Woowar

Category alliances lotusphere2009
Last year, immediately after Lotusphere 2008, I wrote a post outlining a number of predictions for Lotusphere 2009. I thought it would be fun to revisit (or, ahem, revise) them before Lotusphere 2009 starts in a couple of days ...

• Attendance will be up significantly - book early kids - my money is on the numbers crashing through the 8000 barrier for the first time in a few years
  Okay, that was reckoning without the "global downturn". We'll see ...
   
• The Notes/Domino 9.0 feature set will be announced
  Hmm. I think I'll stick with this one, because I would like it to be true.
   
• It will be MUCH harder to pick sessions (like it was so easy before, right?), given the incredible number of 2008 announcements that will have become released products by then:
  • Quickr 8.1
  • Connections 2.0
  • Foundations
  • Mashups
  • Notes/Domino 8.0.1 including Traveler
  • Notes/Domino 8.5 including Domino Designer in Eclipse
  • "BlueHouse"
  Well, BlueHouse is still in beta. But the rest are out there in the wild. And it is very hard to select sessions this year!
   
• Dan Lyons will say something crap and stupid, again (will he ever grow up?)
  Come on Dan, I'm waiting, don't disappoint me.
   
• Microsoft will release a set of spoiler announcements, yet again (will they ever grow up?)
  Very half-hearted from Murkysoft so far. Do they have something more engaging up their sleeve to hit us with before Monday?
   
• The opening general session special guest speaker will be better than 2008 (hardly a challenge) but not as good as Neil Armstrong in 2007
  Sticking with this one - it's a safe bet
   
• The purple websphere logo will have disappeared and there'll be a "new" Lotus Portal product (okay, this may be wishful thinking ... 2010?)
  I WISH!
   
• There will be at least one complete surprise new product announcement - as surprising as Connections in 2007 and Foundations in 2008 - and it will be another low-end SME-based play
  I'll stick with this one too ... nervously.
   
• Paul Mooney will purchase unfeasible quantities of sake in Kimono's
  
   
• Wild Bill will have another significant birthday
  This is too easy
   
• The Lotus911 crowd will ask a minimum of three questions at the 'Ask the Developers' session
  I was cheating on the last few wasn't I ... dead cert.