Outlook for OSX

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julianb

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Does anyone think we'll ever get a proper Outlook Exchange client for OSX?
We've used Entourage for 12 months now, and it just doesn't measure up.
 
julianb said:
Does anyone think we'll ever get a proper Outlook Exchange client for OSX?
We've used Entourage for 12 months now, and it just doesn't measure up.
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Entourage 2004 is supposed to be better.
 
Entourage 2004 is supposed to be better.
Click to expand...

I can tell you, it isn't. At least as an Exchange client. Entourage is a much better email client on the whole, but it doesn't interface with an Exchange network to the full level of Outlook. It's about 50% there. It's main deficiencies are:
1. Inability to have more than one Exchange mailbox. For example, my company uses several Exchange mailboxes that each member of our team has access to. These serve as queues for production, as well as general customer email boxes. With Entourage, I can't access any Exchange account but the one I'm assigned. Ridiculous.

2. No interface with Exchange notes. Any notes you create in Outlook, and can see in your Outlook Web Access, can't be seen in Entourage. To make matters worse, Entourage has it's own notes system, but it doesn't interface at all with Exchange. Pathetic.

3. Inability to assign tasks.

4. Limited ability in setting up meetings.

5. Interface with Exchange Address Book is severly limited. You don't get the full access you get with Outlook.

If Microsoft had "carbonized" Outlook 2001 for the Mac, I would have no need to use my PC at work. As it is, Entourage is barely usable as an Exchange client, and keeps the PC in use. For awhile, I even used Outlook 2001 in Classic because it was a full featured Exchange client. But with the release of 10.3.5, it stopped working, so I had to go back to the PC.

Microsoft clearly does this on purpose. Users of Entourage have been yelling for full Exchange server compatability for years, and Microsoft refuses to implement it.
 
serpicolugnut said:
I can tell you, it isn't. At least as an Exchange client. Entourage is a much better email client on the whole, but it doesn't interface with an Exchange network to the full level of Outlook. It's about 50% there. It's main deficiencies are:
1. Inability to have more than one Exchange mailbox. For example, my company uses several Exchange mailboxes that each member of our team has access to. These serve as queues for production, as well as general customer email boxes. With Entourage, I can't access any Exchange account but the one I'm assigned. Ridiculous.

2. No interface with Exchange notes. Any notes you create in Outlook, and can see in your Outlook Web Access, can't be seen in Entourage. To make matters worse, Entourage has it's own notes system, but it doesn't interface at all with Exchange. Pathetic.

3. Inability to assign tasks.

4. Limited ability in setting up meetings.

5. Interface with Exchange Address Book is severly limited. You don't get the full access you get with Outlook.

If Microsoft had "carbonized" Outlook 2001 for the Mac, I would have no need to use my PC at work. As it is, Entourage is barely usable as an Exchange client, and keeps the PC in use. For awhile, I even used Outlook 2001 in Classic because it was a full featured Exchange client. But with the release of 10.3.5, it stopped working, so I had to go back to the PC.

Microsoft clearly does this on purpose. Users of Entourage have been yelling for full Exchange server compatability for years, and Microsoft refuses to implement it.
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Thanks for your assessment. Next week, I will replace my old beige G3 running Outlook 2001 under MacOS 9.2.2 at work with my new G5. So far, Apple Mail/iCal have better Exchange compatibility than I expected. If I am to believe you--and I have no reason not to--I cannot expect appreciably greater Exchange compatibility when I install Office 2004.
 
Is thunderbird fully exchange compatible? For me, the need isn't for the best email client, or i'd be on thunderbird or Mail, but one that is able to deal with my work systems, which are exchange based.As it stands, Entourage is the best, though it is still a piece or c$@p as software goes, and only gives me very limited exchange functionality.

NB serpicolugnut- you can access multiple exchange accounts, but you need to set up different identities, and switch between them to do it. Its a hassle but it does work at a pinch.

I just wish work would ditch ms products, but its not going to happen anytime soon, its a battle enough to keep the mac support going.
 
I just checked it out, and it seems to only deal with exchange accounts via IMAP, and this only gives limited functionality, less than in Entourage. I'd love to be wrong, but i think i'm still stuck with Entourage.
 
Both Apple's Mail and Thunderbird are only viable Exchange options if your Exchange server has IMAP turned on. Most Exchange servers don't have this on by default, so unless you have sway with your Exchange Admin, you probably won't be able to use Mail or Thunderbird.

If your company/job doesn't require that you use all the things in Exchange I outlined above, Entourage is a good basic option. It finds/connects to the Exchange server effortlessly. However, if the items I listed above are important to you (as they are to me and my job), you will be disappointed in Entourage as an Exchange client.

Ora - in my situation, different profiles won't work. The additional email acct's I need to access have group permissions set on them that determine who can/can't access them. I've gone straight to MSFT on this one (via their newsgroup), and apparenltly Entourage doesn't support this, at least not yet.
 
serpicolugnut said:
Both Apple's Mail and Thunderbird are only viable Exchange options if your Exchange server has IMAP turned on. Most Exchange servers don't have this on by default, so unless you have sway with your Exchange Admin, you probably won't be able to use Mail or Thunderbird.

If your company/job doesn't require that you use all the things in Exchange I outlined above, Entourage is a good basic option. It finds/connects to the Exchange server effortlessly. However, if the items I listed above are important to you (as they are to me and my job), you will be disappointed in Entourage as an Exchange client.

Ora - in my situation, different profiles won't work. The additional email acct's I need to access have group permissions set on them that determine who can/can't access them. I've gone straight to MSFT on this one (via their newsgroup), and apparenltly Entourage doesn't support this, at least not yet.
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This is not quite true. Apple Mail explicitly supports Exchange. There is an Exchange setting for new accounts. When you use the Exchange setting in Mail to access your Exchange server, iCal automatically gains access to your Exchange calendar. Any IMAP-compatible email client can access your Exchange server if IMAP is turned on.
 
MisterMe said:
This is not quite true. Apple Mail explicitly supports Exchange. There is an Exchange setting for new accounts. When you use the Exchange setting in Mail to access your Exchange server, iCal automatically gains access to your Exchange calendar. Any IMAP-compatible email client can access your Exchange server if IMAP is turned on.
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Yes, but using Mail you can only READ email from your Exchange server - you can't send from it. The only way you can send from it is if IMAP is turned on.

I don't know about you, but if I can't send AND receive from an account, it's more of a hassle to use than just using Entourage or OWA.
 
serpicolugnut said:
Yes, but using Mail you can only READ email from your Exchange server - you can't send from it. The only way you can send from it is if IMAP is turned on.

I don't know about you, but if I can't send AND receive from an account, it's more of a hassle to use than just using Entourage or OWA.
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Are you sure that you configured Mail properly for Exchange?
 
I can assure you that Apple Mail does not work with Windows Exchange server 2003 unless IMAP is turned on. In our case it is not turned on and Mail doesn't work with it at all. It will neither receive nor send. It's very frustrating given the limitations of Entourage 2004 that Microsoft seems in no hurry to address it.

MDA
 
MDA said:
I can assure you that Apple Mail does not work with Windows Exchange server 2003 unless IMAP is turned on. In our case it is not turned on and Mail doesn't work with it at all. It will neither receive nor send. It's very frustrating given the limitations of Entourage 2004 that Microsoft seems in no hurry to address it.

MDA
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Lacking evidence to the contrary, I am forced to accept the contention that enabling IMAP in Exchange is a necessary condition for Apple Mail to work with it. My firm has enabled IMAP in its Exchange server. Every IMAP client that I have thrown at it seems to work fine. As I have posted above, Apple Mail works fine while using its Exchange settings. But God love Microsoft, the trial version of Entourage 2004 has yet to send or receive anything using its Exchange settings. As far as I can tell, my installation of Entourage 2004 seems to be setup correctly. However, I will resume dancing and chanting incantations tomorrow. Maybe if I sacrifice a goat....
 
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