[ILUG] MS Exchange alternatives (was: out of office replies)

[Rick Moen]

Quoting AJ McKee (aj.mckee at nmtbmedia.com):

> Why not have exchange replaced with something like opengroupware? Sure,
> I've seen the mail that said something like "Replacing Exchange/Outlook"
> is not an option .... Why is it not an option? What can we do to make it
> an option?

One can approach the above query either literal-mindedly (as a request
to cite the typical reasons businesses insist on the Exchange/Outlook
combination), or as soliciting suggestions for what might replace it --
impliedly involving Linux, given the mailing list we're on.

Either of those could be an interesting (and long) discussion in itself, 
but they do seem to be related.  Moreover, discussing both and not just
the first of the two means we're arguably still on-topic for ILUG.  ;->


Reasons businesses use Exchange/Outlook:

1.  In its new-ish Windows Small Business Server 2003 incarnation, it
now Sucks Less<tm>, being fairly competitively priced and (reportedly)
no longer based on the scandalously defective "Jet" (MS-Access) database
engine, but rather (finally!) on yet another MS-SQL Server variant.

2.  Because the executives are MS-Outlook addicts, and nothing else 
integrates as thoroughly with MS-Outlook than does MS-Exchange Server.

3.  Because their golf buddies use it.  I was discussing the incredible
irrationality of many business IT decisions with a friend, and he
finally explained it to me:  "Business executives don't want to talk
about IT; they want to talk about golf."

4.  Because they're so accustomed to security meltdowns, lock-in, forced
upgrades, and lack of control of their critical computing infrastructure
that they no longer even recognise it when they sign up for more of it.


Alternatives to MS-Exchange Server (either with or without MS-Outlook):

I've done _that_ topic so often that I long ago FAQed it:

"Groupware" on http://linuxmafia.com/kb/Apps
"Scheduling" on http://linuxmafia.com/kb/Apps

-- 
Cheers,
Rick Moen                      Linux for Intel:  Party like it's 2037!
rick at linuxmafia.com