Replacing Microsoft Exchange

[Thomas Cameron]

> All this is well and good - it is discussed frequently and obviously
> there are a lot of potential users for a GPL type licensed 'exchange
> server'

Yup.  As I said, Exchange is Microsoft's killer app.

> I guess the thing that bothers me most is those who insist on Outlook as
> the client

I do not insist that Outlook be the client.  In fact, I mention several
times that it could be Outlook or a workalike like Evolution.

> which completely ignores the fact that Microsoft primarily
> offers the Outlook program as a front end to their Exchange Server and
> for all other purposes, it is crippled.

Nope, you're wrong.  It will interface with all manner of handhelds in
Internet mail mode.  I have used it for ages with my Palm (and now with my
Nokia phone), and it works very well.

> That they toss it in for free
> with their Office suite is really no different than the drug dealer
> giving away drugs until you are hooked.

It's called "marketing."  Welcome to capitalism.

> Their Outlook Express is a
> better MUA and it's a news reader. Outlook LDAP integration is
> deliberately crippled on non ADS setups. Outlook IMAP support is
> deliberately crippled. So the insistence on using Outlook as the client
> application and getting open source to remedy deliberately crippled
> features on a program whose API's are deliberately not made available
> seems to ignore the reality of the marketplace.

Um, to not recognize that Outlook is on something like 90% desktops is to
ignore the reality of the marketplace.  If we could get something to
replace Exchange on the backend but make it seamless for the end users, it
would be a HUGE win for F/OSS.  If we could then wean the users off of MS
Office and Outlook to OpenOffice and Evolution on Windows (if it existed),
it would make it that much easier to move them to Linux on the desktop. 
There is a method to my madness...  It's just not feasible to move to
Linux on the desktop tomorrow.  It will need to be a gradual change, baby
steps.

> There are other options out there and the rules seem to be, if you want
> to use Outlook as the client app...you will have to pay. Seems fair
> enough.

Never said it wasn't fair.  All I said was it would be great if we could
replace Exchange on the backend while still using Outlook or an Outlook
workalike.

Thomas