Thanks UX-admin, I have always respected your opinion around here. I think your idea is great and I would be behind you 100%.
BUT... Again, the barriers to entry are huge. Maybe you have a market for your target as I am way out of touch with enterprise needs and such (cater to really small biz). But for the SBS audience, to quote a cliche, you (or anyone who tries to do this really as many have already) is fighting an pure uphil battle. All the research I did at the time a lot of the alternative solutions did about 75% of what SBS did. It is that 25% that just seems that can't be caught. To be 100th of the cost would mean less than $100 as SBS can be had for $500-$800 for 5-users. This includes Exchange, IIS, DNS and Active Directory and all with the standardized 'look' of Windows that which even the non computer literate CEO's can pop in to admin BASIC stuff if needed. For not much more $$ one can then add in full SQL database capability and full featured enterprise-grade firewall/proxy (ISA). So like I said, from a BUSINESS standpoint of a honest consultant, it is VERY hard to deny the value. MS has the momentum and the ability price squeeze markets they are trying to dominate. (ex, MS office they don't have to offer cheap as they have that literally locked with momentum and format tie-in). I will say right now, focus most of your efforts in getting Outlook to FULLY work with your box OR at least major stuff (Shared contacts being top one). Going to be very difficult as even large funded efforts have failed in this area. Openmail got scratched as a possibilty for me when while I was testing it I went to create new mail and could not click on "to" and add an address from a shared address book (might be different now). Little stuff like this is why I felt forced into just going with reason and SBS. Also, will your box be able to goto a web url and pull up Webmail (easy part) BUT also seemlessly do Remote Desktop to Windows machines through a drop down menu in the webpage? One could easily setup a vpn to a router at the office and then Remote Desktop to machines. But this is the little stuff that matters again. That would require moms of CEO's (I use this example as 1. I do have a client whos mom is the accountant and 2. it signifies the for lack of better word "dumb" user) to have to remember IP address at office to sign on with VPN, then she would have to bring up Remote Desktop and log into her machine using remembering the name and then have to sign into her desktop using her login credentials. Say you do get all this figured out and your box does a huge majority of the funtions of SBS. MS will just comes out with more ways in future SBS and/or Windows versions to ensure vendor lockin. Change the way Outlook communicates, etc. They have done it before. Or who will be able to admin it since it will be Solaris underneath if ever need to touch the foundation. MS admin/kiddies are a dime a dozen. The key is to get something that can do everything SBS can, but do it all on its OWN. Hopefully not needing Outlook. Only way I can see that is if either the alternative is browser-centric or a competive full featured replacement client comes out that can compete with Outlook on Exchange for features. Even Lotus Domino on Linux is a starting point, but Notes slow and buggy on Windows and many don't like the interface. I had HIGH hopes for Chandler but that is seriously hurting for development help. -- Scott PS I know it sounds like I am a MS troll here pitching SBS to a Solaris board, but believe me, it is hard to convey in text but I am just trying to give my perspective. PSS - With the path it is on, I have begun to think that Google is shaping up to make inroad attempts to SBS replacement. They already have the AJAX apps that could replace Office, a terrific web/email interface, etc. Plus there have been talks of a GoogleOS or them at least buying someone or partnering (Ubuntu maybe? Novell?). They could then get all of this together and put it on an appliance and have a drop in SBS replacement they could sell or sell the software to simply install this Google-SBS. This message posted from opensolaris.org _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list [email protected]
