MS Exchange Support for OS X

Microsoft will update Entourage to support Microsoft Exchange Server in Summer '03.

A definite benefit for many

Read all about it


Chad4Mac

sweet, i love entourage and this is a nice feature

I use Mac OX Mail over Entourage, but I used to use Entourage on a regular basis before Jaguar was released. For me, Mail is so much easier.

If you are connecting to Exchange Server, this is a huge benefit for Entourage users. It also shows Microsoft's commitment to Mac OS X and it's Mac Office X.

Chad4Mac

Yeah! This was one of the only two missing apps for our department to make the full-time jump to OSX....can you guess the other??

Hint - I am a graphic designer.

I never realised there was 'Outlook' for mac, but began using it a few months ago in OS9, and now in classic in OSX.

I was, before this, using entourage in OS9 and connecting to the exchange server running on NT. It was still client side, and the connection was very unreliable. We never really got to the bottom of the problems, and the only solution would be to restart all the mail services on NT and then my mail would log on correctly. This really pissed of the I.T. department because I am the only Mac in an office with 100's of PC's. With the server upgrade from NT to Windows 2000, entourage would not work at all.

When I discovered 'Outlook' for mac I installed it instantly and was bolwn away by how well it worked. It is all server side and behaves (doesn't quite look like) Outlook on a PC. Everything is housed on the server and mail is delivered rather than requested. It has no OSX version!

My question is, will this new entourage update they are describing have a client side or server side relationship with exchange. If it does not work like OS9 'Outlook' for Mac, then it will not be of any use to me.

Anyone understand my ramblings?

Originally posted by non fiction
I never realised there was 'Outlook' for mac, but began using it a few months ago in OS9, and now in classic in OSX.

I was, before this, using entourage in OS9 and connecting to the exchange server running on NT. It was still client side, and the connection was very unreliable. We never really got to the bottom of the problems, and the only solution would be to restart all the mail services on NT and then my mail would log on correctly. This really pissed of the I.T. department because I am the only Mac in an office with 100's of PC's. With the server upgrade from NT to Windows 2000, entourage would not work at all.

When I discovered 'Outlook' for mac I installed it instantly and was bolwn away by how well it worked. It is all server side and behaves (doesn't quite look like) Outlook on a PC. Everything is housed on the server and mail is delivered rather than requested. It has no OSX version!

My question is, will this new entourage update they are describing have a client side or server side relationship with exchange. If it does not work like OS9 'Outlook' for Mac, then it will not be of any use to me.

Anyone understand my ramblings?

I understand your ramblings. And I sympathize, I went through the same with some peopl ein the office using Entourage/Outlook Express and some using Outlook. There was an obvious difference in performance. I have a feeling that in order to really have full Exchange Server functionality, like the update is supposed to give, would require a server-side relatioship like the one you described.

Am I talking out of my ass? Does anyone know more than me?

Originally posted by primalman


I understand your ramblings. And I sympathize, I went through the same with some peopl ein the office using Entourage/Outlook Express and some using Outlook. There was an obvious difference in performance. I have a feeling that in order to really have full Exchange Server functionality, like the update is supposed to give, would require a server-side relatioship like the one you described.

Am I talking out of my ass?

Yes. I believe you are - no offence.
Many people tend to confuse mail functionality with exchange functionality. Normal mail functionality comes in 2 types.
POP - This is the old school (but very common) way to get mail, which is to download it from a mail server and store it on your local computer (server does not support folders, only a mail box)
IMAP - Mail is usually kept on the mail server and can support folders.

Exchange servers are far more comlicated than this, supporting Mail(with folders), contacts, global address books, calendars (that can be shared) etc etc. But importantly this is usually stored entirley on the server - so if the server goes down you have nothing. (Most exchange clients can be configured to keeping a cached local copy though, but this is not on by default).
This technology is particulary handy if someone needs to add things to your calendar or your secretary needs to read your mail to filter out the crap - as users can share any of these features with each other.

Exchange server also supports POP and IMAP for basic mail - (which is the confusing part for most ) people who connect to exchange servers are not necessarily talking the exchange language.

Exchange support is only included in the following applications for Mac:
Entourage 2001 (OS 9 Only)
Outlook 2001 (OS 9 Only - but works in classic under 10.2)
Exchange Client (Really old now)
(Noteably all Microsoft products)

Microsoft (being typically microsoft) have not released the technology for anyone to create an exchange client. If they had, you could bet OS X Mail, iCal, iSync and Address Book, would support it.

Originally posted by Mattski


Yes. I believe you are - no offence.
Many people tend to confuse mail functionality with exchange functionality. Normal mail functionality comes in 2 types.
POP - This is the old school (but very common) way to get mail, which is to download it from a mail server and store it on your local computer (server does not support folders, only a mail box)
IMAP - Mail is usually kept on the mail server and can support folders.

Exchange servers are far more comlicated than this, supporting Mail(with folders), contacts, global address books, calendars (that can be shared) etc etc. But importantly this is usually stored entirley on the server - so if the server goes down you have nothing. (Most exchange clients can be configured to keeping a cached local copy though, but this is not on by default).
This technology is particulary handy if someone needs to add things to your calendar or your secretary needs to read your mail to filter out the crap - as users can share any of these features with each other.

Exchange server also supports POP and IMAP for basic mail - (which is the confusing part for most ) people who connect to exchange servers are not necessarily talking the exchange language.

Exchange support is only included in the following applications for Mac:
Entourage 2001 (OS 9 Only)
Outlook 2001 (OS 9 Only - but works in classic under 10.2)
Exchange Client (Really old now)
(Noteably all Microsoft products)

Microsoft (being typically microsoft) have not released the technology for anyone to create an exchange client. If they had, you could bet OS X Mail, iCal, iSync and Address Book, would support it.

Well duh. I know all this. All you did was explain the functions of the server-side way of doing things. And the IMAP/POP descriptions, come on. :o

It's a good thing that Exchange supports POP/IMAP as well as native Exchange language, otherwise I think you would have a large number of corporate and education places jumping out. Can you imagine a university saying to all staff, faculty and students, "In order to have email here, you must use Outlook. If it is not available, too bad, you can't do your job, teach or contact your teachers then. Oh, and the cost must come from your budget or pay for it yourself if you are a student. No other email clients will be supported. This is effective for all 38,000 of you." If the edu paid for it all, OMG.

Oh, BTW, the only Exchange support included in Entourage 2001 [or Entourage vX, for that matter], which I used until Sept 2002, was that your address book was local and on the server, but there was no global address lookup feature [unless the IT drones left on LDAP, which many would not, and go out of their way to turn it off], and no shared calendering. Those two things are really what makes Exchange Exchange. Not the server side stuff. If that was it, just use the IMAP and back-up your other stuff like you should. But Exchange is Exchange because of the shared calenders and global look-up. That's why they call it EXCHANGE

And the only reason that M$ waited this long is to show that they can squeeze Apple and the Mac platform, and to have a reason to complain about "low sales of Ofice vX." Boo-Hoo. That's bull****. They helped create the lull, IMHO.

If they ever say that they had this long time for Exchange features for MacOSX cause it was so hard, they are lieing. They claim to have the best tech and best solutions and the best programmers and the best delvelopers, but they can't make a simple Exchange client when they own the freaking technology? What ever. If that is the case, they are much more stupid than I thought. Sad really.

oh, offense

Originally posted by primalman

If they ever say that they had this long time for Exchange features for MacOSX cause it was so hard, they are lieing. They claim to have the best tech and best solutions and the best programmers and the best delvelopers, but they can't make a simple Exchange client when they own the freaking technology? What ever. If that is the case, they are much more stupid than I thought. Sad really.

oh, offense

Sad indeed. This is why MS sucks so freakin bad. Exchange has some cool features and it could be useful, but they have to keep it all wrapped up and secret so nobody else can make better client for it that actually works. I wish more people understood why open standards are good and microsoft is bad. The world would be a better place.

At least we still have monkeys.

Microsoft says: "All your info are belong to us!"