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I’ve now been using the Notes beta 8.5 client for the Mac for one week at the office (I took a week after Lotusphere to stay in Disney for vacation … after all, one of my other websites is Disney related). After one week of normal use, I have some thoughts (again, I’m keeping in mind that this IS a beta product and I have tried to participate in the forum to be helpful with my comments):

• The program icon for Notes doesn’t bounce in the dock when loading, which is only annoying because there have been some times when I can’t get it to start at all.
• When loaded, Notes has a 2nd icon that shows the number of unread messages: AWESOME!
• When loaded, Notes has an icon at the top of your menu bar (by the Mac clock) when new messages arrive: AWESOME.
• There’s also an icon for your Sametime status up there: very cool!
• The side-bar shelf calendar thing ROCKS! I didn’t realize how handy this was … and now I want MANY more side shelf options – which I hear are coming at some point.
• I crave Symphony – especially since I’m seriously considering uninstalling my brand new Microsoft Office 2008 … blagh!
• If you try to have a VoIP call with someone in your sametime list, nothing will happen. Until you close your IM window and they decide to open one with you again … you’ll then hear the most annoying sound ever come from your Mac. Try it, its fun. (You’ll have to reboot to get it to stop … or ask the person to never IM you again. Your choice.)
• Trying to chat with someone from in your Notes Sametime list doesn’t always work. I’m not sure why.
• The Java/Eclipse/Notes combo doesn’t seem to take up as many resources as I once thought. However, it seems to be just as flaky-feeling as I thought. I realize that’s hard to quantify, but its my perception.

All that being said, I’m still on a high from the ID105 session at Lotusphere about all the new Mac stuff coming soon. I just need to work on being patient. Which I don’t do well at all.

Meanwhile, in the week since I’ve been back, two people at my company have requested Mac’s. One in IT and our CEO. That’s awesome and I really think both are going to enjoy using a Mac and feel like they get more done (and more easily). However, for both of those people (and the existing Mac users) I really think that they’re best off with Notes 7.0.3 even though the rest of the company will be on Notes 8 before too long.

Again … its beta, I get it.