Re: [Evolution] How do you install 2.29 on Ubuntu 9.10?

[Jo-Erlend Schinstad <joerlend schinstad gmail com>]

2009/12/11 Bryan Karlan <bkarlan automotivemp com>:

[snip]

> I'm learning all this and have found Linux to be a great alternative, but
> still having some small issues with it.  Such as display drivers and
> Homegroup access.  However, I feel these will be resolved, especially as
> people who are new to Linux bring up issues that experienced users of Linux
> aren't familiar with.  Such as migration issues.

Yes, absolutely. As time goes by, you also get used to systems, and loose
insight in what newbies might find confusing. Getting feedback from new users
is very important. However, we're beginning to move very far away from the
original topic, and this probably isn't a very good place for discussing issues
with Ubuntu or GNU+Linux in general. Evolution isn't really concerned with
Linux at all. You can run Evolution on many different operating systems,
and though the software Evolution is part of Ubuntu, the development of it
is completely separate. This is also something that takes a little time getting
used to when you're new to free software.

> All I wanted to do in this email was to find a way to get some new features
> out of Evolution that would make it a full fledged alternative for Outlook
> for me and many other people who depend on the program for their livelihood.

Bugzilla is called a bug tracker, but really, it is an _issue_
tracker. This includes
feature requests. Storing those things in an issue tracker makes it easier
to keep track of. It's customary to first search bugzilla for a
similar issue, and
if you don't find one, file one. When you've done that, you can send a message
to the mailinglists and invite the community to discuss it. You include the
link, and those who are interested can help refine the ideas and work on
implementing it.

> I've always wanted to have server access but found it both expensive and
> that it didn't serve my needs because it doesn't sync Journaling, which I
> use extensively.  I've tried the online CRM's but have found them overly
> complicated, Salesforce, PlanPlusonline, etc... and hard to sync to Outlook
> successfully.  In fact, let's be honest, you can't even rely on Windows
> Mobile Sync to work consistently, in fact it will often corrupt the pst file
> in bizarre ways that nobody at Microsoft has ever heard of, (yeah right).

Now you're being very vague. You want "server access". What kind of
server? There are many different kinds of servers for storing contacts,
calendar entries, notes, tasks, etc. There are also many different
implementations of each kind of server. Evolution supports standard
protocols for this, like LDAP for contacts, CalDAV for calendars, tasks
and memos, and of course standard protocols for mail. You can setup
the different servers your self, or you can get complete solutions that
handles all the protocols behind the scene.

You're interested in CRM, you say, but CRM is _what_ you do, not _how_
you do it. Again, there are many solutions for it that's available as free
software, and is compatible with Evolution.
[snip]

> I thought that I could run the newer version of Evolution and see what they
> have done.  I'm finding out through this thread that that is not really an
> option and that it is best that I wait for the next distro to contain the
> next version of Evolution.  That being said, I would like to explain to
> someone who cares what a very strong user of Outlook can contribute to the
> discussions about what should be available on the new version.  I believe
> that I could contribute greatly to the discussion and offer some great
> suggestions for the next version despite the fact that I can't see it.

You can see it. Ubuntu 10.04 is in alpha 1. You can download the image and
run it in a live session, or install it in a virtual machine if you
want to. You
_can_ also install it in your current setup, but it's a bit
complicated. I'm very
curious about the next version myself, as there have been some rather
significant in this version. I'll download the alpha 1 image, install it in a VM
and watch as it matures.

> I would like to know how to offer this, my knowledge of Outlook and the
> business users needs, to the Evolution team on a regular basis.  Not just by
> putting a bug in Bugzilla.  Because technically, offering advice for new
> features is not a bug.  And of course, sometimes it takes multiple
> conversations and screenshots for someone else to understand what I'm trying
> to convey.

Great. You'll learn how to contribute by observing how things are done in the
free software community. Again, feature requests etc, have their home on
bugzilla, and each issue has their own comment thread. More general
discussions probably belong to the mailinglist with a link to the issue on
bugzilla.

Many of us use Evolution the way you describe and many have years of
experience. This doesn't mean we always agree though. There is no single
best way of doing office work. It depends on personal preference, what you
do and many other things.

As I said before, we're moving far away from the original topic. It's often
better to change the subject and start a new thread. If you use quotes
in replies
properly, a single message is useful even without the context of the thread.

I'm not complaining, mind you. We use mail differently in the free software
community than what is customary in the Microsoft world. This too, must
be learned.

Jo-Erlend Schinstad