[plug] Codeweavers

[Quintin Lette]

Comments below:

On Thursday 24 April 2003 13:07, Ryan wrote:
> On Thu, 2003-04-24 at 11:52, Garry wrote:
> > I'm sure everyone would be aware by now of the story of how the
> > Codeweavers product allows you to run MS Office XP on Linux. The only
> > things which don't work are Outlook and Access, but with the superior
> > Postgresql/Mysql/Evolution products freely available it is a moot point..
>
> I wish I could agree about the Outlook bit ... but my job dictates
> otherwise :(

What about Ximian connector? that way you can use Ximian Evolution with 
Exchage servers.

>
> Another point that luckily doesn't concern me is that Access is
> undeniably a very unique application that has no direct Linux
> replacement, bar some Oracle forms applications.  Sure, databases are
> plentiful outside the M$ world, but GUI
> click-here-and-we'll-make-a-badly-designed-database-and-frontend-to-match
> applications are somewhat scarce for other platforms.
>
> That said though ... the Mail Merge feature in the Word 2002 contains
> what seems to be a mostly workable feature set of Access in it, you can
> create and edit basic Access databases with it, right down to the amount
> of inefficiency you'd expect without having ANY Access components
> installed.  Would be interesting to see if that dies under the
> Codeweavers product too.
>

Staroffice and Adabas? 
Not to mention that poorly written Access databases (how else can they be 
written? I haven't seen a good one yet) are one of the biggest problems for a 
successful enterprise wide helpdesk.  How are your helpdesk staff meant to 
understand the intracasies of that Access database that "Joe in accounting" 
wrote 3 years ago? especially if he left since.  Basically negating the whole 
idea of unified desktops to help support the network.  Databases aren't 
really something that novices should be writing anyway (in my opinion at 
least)


> > I've just tried to look up their web site to have a squiz, let's just say
> > it looks like it is popular....
> >
> > M$ must be fair dinkum worried about this. The chief reason keeping
> > people on Windows in an office has now be negated!
>
> Speaking from unfortunate experience in the corporate world, the chief
> reason keeping people on Windows is Office *including* LookOut.  So that
> still leaves the LookOut problem.  Top execs with their PDAs want
> point-and-click-do-everything-for-me integration stuff, and that's what
> LookOut and the PDA developers provide them.  They also want all that
> *fancy* sharing stuff, which is either LookOut + M$ Exchange, LookOut +
> MDaemon or LookOut + Byanari server/conduits, either way it still
> involves M$ as the platform ... I'm going through that headache at the
> moment .. procrastination is the solution so far.

You can setup Evolution to talk to your Palm OS devices in a 
point-and-click-simple sort of way, ok its a PITA to setup initially (well 
has been every time I've set it up) but works flawlesly when running (from 
personal experience)

> I personally use Debian exclusively in this sadly Microsoft infested
> company .. as do all the servers I touch.  I'm hell bent on changing the
> desktops, but can't see it happening for a fair while given the demands
> certain key employees place on their email/PIM applications and the
> amount of time I don't have to nurse the company through such a change.
>
> I'm slowly getting there though ... some people are about to see
> Sylpheed appear on their Windows boxes so they can survive the eventual
> switch to Linux a bit easier  ...  and our somewhat legacy
> Accounting/EMS application just about almost sort of nearly runs under
> wine. :)

time for a rewrite maybe? being the somewhat legacy thing :) maybe not but 
hey.

>
> Ryan

Just my 2c

Quintin