Duffbert's Random Musings

1 - I think they should have the same naming convention that is used by NLO files. If your going to do it - do it right

Seriously, for what it's worth there are some files on Passport Advantage (although not many by far) that are named something that makes sense.

2 - I have never understood IBM's refusal to fix this. It's not rocket science! IBM's naming convention is absolutely idiotic. There's no excuse for it.

(I really need to stop waffling back and forth on the issues, don't I?)

3 - It's a pain in the *ss but i just rename the files to the descriptive label that you see on passport as soon as I get them like C1SP7EN.exe to
C1SP7EN - IBM Lotus Domino 8.5 32 bit for Windows English.exe
so that I have the original filename to avoid multiple download and filenames that makes sense.

Why they can't deploy with names like that is beyond me.

4 - It is a royal pain! As an ISV that supports (and therefore tests) software on most of IBM's Domino releases and platforms, I have to download somewhere between a half dozen and a dozen files each time they cut a new release. I have to create little document to map the cryptic names to a descriptive name, and then go back and rename them all after DownloadDirector finishes its work.

OTOH, another large company with which I am quite familiar uses filenames like T3987-15001.iso.

5 - A simple 85.SRV.LNX or 85.CLNT.ALL.WIN
would help. This is how I rename the files after download

6 - Agree duff. I understand why IBM does it and from their perspective it makes sense. Implementing 'Customer Vision' (a la Ken Wax), this approach fails. A good compromise makes sense...

<lotus.notes.8.5.linux.rpm.32bit.C98ZA6.tgz>


Or, to save time on the rename, I use a linux terminal window (cygwin on XP/Vista) and the filename completion capability makes short work of it.

Also, with Partnerworld/Passport Advantage, if you click on the abstract filename (when in the Download Director status window) and click Details, you'll get the long name to display...just keep that window open during the rename process, so you can get this detail for each file. :)

These tips might help your readers until IBM improves things.

7 - I think we're all in agreement.

8 - From a customer/partner/realworld perspective it's indefensibly stupid.

There are, however, other things I would rather they fixed first (like increasing, rather than decreasing, the development resource assigned to the LotusScript language ). On the other hand, this has got to be easy to fix, hasn't it??!

9 - There is another side of the story too.
I am in partnerworld right now trying to download a ST client.
Although they all have descriptions and the C1ZCML type names, the problem is there are multiple versions.
Which one is right?

This one: IBM Lotus Sametime Connect Client Standalone Installer 8.0.2 Windows, Linux Multilingual (C1JZ1ML)

Or this one:
IBM Lotus Sametime Connect 8.0.2 Client Standalone Installer Windows, Linux Multilingual (C1MT8ML)

So which is the right one? both I believe.

10 - I wrote a small script to fix the names automatically...
See { Link }

11 - I think it's just IBM's nod to the days of DOS 1.0.

But seriously, how can you scream "BIG MEGA MONOLITH CORP" without something like "CNKYEL.EXE".

That's how they ROLL, dawg!!!

12 - What I find particularly frustrating is that when you are downloading a number of files you have to be 100% accurate in noting down what filname each is otherwise you end up with 1 or 2 files that you have no idea what they are!

Long names rule, come on IBM catch up with the rest of the world.