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Re: a bit offtopic




Hetz Ben Hamo <hetz@magnifire.net> writes:

> > 4) It should not rely on the emails residing on the Exchange server.
> >    I need to be able to fetch all my mails (including the appointment
> >    invitations) from the server, say with POP3, and still do 1,2,3.
> 
> huh? I don't understand point 4

I am not sure it is relevant to anything, but let me try to explain
where I come from. Let's say I have both a Linux and an NT box on my
desk. If I POP my mail from the (Exchange) mail server here from
Linux, it will bring all my mail, including meeting invitations, to
Linux. This disables my NT ability to acknowledge the invitation using
Outlook, because the invitation is no longer on the server. AFAIK,
programs like fetchmail cannot recognize Exchange mails as special
to keep them on the server. Again, I am not sure it is relevant, and I
don't know exactly how Exchange works, just thought I'd mention it.

> If there was a commercial "outlook" for Linux. Would you buy it? if so, how 
> much are you willing to pay for such a client? and if it was for free but 
> closed source - would you use it?

My problem with that is that I would not like to use Outlook to read
and write my mail. This would override the benefits of the Outlook 
calendar for me. I would like to see an Exchange-compatible calendar
tool that will work with any email app I care to use.

Such a tool will only be useful for mixed M$/Linux companies. I have 
no need for it as an individual. Question is, how much a company where
Exchange is deployed for suits and Linux is deployed for geeks will be
willing to pay per license.

A pure Linux groupware app is a different matter. The KOffice
documentation says it will become one (so far it isn't). If it does
you'll have to compete with it.

> The thing is - if a company would have to reverse engineer the Exchange 
> protocol stuff 

Doesn't M$ consider reverse engineering a crime? The company should be
prepared to a legal attack.

> - it wouldn't release it for free - or else they'll have 1000 
> competitors within a week. They cannot add support for stuff like KOrganizer, 
> ical, emacs caldendar because of 1 reason - they are under GPL'd - which 
> means they'll have to release source code, which with it - you can find how 
> they reversed engineered it and the story of 1000 competitors starts
> again.

Can there be a closed-source groupware calendar app with open
(Exchange-compatible) protocol? Two potential problems: a) KOffice
(and the like) develop their own; b) M$ change the protocol.

> Well, I was talking about a server solution to replace Exchange, not for the 
> client.

With Outlook on NT/W2K/XP being a compatiple server for the suits'
use? A la OpenMail?

-- 
Oleg Goldshmidt | ogoldshmidt@NOSPAM.computer.org 
If it ain't broken, it hasn't got enough features yet.

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