The fly in the ointment: Docs from uncontrolled sources.
Customers, for example.
OO can't read all MS docs; therefore OO can not completely eliminate MS software unless you only get docs from other OO users, an impossible restriction in most jobs.
For example, I often get MS docs from customers and management, and sometimes they use features OO does not understand [certain kinds of inserts become invisible, for example].
"Tell them to not do that" is an unacceptable response. I have to deal with it.
So, even though I my main computer runs Linux, I ALSO keep a Windows box with Outlook and Office XP 2003, just to read the occasional MS doc which OO doesn't like. To be truthful, I also need Outlook to deal with our corporate Exchange server [I do use Evolution+Connector but it is too unreliable to depend on exclusively]. I put up with this mess so I can use Linux; but it would be crazy to expect non-hackers to get work done this way.
I like Evolution. But it has proven unstable, at least when using the MS/exchange plug-in (which my employer has licensed). So we tried to get support...
Ximian says, in effect, that you have to stop updating your system from your distro (RedHat, SuSE, etc.) and instead use their distribution of gnome and other libraries exclusively.
What they actually say is that they only support Evolution if you also Ximian Desktop, or at least their home-brewed versions gnome, glib2, etc. available on their server (e.g., using red-carpet). The catch: This causes massive RPM version conflicts because their versions use different version number/names, and the auto-update tools provided by RedHat or SuSE don't work any longer.
I understand their problem: They have to assume certain updates & features in external libraries and can't test with all possible combinations. So they say "get everything from us". Of course, if another application vendor did the same thing it would be impossible to use both applications!
What do other app vendors do (e.g., in the Sun world)? They spell out which patches or updated library versions *from the OS vendor* must be installed to have a supported system. I wish Ximian did that for Evolution!
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Customers, for example.
OO can't read all MS docs; therefore OO can not completely eliminate MS software unless you only get docs from other OO users, an impossible restriction in most jobs.
For example, I often get MS docs from customers and management, and sometimes they use features OO does not understand [certain kinds of inserts become invisible, for example].
"Tell them to not do that" is an unacceptable response. I have to deal with it.
So, even though I my main computer runs Linux, I ALSO keep a Windows box with Outlook and Office XP 2003, just to read the occasional MS doc which OO doesn't like. To be truthful, I also need Outlook to deal with our corporate Exchange server [I do use Evolution+Connector but it is too unreliable to depend on exclusively]. I put up with this mess so I can use Linux; but it would be crazy to expect non-hackers to get work done this way.
It's also expensive, but what't the alternative?
I like Evolution. But it has proven unstable, at least when using the MS/exchange plug-in (which
my employer has licensed). So we tried to get
support...
Ximian says, in effect, that you have to stop
updating your system from your distro (RedHat,
SuSE, etc.) and instead use their distribution
of gnome and other libraries exclusively.
What they actually say is that they only support
Evolution if you also Ximian Desktop, or at
least their home-brewed versions gnome, glib2, etc. available on their server (e.g., using
red-carpet). The catch: This causes massive
RPM version conflicts because their versions
use different version number/names,
and the auto-update tools provided by RedHat
or SuSE don't work any longer.
I understand their problem: They have to assume
certain updates & features in external libraries
and can't test with all possible combinations.
So they say "get everything from us". Of course,
if another application vendor did the same thing
it would be impossible to use both applications!
What do other app vendors do (e.g., in the Sun
world)? They spell out which patches or updated
library versions *from the OS vendor* must be
installed to have a supported system. I wish
Ximian did that for Evolution!