However, CMP Media, which employs me and publishes Network Computing, just finished changing e-mail platforms, and at the risk of biting the hand the feeds me, I have to write about it.

This is not a story about CMP. The company is a fine one and it's a pleasure, generally, to work for it and use its e-mail system. This is a story about Lotus Notes. Here at CMP, we used to run all our e-mail over Microsoft Mail servers and Microsoft Exchange clients. Now we use Notes servers and Notes clients. I won't say anything about the Notes servers because I'm sure they're far better than the MS Mail systems they replaced--they certainly represent newer technology, and we give Lotus an award for Notes elsewhere in this issue. What I do want to talk about is the Notes client software, which by itself should not win awards.

I've used a lot of software in my day. I've even written a fair amount of software. I've dabbled a bit in Windows as well as X Window programming. I've used software from desktop publishing to electronic circuit-board design programs. For a few semesters, many years ago, I taught computer-graphics programming at the college level. I should be able to figure out an application just as well as the next guy. But with all this experience, it took me the better part of half an hour to figure out how to rename a folder I had created.

If you Notes users are wondering how to do it, you highlight the folder, then look under the actions menu, choose folder options, then rename. If you Exchange users are wondering, you highlight the folder and type a new name. It seems like everything that was a mouse click away in Exchange is about five clicks away and under some obscure menu option in Notes. Notes assumes that if an e-mail arrives for me and it doesn't have a fully qualified Notes address in the "to" or "cc" field, it must be a blind carbon copy. Exchange is clever enough not to assume, hence allowing for aliases. The list of Notes' oddities goes on and on, but in the interest of space, I will not.

Functional or Fabulous? Don't misunderstand me. I don't think Exchange is all that fabulous, but it is certainly well-thought-out. On the other hand, I get the impression that the designers of the Notes client never used e-mail. I also get the impression that they never used any other application. There are virtually no user preference settings, and Notes has no facility to "remember" changes that you make to the design interface. I'm told that the next version of Notes client will have much of this. Incredible! Welcome to the mid-1980s, Lotus!

I've used other e-mail clients, notably Eudora and the stuff that's built into Netscape. Eudora is head and shoulders above Notes too. I liked using the Netscape client better as well. Now I know there are bright people at Lotus; I've talked with a number of them, and I'd love to know why the client is so bad compared to the competition.

Why, Lotus? Why? What really confuses me is why Lotus lets this happen. I certainly understand that Notes is a lot more than just a mail client. Wonderful applications can be created in Notes that will certainly serve as quality, mission-critical applications. However, what I really want is a good e-mail client; you'd think it would be the first order of business. When I use Notes, I feel like I wanted a sports car and the company bought me an 18-wheeler--big, clunky and hard to maneuver.

That brings me to a final thought: As Microsoft goes forward under the scrutiny of the Justice Department, I wonder if both Justice and I haven't been wrong all this time. I'm one who--at least up until I started using Notes--thought that Microsoft had an unfair advantage in the applications arena. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe Microsoft just creates better applications, and from my Notes experience, that wouldn't be too tough.

Art Wittmann can be reached at awittmann@nwc.com.