Foundations documentation still needs work

Lotus has updated the minimum server requirements required to run Foundations.

• x86 based system
• At least one hard disk. At least two hard drives are needed to backup your data.
• At least one Network Interface Card. Two network cards are needed if this is your network gateway.
• CD-ROM drive
• VGA based video card
• 1GB RAM
• VGA Monitor
• Keyboard

I think there is more work needed. What about customers who don't have an internet gateway at all? This list doesn't tell customers the hard cold fact that they need an internet connection in order to activate Foundations. No internet connection means no software activation.

According to the Sensis E-Business report from August 2007, over five percent of metropolitan SMB (and over 10% of rural SMB) don't have an internet connection. I don't have a problem telling one of these customers that they need to install an internet connection if they want to run Foundations, but IMHO that requirement should be listed up front along with the other obvious items like the keyboard and VGA monitor.

Call me picky if you like, but that's my job :)


Meanwhile, over in Seattle it's starting to look like EBS stands for Enormously Bloated Software. Eric Beehler is blogging about writing a book related to Microsoft Essential Business Server and judging from this post his introductory chapter will be titled "First, assemble your Mainframe". I mean, it's pretty sad when you need to plan for an upgraded CPU cooling fan on a server that already has four other internal 12,500 RPM fans. It's even worse when you realize that the server will only be used to click through some menus and create a few screenshots. Imagine the kind of servers he would need if he wanted EBS to actually do some work.

So what's he going to do when he gets to the chapter about installing the optional fourth box to run SQL Server?

However it might all be in vain - Eric could only squeeze 12 gigabytes of memory into the server and he has some doubt whether all of the core applications will run effectively in that limited address space.
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