing because the operating system is (of course) not supported. Typically your options at this point are
(a) get a new printer
(b) try installing an older version of MacOS and try installing the driver, then upgrade again.  

(c) trying to get the drivers ported from one machine to another by working with CUPS


Interestingly enough I know that the driver itself DOES work very well because on other machines with BigSur or later operating systems printing works just fine.

It seems that having installed the driver in an earlier version of MacOS allowed to carry its functionality forward, so there is no technical reason why it should not run.
Conclusion => it's only the installation routine that will prevent its installation.
 

Hint:

Start with the
Canon IJ Network Tool which is used to configure the printer. That tool still works on later releases incl. Ventura and it can be used to verify the communication between your Mac and the printer.

How to make it work?

Having downloaded the latest (old) available *.dmg file, e.g in my case it is the
MP640 series CUPS Printer Driver Ver. 11.7.1.0 (OS X)

1. Open the file (double click) to mount it, it should look like this:
mcpd-mac-mp640-11_7_1_0-ea17_2.dmg

Image:Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc 

2. In this image, find the driver file which should have a *.pkg extension and copy it to e.g. your desktop or any other temp directory
PrinterDriver_MP640 series_110701.pkg


3. Open a new terminal window and run the command

> pkgutil --expand "PrinterDriver_MP640 series_110701.pkg" mp640


this will extract the files contained within the pkg file into a new subdirectory.

4. Within this new directory, edit the file "Distribution" with a text edito of your choice
> cd mp640
> nano Distribution

5. Search for a routine named "installationCheck()" and patch it to always return true.

BEFORE:
Image:Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc

AFTER:
Image:Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc

and of course make sure save your changes!

6. Repackage your changes into a new *pkg file using this command
pkgutil --flatten mp640 "PrinterDriver_MP640 series_PATCHED.pkg"
Image:Installing Canon drivers that are not supported on MacOS Ventura, Moterey, Big Sur, etc

7. Enjoy installing your new printer driver*
Note: will only work on the same CPU architecture the driver was developed for. May not work on the new ARM CPU's

References:
  • Canon IJ Network Tool Ver.4.7.2 (MacOS X)
  • https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5490701

  • Comments [0]
    Tagged with: Gadgets How-To
    Thomas Hampel, All rights reserved.