Help Me Keep Outlook Out!
My church's office currently has two users using Outlook, two using Outlook Express and two using Thunderbird. Our new office administrator wants to replace the Outlook Express and Thunderbird installs with more copies of Outlook… and, I think, get a server to run Exchange on. This, obviously, is the opposite direction I was hoping we'd move it — it just means more security issues, and probably more broken systems for me to repair.
So, I need your help, ASAP. Does anyone know of a good groupware solution that will provide functionality comparable to Outlook with Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Calendar? Or barring a Mozilla solution, some other Outlook alternative for Windows. What I mean is that we need shared calendars, shared address books, etc. The server can run GNU/Linux or something else, but the clients must be Windows. It must be as easy to use (or nearly as easy) as Outlook.
Is there such a solution? I don't think OpenGroupware or Kolab work with Mozilla to provide what needs to be provided, but correct me if I'm wrong. I can't imagine having to deal with a Microsoft server and a bunch of easily broken into Windows XP systems at church — that would be a mess!
Help!
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RE: Help Me Keep Outlook Out!
Can’t help you with a suggestion. I do know that my church office went with an exchange server and it has caused many problems (not all b/c of Exchange but some). I think other alternatives (like and online calendar) are being looked at.
RE: Help Me Keep Outlook Out!
I guess I’d play rough on that one. Whether paid or volunteer, I’d be pretty direct about vulnerabilities and tell them I refuse to clean up broken Windows machines on a regular basis. Three times, then you are on your own. Then I’d let them run what they wanted, but I would insist on a BSD firewall or hardware firewall to protect them from the outside world. I’d find a way to filter and disable anything that didn’t halt meaningful traffic into the system. If they reject these, they reject my help. I can be as hard-headed as the rest.