Notes/Domino Developer Bell Curve
Rocky Oliver over at LotusGeek did a killer job quantifying Notes/Domino developers into a bell curve of such. So good infact, I have mirrored the data here:
A friend of mine asked me about my thoughts on the “breakdown” of skills and abilities of Domino developers - what is the spectrum of the skills and abilities of the Domino developer community? I have been giving this some thought, and I have come up with a table that describes the “Notes/Domino Developer Bell Curve”,
as shown in the graphic above. Before I send this back to my friend, I thought I would post it here for comments, suggestions, etc.
| Curve Position | Description | Skills | % |
| Power Users | Power Users are typically what users were before they became “Notes Developers” in the R3.x days. Power users come from a nontraditional programming background, and usually not even a technical background. Power users may have built one or two simple apps using Simple Actions, Forms, Views, and Formulas; typically they only do private views and simple actions, They don’t understand the Domino Object Model nor any other deeper technical aspect of the platform. They simply do the minimum to get their jobs done. |
|
5% |
| Notes Developers | “Notes” Developers build simple applications using Forms and Views, and they create Agents and Action buttons using Formulas. They only build applications for the Notes client. They typically fear scripting languages such as LotusScript, Web development, etc. Many developers in this category became Notes developers during the R3.x days, but did not progress as Notes/Domino progressed. Many of these people were employed as Notes Developers during the early 1990s, but were washed out when the IT Boom busted. |
|
10-15% |
| Domino Developers | Domino Developers have moved forward as Notes/Domino has moved forward. Domino Developers understand the concepts of design VS data, they have a basic grasp on the container model, and they “get” Domino security including Groups, Roles, ACL levels and priviledges, etc. Domino Developers are very comfortable with LotusScript, but are not doing much Object-Oriented programming in LotusScript, if at all. Many (those who have been doing it awhile) are also “experts” in the Formula language. This group has not developed any Java development skills. Many in this group are developing applications that have Notes interfaces, Web interfaces, or both so they have good skills in Web languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Domino Developers rarely venture outside of core Domino development. Domino Developers understand more complex application archtecture models such as multi-database applications, centralized configurationn and management, and so on. |
|
60% |
| Domino Plus Developers | Domino Plus Developers flex their “mad Domino skillz” by venturing into other adjacent technologies such as COM/OLE integration with other products, advanced LotusScript skills such as C API calls, Object-Oriented programming (creating classes, etc.), and more. Domino Plus Developers are also building complex Web-based applications in Domino. They understand the larger concepts of Web development, and they are able to apply them to Domino development. Domino Plus Developers are integrating Domino into with other platform technologies such as Websphere, or they are integrating it by accessing enterprise systems such as Oracle, SAP, etc. They also are coming up with creative workarounds and kludges in Notes/Domino. Domino Plus Developers also understand the Domino Object Model at an intricate level. Some Domino Plus Developers have moved into Java development as well. These folks are usually the best Notes/Domino developers in their organizations. |
|
10-15% |
| Domino Geeks | Domino Geeks are a rare breed. They understand Domino intricately, but have also developed skills outside of Domino. Some are excellent Java developers, some have moved into relational backends, some have turned into exceptional Web developers, but all of them are the cream-of-the-crop in Domino development. They understand the value proposition of Notes/Domino, but are working with other products and platforms as well, and are using Domino in the context of really large projects. Domino Geeks tend to be architects as well. Most Domino Geeks are well-known in the community at large, and are usually involved in Design Review teams with Lotus/IBM. Domino Geeks are the “thought leaders” of the Domino development community. |
|
5% |
How do you see the Domino development
community breaking down? Did I miss a key skill? How is my percentage of
distribution? Keep in mind that there is a much larger development community
than we see interacting in blogs, etc. - I see this when I speak at conferences,
as there are still 40-50 people in the “Jumpstart: LotusScript”
sessions, which means we still have newbies coming into our community.Help me tweak this table, and then I’ll
send it into my friend.Thanks!
Rock
.
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