Re: [Evolution] CalDAV - any successes out there

[Jules Colding <colding omesc com>]

On Sat, 2007-02-17 at 00:04 -0400, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-02-16 at 23:49 +0000, Pete Biggs wrote:
> > > Something that can be made to work with the Exchange instead of going 
> > > through the Outlook Web Access which basically makes working with 
> > > Exchange a total PITA.  This is a productivity killer.
> > >  
> >
> > I know nothing about Exchange, but I was under the impression that the only
> > way a non-Windows client can get access to Exchange was via OWA.  There
> > is nothing that Evo can do about that - it's because MS doesn't publish the
> > interface "standard".  After all, that was why Brutus was created - but 
> > then
> > people grouch that it has to run on a windows box!
>
> The MS interface is MAPI (Mail API), 

s/"Mail API"/"Messaging API"


> which is a proprietary MS protocol.
> Third party clients can apparently use it by paying MS a licence fee.

Not really. The fee comes when you connects to an Exchange server not
when you use the API. It's called the CLA (Client Access License). It is
independent of how you connects to the Exchange server. 

You can use OWA (the "real" one or evolution-exchange), POP3, IMAP or
MAPI. The CLA doesn't care and you have to pay the exact same license
fee independent of which one you use.


> This is of course useless for free software projects. However people
> have been trying to reverse-engineer MAPI wire protocol, with varying
> degrees of success (it appears to be intentionally obfuscated). Thus for
> example the "standard" (non-Brutus) Exchange plugin for Evo is
> independant of MS. 

Brutus is wrapping native MAPI. The server does therefore needs MAPI to
be present on the server box. Brutus is independent of MS, yes, but
certainly not of MAPI which it is "merely" making available for FOSS
clients on almost any platform.

-- 
  jules