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G'day
I'm increasingly intrigued by people's comments that Linux has caught up
with Windows vis-a-vis desktop usability and availability of software to do
anything one might currently be doing on Windows.

I also had to go do some client support on a Solaris system the other week,
and my memory of *nix CLI stuff is rapidly being forgotten, so I figure if
I had it in front of me on a daily basis, I can buy a book (or download
some stuff, whatever) and get myself back up to speed with it.

So I've been looking @ what I run on my current laptop, and think I have
most bases covered except Outlook (and the odd bit of gaming I do, but
dual-booting can solve that one, a sI'mn not "hotswapping" between playing
games and doing work .

After Eclipse, Outlook would be the primary application I use on a daily
basis (I tend to be typing code and email, rather than docs). Openoffice
seems to gloss over messaging/calendaring on its website, when stating it's
a full replacement for MS Office.

So if I was running a Linux desktop, what would I use to connect to an
Exchange server, and preserve all the following capabilities currently
provided by Outlook:
- Email (duh)
- Calendaring (including the ability to check when my team members are
available for appointments)
- Contacts
- Folder rules

NB: replacing Exchange as the server is not an option, so don't suggest
anything along those lines pls.

Oh... over and above Outlook, I guess I also need to open / modify other
people's Visio and Project files often enough for it to be a requirement to
be able to do that too. Without a reboot into Windows, I mean.

Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these days?


Cheers for any (constructive) responses. I realise Windows vs Linux is a
"hot" debate topic, but could I ask any respondents to stick with the
question at hand, rather than bagging each other's choice of OS. I do
actually work with both, as well Macs and NetWare and god knows what else
over the last 15-odd years. I have no preference or interest in "which you
might think is better", at OS level, they're all fine tools for the job,
depending on what the job is. I'm after application advice, not OS advice


Thanks.

--
Adam

Adam Cameron wrote:


> So if I was running a Linux desktop, what would I use to connect to an
> Exchange server, and preserve all the following capabilities currently
> provided by Outlook:
> - Email (duh)
> - Calendaring (including the ability to check when my team members are
> available for appointments)
> - Contacts
> - Folder rules

I use Kontact (KDE), Kontact incorporates other applications, making an
outlook like client. It uses KMail for email, KNode for Usenet, KOrganiser
for timetable reminders and KContact

However, I have never tried it on an exchange server, so dont know if/how it
handles. There are however exchange plugins


> Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these days?

Gaim, aMSN, Kopete. (Theres a few

>
> Thanks.
>

--
Bender: I'm very generous. What about that time I gave blood?
Fry: Whose blood?
Bender: Some guy's.

blog: http://shanes.dyndns.org

Adam Cameron wrote:
> G'day
> I'm increasingly intrigued by people's comments that Linux has caught up
> with Windows vis-a-vis desktop usability and availability of software to do
> anything one might currently be doing on Windows.
>
> I also had to go do some client support on a Solaris system the other week,
> and my memory of *nix CLI stuff is rapidly being forgotten, so I figure if
> I had it in front of me on a daily basis, I can buy a book (or download
> some stuff, whatever) and get myself back up to speed with it.
>
> So I've been looking @ what I run on my current laptop, and think I have
> most bases covered except Outlook (and the odd bit of gaming I do, but
> dual-booting can solve that one, a sI'mn not "hotswapping" between playing
> games and doing work .
>
> After Eclipse, Outlook would be the primary application I use on a daily
> basis (I tend to be typing code and email, rather than docs). Openoffice
> seems to gloss over messaging/calendaring on its website, when stating it's
> a full replacement for MS Office.
>
> So if I was running a Linux desktop, what would I use to connect to an
> Exchange server, and preserve all the following capabilities currently
> provided by Outlook:
> - Email (duh)
> - Calendaring (including the ability to check when my team members are
> available for appointments)
> - Contacts
> - Folder rules
>
> NB: replacing Exchange as the server is not an option, so don't suggest
> anything along those lines pls.
>
> Oh... over and above Outlook, I guess I also need to open / modify other
> people's Visio and Project files often enough for it to be a requirement to
> be able to do that too. Without a reboot into Windows, I mean.
>
Evolution connects seamlessly with Exchange. Will do all your calendar,
contacts, email etc. I can't think of any linux app that will open Visio
files. If the Visio files are exported as svg, then Inkscape, or
Openoffice with svg plugin will do fine. Dia and Kivio are good
flow-charting apps. I'm at a loss on opening Project files in linux.

The other way around it is to run crossover office.

> Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these days?
>
Gaim, or Kopete on kdm
--

Rob
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http://aspir8or.googlepages.com/
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Being married to a programmer is like having a cat. You talk to it but
you're never really sure if it hears you, much less comprehends what you
say.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On Sun, 24 Dec 2006 18:12:13 +0000, Adam Cameron wrote:

> So if I was running a Linux desktop, what would I use to connect to an
> Exchange server, and preserve all the following capabilities currently
> provided by Outlook:
> - Email (duh)
> - Calendaring (including the ability to check when my team members are
> available for appointments)
> - Contacts
> - Folder rules


Evolution with the Exchange Connector will do all that.


> NB: replacing Exchange as the server is not an option, so don't suggest
> anything along those lines pls.
>
> Oh... over and above Outlook, I guess I also need to open / modify other
> people's Visio and Project files often enough for it to be a requirement to
> be able to do that too. Without a reboot into Windows, I mean.

MS Visio & MS Project are closed source proprietary applications with
proprietary file formats. I don't know if there are applications that can
handle their file formats - there are applications that do project
management, but WRT Visio, simply get them to export the document as a PDF
and then you will have enormous choice over what to view it in.

BTW, other than the above two Windows Applications you will find
everything else you need.


> Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these days?

Many clients. But why would you use that for business?


Aquilegia Alyssum

--
MS Windows Vista - broken by design
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...vista_cost.txt

G'day
Cheers to Rob and Shane for their replies too. I'm replying to this one as
I actually have something to add, rather than just thinking "OK, will look
into your suggestions", for your posts.


On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 09:32:31 +1300, Aquilegia Alyssum wrote:

> Evolution with the Exchange Connector will do all that.

"OK, will look into your suggestion".




> MS Visio & MS Project are closed source proprietary applications with
> proprietary file formats.

Not that that has really stopped people in the past. So's the .doc format,
isn't it? And .xls.


> management, but WRT Visio, simply get them to export the document as a PDF
> and then you will have enormous choice over what to view it in.

Note my requirement to view and EDIT.

But it's an occasional activity for me, so can probably get by without, or
reboot into Windows if I need to. No worries there.


>> Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these days?
> Many clients. But why would you use that for business?

I have team members on the other side of the city, country and world. It's
more convenient than voice or email, sometimes. It's also an easy way to
flick a file to the person on the other side of the room, or send them a
URL, or any number of other things that aren't appropriate for voice, and
it's quicker to message than email. I also have a number of tame clients
and suppliers who like to be able to ask me quick instant questions as we
both work (again, things too trivial for phone or immediate for email).

Let's turn that around... why NOT use it for business?

Thanks for the Evolution tip. Will definitely look into it.


--
Adam

Adam Cameron wrote:


> But it's an occasional activity for me, so can probably get by without, or
> reboot into Windows if I need to. No worries there.
>
>

There is another option
Virtual Machines

If you install VMware (for example) on your Linux partition, you can install
Windows, or OpenBSD, or Solaris, or another Linux, or w/ever as a guest OS
(Licensing may be an issue for things like windows)

It saves a reboot, you only need to 'boot' the guest up when the need
arises, so its not chewing away any resources when not in use.

Transferring files is like transferring from one box to another.. ftp, scp,
http, w/ever you're accustomed to

>>> Lastly: I presume there's a client for MSN Messenger on Linux these
>>> days?
>> Many clients. But why would you use that for business?
>
> I have team members on the other side of the city, country and world.
> It's
> more convenient than voice or email, sometimes. It's also an easy way to
> flick a file to the person on the other side of the room, or send them a
> URL, or any number of other things that aren't appropriate for voice, and
> it's quicker to message than email. I also have a number of tame clients
> and suppliers who like to be able to ask me quick instant questions as we
> both work (again, things too trivial for phone or immediate for email).
>
> Let's turn that around... why NOT use it for business?


We use a jabber server for work, makes life a *heck* of a lot easier
Especially where there is potential for multiple people to [inadvertantly]
work the same ticket at once



--
Bender: Behold, the internet.
Fry: My God, it's full of ads!

blog: http://shanes.dyndns.org

> There is another option
> Virtual Machines

Yep: that's how I'll be evaluating linux in the first instance: set up a VM
with all the various bits and pieces I think I need to run productively,
and then try to spend as much of my working day within the VM... makes it
easier to dive out to Windows if/when I find something I need Windows for.

The idea is that ultimately I'll be able to demonstrate to myself I really
don't need to be "diving back out into Windows", which is the point at
which I'll rebuild the machine as a dual boot. Or not... if the testing
doesn't convince me...

--
Adam

>> Many clients. But why would you use that for business?
>
> I have [a bumdle of reasons already described]

That, and - like now - I spend a lot of time @ home in front of the PC and
use MSN Messenger to talk to family/friends back in NZ.

This laptop I mentioned is my only machine: both work & A/H. The Linux
solution needs to cater for both. I probably didn't make that clear
before, sorry.

--
Adam

Aquilegia Alyssum wrote:
> MS Visio & MS Project are closed source proprietary applications with
> proprietary file formats.
> BTW, other than the above two Windows Applications you will find
> everything else you need.

The other one is Publisher, this has file formats that are designed to
prevent compatibility and interoperability (even with other versions of
Publisher).

For your own good, you want to keep well clear of such secret file formats,
especially for any data that has long term value.


Peter

On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:15:01 +1300, Peter wrote:

>> MS Visio & MS Project are closed source proprietary applications with
>> proprietary file formats.
>> BTW, other than the above two Windows Applications you will find
>> everything else you need.
>
> The other one is Publisher, this has file formats that are designed to
> prevent compatibility and interoperability (even with other versions of
> Publisher).
>
> For your own good, you want to keep well clear of such secret file formats,
> especially for any data that has long term value.

Scribus is the current OSS equivalent to Adobe Pagemaker.

It's not identical to PM, but is definitely heading in that direction -
and they're actively developing it. )

If you've got access to tools such as PageMaker, or equivalent, why bemoan
the loss of the Micro$oft toy called Publisher?

And you're right about not wanting to be locked into proprietary file
formats that have been designed for incompatibility.


Aquilegia Alyssum

--
MS Windows Vista - broken by design
http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...vista_cost.txt