RE: [Evolution] Ximian Connector?

["Jeppe, Nils" <Nils Jeppe usd de>]

Hello Chris,

What's the problem here? It isn't like this is the first bit of commercial
software for Linux or UNIX. -gasp- what a revelation: A company that is in
it for the money! For me, the Connector is a lifesaver and I only wish
they'd announced a little earlier while I was still on a wild goose chase
for a Linux <-> Outlook/Exchange Calendaring interoperatibility (sp)
solution. $69 to hook up a Linux machine to an existing network is still a
big money saver for corporations, heck, a license of Windows 9x costs more
than that. You'd save boatloads on security alone. I can easily imagine this
to be a big market. I know that *I* will bug my boss to get me a license so
I can get rid of my Win2k Workstation.

As for the GPL vs. Proprietary issue, what's the big deal? How about a
forked version, or a plugin or something like that. It's all been done
before and we still have a free OS, don't we? Just because the EvoEx
Connector is proprietary doesn't mean the OS - or even Evo for that matter -
isn't.

What good is Linux on the Workstation if it cannot talk to the rest of the
world?

Now if Ximian dumps support/development of Free Evo in favor of Proprietary
Evo, that's when you can start to get all bitchy. ;-)


No offense meant by any of what I say.


Best wishes,
- Nils



-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Ball [mailto:chris void printf net]
Sent: Dienstag, 4. Dezember 2001 01:20
To: evolution ximian com
Subject: Re: [Evolution] Ximian Connector?


On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 03:40:48PM -0800, Ujwal S. Sathyam wrote:
> This sounds really interesting.

.. furthermore, it sounds like a wonderful business model, given
that nothing else really does this yet.  It seems that even Evolution
doesn't, from the examples of discussion on here that I've seen - for
example, our calendaring at the moment is p2p, right?  How will Evo(GPL)
handle this when Evo(Proprietary) appears?  Is it really planned to
have a version of iCal that wanders around client->client as well as a
version that talks to servers?

It all sounds a bit, um, icky.  And I'm guessing that the development of
the connector isn't going to be at all publically discussed.  And I'm a
little frustrated that the mail client that I thought was this huge
effort on the part of the community to write the app that's going to 
be a /huge/ part in bringing Linux to the desktop is only going to be
the answer to Outlook in a "Yeah, use Evolution.  It's cool.  Oh, but
you have to pay for Exchange interoperability." way, and that no-one
mentioned this before.  Feels almost like we have to start again, to
find another way of arguing "Linux is free.  You can do _this_ with it."
to our bosses.  

Anyway.  Someone had to rant.  I think the more fair argument is that,
well, /I/ haven't put any code into Evo.  And most of us haven't.  And
there's no way in hell it'd be here if Ximian hadn't hired people and
all of this, so it's at least justified.  

But enough.  I'm off to try and get my 1.0 install alive again.

- ~C, a little disillusioned. 
-- 
$a="printf.net"; Chris Ball | chris void $a | www.$a | finger: chris $a
As to luck, there's the old miners' proverb: Gold is where you find it.

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