[Evolution] Competing with Microsoft

["Rob Cambra" <rcambra amesbury com>]

I read most of these posts but don't reply unless I feel I have a relevant comment.  I feel compelled to post 
this.  As a Linux enthusiast and an IT Manager for a large company, I think it's very important to not count 
out Microsoft and Exchange.  Exchange does provides IMAP, POP3 and other non-Microsoft-centric services very 
well but that's just simple e-mail.  We're talking about groupware.  In order to carve out a viable slot for 
Evolution, it has to be able to quickly adapt to new releases of Exchange as well as other e-mail/groupware 
server types.

My company is actively involved in a Linux program but with 1500+ users used to shared calendars and public 
folders, it's hard to justify Evolution due to its propensity to crash in an Exchange environment.  To say 
that everyone should just throw away Exchange and go to something else is not reasonable for corporations.

I want Linux and Evolution to succeed but in order to do that it MUST directly compete with Outlook in an 
Exchange environment and in my view it isn't there yet.  We're really talking about competition here.  In a 
corporate environment, working fairly well is not good enough.  The expectation of end users (customers) is 
that it work as well or better.  We rolled out a 25 user pilot with Ubuntu 7.10 and Evo and so far the 
feedback is that Evo hangs and crashes a lot more than OLK.

Microsoft is easy to dislike.  The cost of their wares is the sole reason my company is engaged in a Linux 
project.  We, as Linux/Evo supporters have to stay focused on the reasons we like Linux, Evo and everything 
else open source.  For me it's reliability, flexibility and cost.  When I hear that Evo is crashing and has 
enough bugs for the majority of a 25-user program to detect and qualify, than we're not competing with 
Microsoft, we're losing.  Quite frankly, I'm disappointed.

The folks developing Evo have my highest respect and I am a paying contributor to open source development.  
We need to stop talking about how bad Microsoft systems are and start focusing that negativity into competing 
with them and the first step is a healthy respect for what they've accomplished.  We need to hold them at the 
standard to be reached our surpassed.  This has nothing to do with source code.  As a former code jockey, I 
understand that a lot of MS code is crappy but that's irrelevant.

People sitting at desks in real companies want and demand collaboration tools such as Exchange, Lotus Domino, 
GroupWize, etc.  Evo better be the client side equivalent for open source and be rock solid in those 
environments or it goes nowhere.  What's the point if it's just for home users and enthusiasts?

I understand the rumors are that Sun and Mozilla have teamed up to develop a direct replacement for Outlook.  
This is exciting news if it's true.  Evo better wake up if it is to find its way into companies with non-open 
source e-mail systems.

BTW - When our pilot project is complete, I intend to post the results on this mailing list.

Good luck to all and keep at it!

Rob Cambra

-----Original Message-----
From: evolution-list-bounces gnome org [mailto:evolution-list-bounces gnome org] On Behalf Of Javier Vilarroig
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 10:01 AM
To: Peter Van Lone
Cc: evolution-list gnome org
Subject: Re: [Evolution] Spamfiltering with evolution - NO LONGER WORKS

Please, allow me to disagree.

For me Evolution runs smoothly. Makes what I need and that's enough for
me.

Of course I'm not working against an Exchange Server (that's really a
piece of crappy software). It works perfectly against POP or IMAP
server.

So could be the problem is not on Evolution but in Exchange Server.

Probably the future is not of be only Exchange 2007 Servers. Probably it
will be only POP/IMAP servers.

On my previous work we have 20 users with Ubuntu Desktops and using
Evolution as a e-mail program and we have no problem with it.

So, please, stop to blame Evolution. If you don't like it don't use it,
but don't cry without any positive contribution to the list.

If you are interested you can subscribe to MSDN and enjoy on full
support to your Outlook Vista.

Cheers.
El miÃ, 16-01-2008 a las 07:07 -0600, Peter Van Lone escribiÃ:
> On Jan 13, 2008 10:15 PM, Rick Bilonick <rab nauticom net> wrote:
> > Evolution seems to lose advantages it used to have by the day. When they
> > changed the Exchange server here from 2003 to 2007 about a week ago,
> > Evolution no longer works - it can't access Exchange 20007 - no one on
> > the list seems particularly alarmed by this. One would think that
> > eventually, there will only be Exchange 2007 servers.
> >
> > Supposedly a newer version of Evolution will work with 2007 (or there
> > will be a new plugin) but no one on the list seems to know when if ever
> > this will become available. (I saw a post for March or April saying it
> > would be available soon. Then another post in Oct saying the same
> > thing.)
>
> I have to agree ... Evolution has become a non-option for me when
> trying to pitch a linux desktop to corp offices. It just does not
> play.
>
> 3 or more years ago, EVO had lots of promise. Now, it is mostly a
> clunky interface with a few intriguing features but too far behind to
> be relevant. It's too bad.
>
> Peter
> _______________________________________________
> Evolution-list mailing list
> Evolution-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/evolution-list
-- 
Javier Vilarroig Christensen
Xarxes Informatica

sip:javier vilarroig ekiga net
mailto:javier vilarroig gmail com

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