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Microsoft Stops Development Of Outlook Express
Jman314 writes "According to a ZDNet story, Microsoft will cease development of their Outlook Express email client. "The technology doesn't go away, but no new work is being done. It is consumer email in an early iteration, and our investment in the consumer space is now focused around Hotmail and MSN. That's where we're putting the emphasis in terms of new investment and new development work." says Dan Leach, lead product manager for Microsoft's information worker product management group. Microsoft's alternatives include, not surprisingly, the full version of Outlook."
"The attrociously insecure program won't go away, but no new work is being done. It was our best attempt at writing a simple email client in an early iteration, and our investment in the consumer space is now focused around agents that will allow us to more effectively execute our SPAM campaign and strengthen our monopoly: Hotmail and MSN. That's where we're putting the emphasis in terms of new investment, development work, and worm targets that will give your IT guy an incredible head ache."
Oh, ok... so what you're saying is we no longer have outlook express... it's now part of the OS and we can't de-couple them... it's an integral part of the OS... honest your honor!
Seriously... They're doing with outlook express, what they did with Internet Explorer... except this time, they are bundling outlook functionality with their Web business, instead of their OS... Same shit different pile...
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Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
Q.
Insert Signature Here
THere's a whole heap of vulnerabilities yet to be implemented to give a fully rich and satisfying "user eXPerience".
Stopping myself...Abort (core dumped)
So Outlook express will go away. I'm not going to shed many tears over it.
Still, how long will it take before the users who download Outlook Express stop hunting around on the net and installing it? I still have people reaching around in their directory (or desk drawer) of important stuff installing horribly old versions of Netscape 4.x (where x is a very small number) so they can use it's email reader.
Most of the users are bound to the one product they chose when they REALLY NEEDED it to work. During that crisis period, they put in the time and effort to get THAT product to work, and that's the extent of their software understanding. Microsoft may try to wash it's hands of Outlook Express, but I imagine a day (ten years from now)
Hey, could you look at my home computer? It seems I have an email problem.
Really? I thought that email was totally autoconfiguring on your system!
Yea, but for some reason, Outlook Express, says it can't connect to my Internet.
Arrrggghhh....
Take away their free email program and they'll be FORCED to buy our commercial products! Ha!
Quick Smithers, find the Mozilla development team and kill them all!
First they're cancelling IE, and now OE.
It's like that memo making security "job #1" was real or something...
Definately. As long as whoever runs the server is trustworthy. Of course Micrososft is pretty good in that regard -
Oh wait, never mind.
Microsoft will find new ways to make IT staffers suffer. Suffer ? Its job creation dude. Rock on
Siggy Say, Siggy Do
Oh yeah! Sounds great! Let's see, umm... me@hotmail.com. Nope, hmm. me2@hotmail.com. MMMh. me2dood@hotmail.com. Eh! is anything available!? meetooooyoudamnpigbilly@hotmail.com. ARRGGHH how can that be taken! OK try this: me_bork_bork_bork_boogliachoo129@hotmail.com ... Finally. OK, login here, WHAT? spam already?
Damn those pesky terrorists
In a related note, my email address is hotmail, so it was kind of a joke. But I could still keep my 1337ness by saying I am bringing them down from the inside.
When you wake up, please be so kind and let us know what happened by the end of your dream.
A bright sun shone above the horizon. Songbirds lilted sweetly in lush green trees, bunnies danced across the meadow, and all disease came to an end. A Microsoft spokesperson said in a press conference - "You know folks, from now on I think everything is gonna be ok."
Stocks in all major Antivirus vendors were down on the news.
CEO's of major Antivirus vendors were unanimous in advising their shareholders that "there's nothing to worry about - there are plenty of other Microsoft products out there..."
... to a few people at work.
--COO shrugged... Eudora
--CEO shrugged... Eudora
--CTO shrugged... Eudora
--Project Manager #1 Shuddered... (Sky is falling!!!)
--Project Manager #2 shrugged... (But he shrugs at everything, so not sure what it means.)
--IT guys #1 and #2... "Out what? Servers are up, everything running fine. Nothing is Out."
Basically, it seems to be a big, "Yeah. So?"
Tools -> Message Rules -> Mail -> New -> "Where The Message is from the specified account" -> "Move it to the specified folder" ..
Damn! You learned me sumthin' new. I thought "Where The Message is from the specified account" referred to the sender's address (as in "From:").