Replacing Microsoft Exchange

[Ian Clancy]

On Wed, 2005-08-10 at 16:49 -0500, Thomas Cameron wrote:
> > 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),

Not yet, but they are working on it
http://evolution-win32.sourceforge.net/index.php


> 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
>