Actually, most of the time I have to deal with dual login (domain + Netware) it's for a migration...usually to Windows. =) Other times, a specific program dictates it, or company policy, whatever. Fact is, it's done a good bit and should work a good bit better.
Change hardware = needs files is fine...it obviously needs to load something else from the CD. Novell Client loads THE EXACT SAME FILES it already has. Try it. Just click Details and tell it whatever file it's looking for is in the place it's going to copy to. When Windows does this, it's not that big a deal: C:\WINDOWS and C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM are about all that you'd need. When Client 32 does it...well, let's just say you better enjoy typing.
Changing the tree isn't a daily routine, but for troubleshooting connection issues, it sure is handy. Of course, staring at a machine that doesn't do anything for 5-10 minutes isn't. FWIW, if Win9x doesn't see a domain controller in about a second after login, it'll immediately let you know that it can't be found.
And I do believe the dynamically created local users is what caused the problem joining the domain in the first place.
What problems do you see in a Windows domain like this? Besides browse issues (pretty much non existant in a Novell network, but mainly because clients aren't listed in Net Neighborhood) I can't think of any significant or pattern of problems....
How about the Novell Client32 for Win2000/XP (IIRC, v4.81...the latest version as of about 3 months ago) screwing up Paradox/BDE finding it's NET directory? That's one I'll never get over. Having to use the MS Client for NW is a real PITA.
Or Client32 for NT/2000 that for some unknown reason never lets the PC join a domain so that you can have dual logins. It says it joins the domain, it says it's a member of the domain...but it's authenticated locally.
Or dual logins with Windows 2000 domain and Netware that take forever to process because Client32 has some insanely long timeout values.
Or the fact that Client32 doesn't really get uninstalled unless you run a special uninstaller program...that's not included in the installation folder.
While we're talking about the installation folder, have you ever tried to replace a NIC in a Win9x machine with Client32 installed? Why doesn't the install keep a copy of the install files on the hard drive so I can just point to it? Why does it refuse to install if I don't tell it where to find the Dutch help files? Why does it have to go into 25 different directories?
Or 550 different options in Client32 properties that seem to be mostly meaningless? Or defaulting to banner pages and broadcast notifications when your print job is done? Or defaulting to installing NDPS and Desktop Management? Or being a 20+ MB download? Or having an option for users not to run the login script? Or taking forever to select the tree and context on login? And god forbid that your server is down, because it'll wait for 5+ minutes with no way to stop it...What the hell is it thinking? Maybe the server will come back up while I wait? Maybe the network is congested so I'll just keep broadcasting? Maybe I should try every networking protocol known to man just in case the server is confused?
Besides those issues....uhhh...Client32 just works, I guess.
Every Windows based virus scanner I've known has an option for this. Norton AntiVirus can boot to the CD or make floppy disks, I think the newer versions can use a floppy disk for later virus definitions. Mcafee can do the same, I believe. I know it can run off floppies. So can F-Prot.
What is the "multiplication" process, exactly? It's no more than addition of a specified amount of the same number. We memorize multiplication tables so that we don't have to do:
9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9 = 90 (= 9*10)
It's much easier to learn a few common multiplication answers, that we then can use to break down larger problems. That's what the tables are for.
Well, if we're talking theroretical, then unless you care -infinity (correct term?), then there's always a lesser value. And if you cared -infinity, why are you wasting your breath and energy formulating thoughts and words on the subject? Shouldn't you be dead? After all, who can care less than dead people?
Of course, OTOH, let's say the matter in question was say, your family member, and you did indeed care a great bit. But, you're unable to care any less, because it's so important to you. Wouldn't that saying apply there as well?
Like I said, it makes no sense. Just say "I don't care" and be done with it. =)
Why'd you post this if you "could" care less. Perhaps you "could not" care less.
Yes, but even if you cared a lot, then wouldn't you be unable to care less as well? I've debated the meaning of that saying (and I'm not even sure what the correct way of saying it is), and have come to the conclusion that it makes no sense either way.
Most poor spellers aren't so because they haven't memorized enough words. They don't know *why* words are spelled a particular way because they don't understand the principles and history of their language.
Poor spellers and IM Chat are totally different things, though. Poor spellers have trouble memorizing (or were never taught) the rules of phonics, and so they can only spell the words that are familiar to them. IM Chat is a lazy way to save time and effort typing in an effort to converse in somewhat realtime.
Have you ever chatted with a slow typist? It's MADDENING. I can't figure out which is more maddening: the old style BBS chatrooms where you could actually see the other guy type 1 character every 5 seconds (and then backspace over his mistakes), or the unending wait for a new message (Is he still there? Did he go to the bathroom? Did my net connection go down again?) on new chat programs.
IM Chat and l33t sp3^k are different too, though. L33t-speak is a sort of 'code' for the initiated, it doesn't save time or typing (it actually takes more time, since characters and numbers are not meant to be used that much) but it looks 'cool'...kind of like gang tagging.
I have no problem with basic (u,r,brb,[g], etc.) IM chat in an informal, realtime, or computer related (discussion board, email, etc.) setting, but formal papers should be written in (semi)proper English. L33t speak should be confined to L33t hangouts or conversations with other 3-L33t5.
And everyone should be able to type a decent WPM so that chats are easier, and people are more willing to correct their mistakes. I don't touchtype (I have a somewhat wierd variation of the two finger typing...somewhere around 3 or 4 fingers) but I type about 60WPM corrected. I make a lot of mistakes typing, but take the time to correct them.
A good idea is also to keep a log of what you do. At least if it's a complicated procedure. (Ie not changing light bulbs.) It's really the scientific procedure applied to problem solving. At first make some hypothesis about what it can be. (Or several.) Try to figure out a way to test it and then do so.
It's the same thing as what was originally suggested, but if you actually write things down you "automatically" think them through more than if you'd just try them right away. (And you might think of a way to test your hypothesis which is a lot faster than your original way.)
Good point for the more complicated problems, for the reasons you mentioned and also because you tend to lose track of the things you changed that should be changed back. Also useful with smaller problems until you get the hang of it, at which point it's second nature. If somebody tells me a problem with a computer, I've immediately got the first 3 things I'd check on in my head...even if I know the problem is already fixed!
Another good problem solving trick is to just stop trying to solve the problem. Sleeping for instance, or getting a bite to eat. That really works wonders for morale as well.
Wonders for my morale, yes...But, for some reason, clients evidently aren't that concerned with my morale. =)
Hmm...you have the right idea, but you may want to think about prioritizing your methods. You really need to weigh the probability of success of your troubleshooting steps vs. the amount of time and effort to perform that step to be a good troubleshooter. Also, keep in mind that your steps aren't ONLY to try and solve the problem, but also to get clues to the problem. If your checking a printing problem, then try printing from a different program and to a different printer to see which is causing the problem.
In your first example (lamp not working), it would have been much quicker to check that the lamp was plugged in FIRST (unless it's a plug hidden behind a large desk or something). THEN replace the bulb, as it is quite likely that that is the problem. A quick cursory examination of the power cord and lamp socket should be tried after that (unless you have rats or leaking roofs in your house, in which case you may want to check those items before the bulb), and then verifying that the outlet/switch works.
In your second example (NIC not working) why would you go thru all the trouble to shut down a PC, pull it out of its hiding place, dust it off, open it up, replace the NIC, and load new drivers as a first step? It's much more logical to check the patch cord, the link light, TCP/IP and the hub/switch port (usually in that order) first. That should take a total of 2-5 minutes to eliminate all of those possibilities before having to replace the NIC (which rarely fails compared to the other items).
Also, you should ALWAYS be thinking 2 or 3 steps ahead of yourself. If you're checking TCP/IP, you should already know what your next 2 checks are going to be based on the results of that test. If you succeed at fixing the problem at that step, the next time you encounter a similar issue you'll already have a flowchart in your head of the steps to follow. Very rarely (though it does happen occasionally) do I get to the end of the flowchart in my head or need to stop and think about what my next step will be.
Beauty [enature.com] is in the eye of the beholder (just a random yard.. very cool site).
You do know that something like that will probably INCREASE the amount of yardwork you'll have to do, don't you? Pulling weeds alone will take you more time than an average lawn mowing. And will have to be done more often than your average lawn, as well.
Don't forget the fertilizer to keep your plants healthy (unless you happen to have good soil. I live in FL, and there's no such thing as good soil here). And watering in the summer. And mulch to keep in the water. And, with all that shade over the stone walkway, you'll probably need to wash/bleach/scrape (depending on how often you do it) the mildew off.
There's a reason most flowers in the wild are wildflowers. It's because wildflowers grow quickly and die quickly...they're weeds. Flowers and plants that most people want in their yard are much pickier and must be tended to.
Of course, in the end, you get a much better product than just some grass...but it is more work.
Or, you could plant a few hundred year old oak trees and turn it into an actual forest. At which point, you'd have little to worry about, except for the large limbs falling on your house/car/neighbor/etc. Oh, and the roots getting in your sewer/septic system, or under your house and pushing up one side of it. Or breaking your driveway.
Want low maintenace? Put in a tennis or basketball court.
change your theme and performance options to get rid of the XP cartoons and it'll be nice and consistent. Geeks don't care about looks, we care about perfromance....and those few cycles saved will beneifit you in the logn run.
Polarized contact lenses really wouldn't work. Since they're not rigidly mounted you can't keep them from rotating in your eye. Polarization is very rotation-sensitive (that's about all there is to it, really), so you'd probably end up holding your head at a very weird angle to see anything.
Gas permeable lenses (aka hard contacts), as well as some of the newer toric (?) lenses for astigmatism don't rotate in the eye. Though the hard contacts are uncomfortable, and the torics are pricey....
So in fact you would be better off being in plain sight, looking like someone/thing normal and harmless.Since that can be done very cheaply and without fancy technology, I think it will remain the preferred method of infiltration.
Unfortunately, tanks and B2 bombers really have trouble looking like "something normal and harmless". For that matter, so do platoons of soldiers with M-16s.
Convatec (a Bristol Meyers Squibb company) had this same sort of vending machine in their main lobby for more than 5 years now. You insert money, press the corresponding button and a mechanical hand picks out the item and gives it to you. So its not even new to the USA, its just new to slashdot.
Yeah, I've seen those here in too. Only difference is there's a little joystick to manueveur the hand and you pick out the item. I think all of the ones here are broke though, because they always drop the item before I can get it to the door.
You were correct until you got to this part. Until the advent of mDNS, it wasn't possible to make refer to other machines on a self-assigned IP net by name. You could only refer to the other machines by IP address, unless you wanted to set up host tables or DNS, which takes the "hoc" out of "ad hoc network."
Windows will broadcast a NetBIOS query for the address, won't it? It will in all other situations, so I don't see why APIPA would be different.
That aside, why not use IPX/SPX or NetBEUI, both of which require no configuration?
Have you read the patent? The patent refers to a system where a mailserver which receives an email for an address no longer in use checks with _another_ server to determine the new address. Does Postfix do this? It doesn't seem all that useful to me, and possibly exploitable. (...my old scott.walde@sasknet.sk.ca doesn't work anymore. What's to stop someone else from registering a forward for that address to their own address and diverting mail that was intended for me. I haven't read the patent all the way through, so forgive me if they have thought of this.
I would guess that you'd only be able to register the 2 email addresses while you still had access to both (to prove ownership...or at least access).
You're just pissy because the server side agent doesn't have a GUI.;p
Seriously, I don't have *any* of these problems. If you really have such huge problems, have you tried asking anyone for help? Ever?
Well, you HAVE to have the UI problems on the client side, I'd think. As for the server side, I don't admin it...though I can certainly deal without a GUI. But, we have 3 CNE's on staff, so they get to play with Groupwise issues day in and day out.
We're a consultant shop, and of the 3 NW6/Groupwise 6 networks we've put up, every one of them has had multiple, ongoing, continuing problems. And yes, Novell has been called in on all 3. We've stopped recommending GW to clients (both because of stability issues and Novell's questionable longevity in the market) as a groupware solution.
OTOH, of the 20 or so Exchange 2000 sites we maintain, I can only think of 3 major issues. One was no more than a misconfiguration causing some bounced mail, one was because the customer didn't stay on top of their backups, and one is because the client refuses to get more disk space or upgrade their server....Similarly, our handful of Lotus Domino sites simply work with little maintenance...not that I'd recommend Domino to anyone who didn't plan on using it's extensive database features.
As an aside, it always seems that when something made by Novell breaks, it requires Novell Support much more often than a MS solution does...Of the 20 or so calls made to vendor support services this year, I think 15 or so have been to Novell, and none to MS (the remainder would be to Veritas, CA, etc.)
GoldMine software. Granted, it's a Windows client only, but the backend database runs on any file server, and can use any POP/IMAP/SMTP server for mail. So Samba/Sendmail/Qpoper combo works on this. As for the client, I haven't seen a Linux/Unix client yet.
Goldmine has one of the worst UI's to ever hit the market (second only maybe to Act!). Nobody likes Goldmine, and their design quirks are too numerous to mention. Oh, and the integrated email client is horrendous...nowhere near even Netscape mail.
You could swap Exchange for GroupWise, which does essentially the same things and is not bound to the evil empire. I don't know if Exchange provides a web interface, but GroupWise provides a very nice one. GroupWise can even run on unix systems. No, you don't need to run a Novell server for GroupWise.
Groupwise sucks. The server side sucks, the client side sucks even worse than Lotus Notes. Groupwise 6 has a nice feature list, but is kludged together, a bear to work with, and as unstable as MS Windows ME...and the client still sucks. The Groupwise plugin for MS Outlook makes Outlook suck. Novell seems to be digging its own grave, and it's questionable how long they will be around in their current incarnation...Netware and Groupwise both show signs of being on the way out. AFAIK, Groupwise is not OSS either...
There's an interesting server app called SQLView that purports to store everything in a SQL server database, then allows Outlook to see it as an IMAP mailbox. The normal problem is that Outlook won't allow you to use an IMAP mailbox for a default message store, but they claim to have worked around that. I'm planning on testing it, just never have the time....
First, most non-tech corporate types have heard of Exchange. Next, they like to have someone to sue. Even those projects with companies behind them don't have much to go after. Even though Microsoft has a EULA that supposedly frees them from any liability if the software screws up, it makes the corporate types feel better. Also, they can hire any MCSE off the streets to run the Exchange server. There aren't many standard certs that they can rely on when they need to hire your replacement after you've bundled together all this unfamiliar software on their servers. When you consider the hiring difficulties, lack of certifications, and lack of accountability of the authors of the software, the open source projects may, in fact, cost a good bit more than the $10,000 worth of Microsoft software. The entry costs of this software look enormous to individuals, but to corporations, it often doesn't appear to be much money. Corporations care much less about software politics than most of us do. The open source solution has the benefit of getting out of proprietary formats, but I don't think that's very high up on the list of priorities of the people making the decisions.
Let MS have the Enterprise accounts. It's pretty tough to get Fortune 1000 companies to change platforms...but we don't need to. Roll out something that can be used in the thousands of small and medium size businesses who also use Exchange, if they can afford the licensing of it. If it gets out there, and then gets a little press coverage, larger companies will come looking to it.
Small businesses aren't looking for someone to sue or worried that much about support. They want something that sits in a corner and works...something Linux has always excelled at. When they have problems, they'll call someone to fix it...the same thing they do now with Exchange.
Is there anybody out there actually using MS Exchange scheduling tool? I haven't heard or seen any so far.
As a SMB consultant, I can tell you that every business I go to that has Exchange uses the individual and group calendaring functions. Larger businesses use it for reserving conference rooms and such. And 80% of the businesses that don't have Exchange want it, but can't afford the price for it. And I have very little alternatives to offer them.
I think it's ironic that MS has pushed netscape and
the rest out of the browser market, and has managed
to make the purpose of ssl worthless...
And I think it's ironic that some/.'ers think this exploit is such a trivial one to pull off that it makes https:// worthless. For most intents and purposes, this isn't a practically useful exploit...it'd be much easier to just install a trojan/keylogger/etc.
Slashdot Mirror
Change hardware = needs files is fine...it obviously needs to load something else from the CD. Novell Client loads THE EXACT SAME FILES it already has. Try it. Just click Details and tell it whatever file it's looking for is in the place it's going to copy to. When Windows does this, it's not that big a deal: C:\WINDOWS and C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM are about all that you'd need. When Client 32 does it...well, let's just say you better enjoy typing.
Changing the tree isn't a daily routine, but for troubleshooting connection issues, it sure is handy. Of course, staring at a machine that doesn't do anything for 5-10 minutes isn't. FWIW, if Win9x doesn't see a domain controller in about a second after login, it'll immediately let you know that it can't be found.
And I do believe the dynamically created local users is what caused the problem joining the domain in the first place.
What problems do you see in a Windows domain like this? Besides browse issues (pretty much non existant in a Novell network, but mainly because clients aren't listed in Net Neighborhood) I can't think of any significant or pattern of problems....
Or Client32 for NT/2000 that for some unknown reason never lets the PC join a domain so that you can have dual logins. It says it joins the domain, it says it's a member of the domain...but it's authenticated locally.
Or dual logins with Windows 2000 domain and Netware that take forever to process because Client32 has some insanely long timeout values.
Or the fact that Client32 doesn't really get uninstalled unless you run a special uninstaller program...that's not included in the installation folder.
While we're talking about the installation folder, have you ever tried to replace a NIC in a Win9x machine with Client32 installed? Why doesn't the install keep a copy of the install files on the hard drive so I can just point to it? Why does it refuse to install if I don't tell it where to find the Dutch help files? Why does it have to go into 25 different directories?
Or 550 different options in Client32 properties that seem to be mostly meaningless? Or defaulting to banner pages and broadcast notifications when your print job is done? Or defaulting to installing NDPS and Desktop Management? Or being a 20+ MB download? Or having an option for users not to run the login script? Or taking forever to select the tree and context on login? And god forbid that your server is down, because it'll wait for 5+ minutes with no way to stop it...What the hell is it thinking? Maybe the server will come back up while I wait? Maybe the network is congested so I'll just keep broadcasting? Maybe I should try every networking protocol known to man just in case the server is confused?
Besides those issues....uhhh...Client32 just works, I guess.
Every Windows based virus scanner I've known has an option for this. Norton AntiVirus can boot to the CD or make floppy disks, I think the newer versions can use a floppy disk for later virus definitions. Mcafee can do the same, I believe. I know it can run off floppies. So can F-Prot.
What is the "multiplication" process, exactly? It's no more than addition of a specified amount of the same number. We memorize multiplication tables so that we don't have to do:
9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9+9 = 90 (= 9*10)
It's much easier to learn a few common multiplication answers, that we then can use to break down larger problems. That's what the tables are for.
Of course, OTOH, let's say the matter in question was say, your family member, and you did indeed care a great bit. But, you're unable to care any less, because it's so important to you. Wouldn't that saying apply there as well?
Like I said, it makes no sense. Just say "I don't care" and be done with it. =)
(10 * 3) + (3 * 3) would be a start.
Yes, but even if you cared a lot, then wouldn't you be unable to care less as well? I've debated the meaning of that saying (and I'm not even sure what the correct way of saying it is), and have come to the conclusion that it makes no sense either way.
3 words for you...'Hooked on Phonics'.
Poor spellers and IM Chat are totally different things, though. Poor spellers have trouble memorizing (or were never taught) the rules of phonics, and so they can only spell the words that are familiar to them. IM Chat is a lazy way to save time and effort typing in an effort to converse in somewhat realtime.
Have you ever chatted with a slow typist? It's MADDENING. I can't figure out which is more maddening: the old style BBS chatrooms where you could actually see the other guy type 1 character every 5 seconds (and then backspace over his mistakes), or the unending wait for a new message (Is he still there? Did he go to the bathroom? Did my net connection go down again?) on new chat programs.
IM Chat and l33t sp3^k are different too, though. L33t-speak is a sort of 'code' for the initiated, it doesn't save time or typing (it actually takes more time, since characters and numbers are not meant to be used that much) but it looks 'cool'...kind of like gang tagging.
I have no problem with basic (u,r,brb,[g], etc.) IM chat in an informal, realtime, or computer related (discussion board, email, etc.) setting, but formal papers should be written in (semi)proper English. L33t speak should be confined to L33t hangouts or conversations with other 3-L33t5.
And everyone should be able to type a decent WPM so that chats are easier, and people are more willing to correct their mistakes. I don't touchtype (I have a somewhat wierd variation of the two finger typing...somewhere around 3 or 4 fingers) but I type about 60WPM corrected. I make a lot of mistakes typing, but take the time to correct them.
Good point for the more complicated problems, for the reasons you mentioned and also because you tend to lose track of the things you changed that should be changed back. Also useful with smaller problems until you get the hang of it, at which point it's second nature. If somebody tells me a problem with a computer, I've immediately got the first 3 things I'd check on in my head...even if I know the problem is already fixed!
Wonders for my morale, yes...But, for some reason, clients evidently aren't that concerned with my morale. =)
In your first example (lamp not working), it would have been much quicker to check that the lamp was plugged in FIRST (unless it's a plug hidden behind a large desk or something). THEN replace the bulb, as it is quite likely that that is the problem. A quick cursory examination of the power cord and lamp socket should be tried after that (unless you have rats or leaking roofs in your house, in which case you may want to check those items before the bulb), and then verifying that the outlet/switch works.
In your second example (NIC not working) why would you go thru all the trouble to shut down a PC, pull it out of its hiding place, dust it off, open it up, replace the NIC, and load new drivers as a first step? It's much more logical to check the patch cord, the link light, TCP/IP and the hub/switch port (usually in that order) first. That should take a total of 2-5 minutes to eliminate all of those possibilities before having to replace the NIC (which rarely fails compared to the other items).
Also, you should ALWAYS be thinking 2 or 3 steps ahead of yourself. If you're checking TCP/IP, you should already know what your next 2 checks are going to be based on the results of that test. If you succeed at fixing the problem at that step, the next time you encounter a similar issue you'll already have a flowchart in your head of the steps to follow. Very rarely (though it does happen occasionally) do I get to the end of the flowchart in my head or need to stop and think about what my next step will be.
You do know that something like that will probably INCREASE the amount of yardwork you'll have to do, don't you? Pulling weeds alone will take you more time than an average lawn mowing. And will have to be done more often than your average lawn, as well.
Don't forget the fertilizer to keep your plants healthy (unless you happen to have good soil. I live in FL, and there's no such thing as good soil here). And watering in the summer. And mulch to keep in the water. And, with all that shade over the stone walkway, you'll probably need to wash/bleach/scrape (depending on how often you do it) the mildew off.
There's a reason most flowers in the wild are wildflowers. It's because wildflowers grow quickly and die quickly...they're weeds. Flowers and plants that most people want in their yard are much pickier and must be tended to.
Of course, in the end, you get a much better product than just some grass...but it is more work.
Or, you could plant a few hundred year old oak trees and turn it into an actual forest. At which point, you'd have little to worry about, except for the large limbs falling on your house/car/neighbor/etc. Oh, and the roots getting in your sewer/septic system, or under your house and pushing up one side of it. Or breaking your driveway.
Want low maintenace? Put in a tennis or basketball court.
change your theme and performance options to get rid of the XP cartoons and it'll be nice and consistent. Geeks don't care about looks, we care about perfromance....and those few cycles saved will beneifit you in the logn run.
Gas permeable lenses (aka hard contacts), as well as some of the newer toric (?) lenses for astigmatism don't rotate in the eye. Though the hard contacts are uncomfortable, and the torics are pricey....
Unfortunately, tanks and B2 bombers really have trouble looking like "something normal and harmless". For that matter, so do platoons of soldiers with M-16s.
Yeah, I've seen those here in too. Only difference is there's a little joystick to manueveur the hand and you pick out the item. I think all of the ones here are broke though, because they always drop the item before I can get it to the door.
Windows will broadcast a NetBIOS query for the address, won't it? It will in all other situations, so I don't see why APIPA would be different.
That aside, why not use IPX/SPX or NetBEUI, both of which require no configuration?
I would guess that you'd only be able to register the 2 email addresses while you still had access to both (to prove ownership...or at least access).
Well, you HAVE to have the UI problems on the client side, I'd think. As for the server side, I don't admin it...though I can certainly deal without a GUI. But, we have 3 CNE's on staff, so they get to play with Groupwise issues day in and day out.
We're a consultant shop, and of the 3 NW6/Groupwise 6 networks we've put up, every one of them has had multiple, ongoing, continuing problems. And yes, Novell has been called in on all 3. We've stopped recommending GW to clients (both because of stability issues and Novell's questionable longevity in the market) as a groupware solution.
OTOH, of the 20 or so Exchange 2000 sites we maintain, I can only think of 3 major issues. One was no more than a misconfiguration causing some bounced mail, one was because the customer didn't stay on top of their backups, and one is because the client refuses to get more disk space or upgrade their server....Similarly, our handful of Lotus Domino sites simply work with little maintenance...not that I'd recommend Domino to anyone who didn't plan on using it's extensive database features.
As an aside, it always seems that when something made by Novell breaks, it requires Novell Support much more often than a MS solution does...Of the 20 or so calls made to vendor support services this year, I think 15 or so have been to Novell, and none to MS (the remainder would be to Veritas, CA, etc.)
Goldmine has one of the worst UI's to ever hit the market (second only maybe to Act!). Nobody likes Goldmine, and their design quirks are too numerous to mention. Oh, and the integrated email client is horrendous...nowhere near even Netscape mail.
Groupwise sucks. The server side sucks, the client side sucks even worse than Lotus Notes. Groupwise 6 has a nice feature list, but is kludged together, a bear to work with, and as unstable as MS Windows ME...and the client still sucks. The Groupwise plugin for MS Outlook makes Outlook suck. Novell seems to be digging its own grave, and it's questionable how long they will be around in their current incarnation...Netware and Groupwise both show signs of being on the way out. AFAIK, Groupwise is not OSS either...
There's an interesting server app called SQLView that purports to store everything in a SQL server database, then allows Outlook to see it as an IMAP mailbox. The normal problem is that Outlook won't allow you to use an IMAP mailbox for a default message store, but they claim to have worked around that. I'm planning on testing it, just never have the time....
Let MS have the Enterprise accounts. It's pretty tough to get Fortune 1000 companies to change platforms...but we don't need to. Roll out something that can be used in the thousands of small and medium size businesses who also use Exchange, if they can afford the licensing of it. If it gets out there, and then gets a little press coverage, larger companies will come looking to it.
Small businesses aren't looking for someone to sue or worried that much about support. They want something that sits in a corner and works...something Linux has always excelled at. When they have problems, they'll call someone to fix it...the same thing they do now with Exchange.
As a SMB consultant, I can tell you that every business I go to that has Exchange uses the individual and group calendaring functions. Larger businesses use it for reserving conference rooms and such. And 80% of the businesses that don't have Exchange want it, but can't afford the price for it. And I have very little alternatives to offer them.
And I think it's ironic that some /.'ers think this exploit is such a trivial one to pull off that it makes https:// worthless. For most intents and purposes, this isn't a practically useful exploit...it'd be much easier to just install a trojan/keylogger/etc.
Yeah, I'm sure the code for checking the heirarchy of SSL certificates is in the TCP/IP stack .dll.
Maybe peer reviewed code isn't really that great of an idea after all....