Mac Office and Exchange Support

[MacRumors]

Microsoft-Watch.com reports that the upcoming summer release of Office for OS X will bring Exchange client support:

The update, Version 10.1.4 of Office X, will add Exchange client functions to Office's e-mail and PIM component, Entourage. It will also incorporate bug fixes to Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Microsoft provided the update to beta testers in July.

Other improvements, including more compatability with Windows Outlook and stability enhancements are detailed.

 

[sacrilicious]

"The Redmond, Wash., company confirmed that the update to Version 10.1.4 will be available free to current Mac Office users, who will be able to download it from the Microsoft MacTopia Web site. Entourage is also available as a stand-alone product for $99.

Earlier in the month, Microsoft Watch reported that Microsoft plans to revise its Office for Mac product line with across-the-board price cuts and two new editions of Office: a "Student and Teacher" version as well as a Professional release that includes Virtual PC."

Hurray.

Is there a free opensource quality alternative, by the way?

 

[jaedreth]

Email alternative

Alternative to?

Which features do you need and not need?

I use mutt, imo it's far superior to pine. You can use Fink to install it. Fink is available linked from the mac os x website under downloads, then under the unix section.

If you want something with a gui, and don't want entourage, use Mail.app. Or go search versiontracker.com.

Jaedreth

 

[dswoodley]

Thank God!!! it's about time!! One more reason, my local IT folks can longer say "Macs aren't compatible"

 

[srobert]

No alternative thus far

I'm pretty sure there is no alternative if you want to receive your mail form your company's exchange server. I still have to use outlook 2001 in classic to get my mail from work.

I prefer mail.app but it can't interract with an exchange server. So for me, this announcement is a big plus. It's the last app I need (entourage with exchange) to completely drop classic.

 

[impierced]

SHIP IT!!!

 

[a_kim]

free alternative: Panther

Originally posted by sacrilicious
"The Redmond, Wash., company confirmed that the update to Version 10.1.4 will be available free to current Mac Office users, who will be able to download it from the Microsoft MacTopia Web site. Entourage is also available as a stand-alone product for $99.

Earlier in the month, Microsoft Watch reported that Microsoft plans to revise its Office for Mac product line with across-the-board price cuts and two new editions of Office: a "Student and Teacher" version as well as a Professional release that includes Virtual PC."

Hurray.

Is there a free opensource quality alternative, by the way?

If you mean an alternative for reading/writing Word docs... have you heard about Panther's TextEdit? My friend confirmed that the upcoming version of OSX reads/writes MS Word documents. I'm sure it has problems with complex layouts and what have you, but at least we'll be able to read/write Word docs without having to shell out hundreds of dollars.

Definitely good news with better Outlook support. That's an obviously big plus for Mac users in an MS Office work environment (like me).

-Alex

 

[whawho]

HECK YEAH!

Right now I use Apple's Mail.app to connect to our company's exchange server using IMAP and it's ok. Some things I like better on Mail.app than Entourage one being Mail.app seems faster to me than Entourage.

It'll be cool to finally be able to use the shared calendar that everyone else is using with out having to pop open a browser window and Open up the Exchange server web access everytime I want to see what's on the calendar.

 

[whawho]

Re: No alternative thus far

Originally posted by srobert
I'm pretty sure there is no alternative if you want to receive your mail form your company's exchange server. I still have to use outlook 2001 in classic to get my mail from work.

I prefer mail.app but it can't interract with an exchange server. So for me, this announcement is a big plus. It's the last app I need (entourage with exchange) to completely drop classic.

I use Mail.app using IMAP to check my mail on our server and our company uses Exchange. It should be possible as long as the settings are correct.

 

[srobert]

Re: HECK YEAH!

Originally posted by whawho
It'll be cool to finally be able to use the shared calendar that everyone else is using with out having to pop open a browser window and Open up the Exchange server web access everytime I want to see what's on the calendar.

Our IT department won't even turn on webmail on the server so no imap option for me. The Outlook with exchange update is definitly a life saver... and I love the upgrade price $0.00!!!

 

[Mudbug]

Re: Re: HECK YEAH!

Originally posted by srobert
Our IT department won't even turn on webmail on the server so no imap option for me. The Outlook with exchange update is definitly a life saver... and I love the upgrade price $0.00!!!

I'm sure this means they'll gouge you on the price of something else, so I wouldn't be too happy about it...

<edit> Seriously tho, this is good news. Support for exchange server has been a sticking point for many businesses I know of (3 in my building alone) as a reason for not supporting macs in thier network setup. </edit>

 

[tazo]

Originally posted by sacrilicious
"The Redmond, Wash., company confirmed that the update to Version 10.1.4 will be available free to current Mac Office users, who will be able to download it from the Microsoft MacTopia Web site. Entourage is also available as a stand-alone product for $99.

Earlier in the month, Microsoft Watch reported that Microsoft plans to revise its Office for Mac product line with across-the-board price cuts and two new editions of Office: a "Student and Teacher" version as well as a Professional release that includes Virtual PC."

Hurray.

i wonder if professional office will be priced like it already is, if its any more expensive they may not get any sales
Is there a free opensource quality alternative, by the way? [/B][/QUOTE]

 

[whawho]

Re: Re: HECK YEAH!

Originally posted by srobert
and I love the upgrade price $0.00!!!

Me too!.. I was so suprised to hear that Microsoft wasn't charging for it.

 

[psxndc]

Wow.

Wow. Microsoft will do something that a) is beneficial for everyone and b) doesn't cost anything.

And it's not even April 1st. Somebody pinch me.

This is great. For once, I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Dumbstruck,
-p

 

[JW Pepper]

Well I happen to think the people at the MBU are really Maccies like the rest of us. It must be a pretty thankless job working for MS and working in the MBU. They have given us some great programmes under difficult circumstances, the rest of MS probably resents the job they do too!

I don't own any bug free software other that I know of.

 

[iLilana]

Hurray.

Is there a free opensource quality alternative, by the way? [/B]

I use entourage for mail only because mail.app has a couple bugs when using the junkmail feature. Like duplicating and bouncing back mail onto my server that's supposed to be auto deleting. Macmall mail would replicate and bounce itself back and slowly fill up the server. Entourage doesn't... otherwise I wouldn't need bill gates at all.

As far as office tools... openoffice.org is wonderful...and free free free free!!!

 

[AppleMatt]

Yeah the MacBU are Mac-nuts. Some even come from Apple.

They desperately need to get performance up though, IMO. Bug fixes are obviously nice, but Word is a dog.

AppleMatt

 

[mstecker]

Re: No alternative thus far

Originally posted by srobert
I'm pretty sure there is no alternative if you want to receive your mail form your company's exchange server. I still have to use outlook 2001 in classic to get my mail from work.

I prefer mail.app but it can't interract with an exchange server. So for me, this announcement is a big plus. It's the last app I need (entourage with exchange) to completely drop classic.

How about just using Mail.app and talking to your Exchange Server using the IMAP protocol? Does your site not support IMAP? Older (pre-2003) versions of Exchange turn it on by default, so more often than not, your exchange server runs it.

This works unless you really need the collaborative calandering stuff.

 

[jaedreth]

MX Exchange Servers

Just because exchange servers support imap doesn't mean that Mail can support exchange servers.

Entourage supporting Exchange servers is brand new. Mail isn't anywhere near supporting Exchange servers.

Jaedreth

 

[kcmac]

Long file support? I can only hope.

 

[mstecker]

Re: MX Exchange Servers

Originally posted by jaedreth
Just because exchange servers support imap doesn't mean that Mail can support exchange servers.

Entourage supporting Exchange servers is brand new. Mail isn't anywhere near supporting Exchange servers.

Jaedreth

Okay, I'll bite. Two facts and a conclusion. Tell me where my logic is wrong.

1) Microsoft Exchange supports several ways of getting at its data, including a proprietary protocol and IMAP.

2) Mail.app supports retrieving mail from an IMAP server.

1+2= Mail.app supports working with mail from Exchange Servers.

It might not have the KIND of support you want, but I think that the two statements above taken together cast your claim of "Mail isn't anywhere near supporting Exchange servers." into some doubt.

M.

 

[Analog Kid]

Re: Re: MX Exchange Servers

Originally posted by mstecker
Okay, I'll bite. Two facts and a conclusion. Tell me where my logic is wrong.

1) Microsoft Exchange supports several ways of getting at its data, including a proprietary protocol and IMAP.

2) Mail.app supports retrieving mail from an IMAP server.

1+2= Mail.app supports working with mail from Exchange Servers.

It might not have the KIND of support you want, but I think that the two statements above taken together cast your claim of "Mail isn't anywhere near supporting Exchange servers." into some doubt.

M.

One word: calendar

I can't book a freakin' conference room without exchange support.

I can't believe how long it took for MS Entourage to interface with MS Exchange! You know that was intentional-- for exactly the reasons you see listed in this forum: enterprise penetration. Macs are fine for people at home who IMAP to their ISP, but don't make it easy to move them into business.

Make IT departments think they're difficult to support.

So why support it now? I don't know, but I'm worried... Was it because they couldn't hold out any longer without being dragged into court again, or is there something more sinister behind it.

Free? Why do they want us to download it so badly?

Sorry to be such a paranoid freak, but I've learned it with time....

 

[jaedreth]

MX support now, why now?

It's simple.

If Microsoft didn't do it, Apple would have. With or without their permission.

If you noticed in Panther features, according to a ThinkSecret article (can't find it, can't reach their site right now), thinksecret allegedly reported that both Mail and Address Book will have features that allow it to interact with MX servers.

This has not been confirmed by Apple, and as I said, I can't reach the thinksecret page right now to show you where it said it.

However, if Apple was developing this for Panther, MS would want to beat them to the punch.

And they did.

Jaedreth

 

[srobert]

Re: Re: MX Exchange Servers

Originally posted by mstecker
1) Microsoft Exchange supports several ways of getting at its data, including a proprietary protocol and IMAP.

Exchange server "CAN" support imap but our network administrator won't turn on that feature. They don't want to hear about it. There must be a reason even though I can't figure it out. So, for many of us, an exchange compatible entourage is a big deal. There's also that calendar feature which I need to book a meeting room or be informed of many other things.

I still love mail.app better but I need both if I want my world to be all OS X.

 

[psxndc]

Originally posted by AppleMatt

They desperately need to get performance up though, IMO. Bug fixes are obviously nice, but Word is a dog.

Whew. I thought I was the only one that felt that way. I'm running Office on a 700 MHz iBook and it is pretty slow. Word and Excel. Sounds like it's not just my 'puter after all.

-p