Munich, Germany: Linux was disaster, back to Windows

Back in 2004, Munich, Germany decided that they were going to switch to Linux (specifically, LiMux) as their primary operating system and drop Microsoft's Windows operating system. At the time, the decision was said to be cheaper, more reliable and politically correct for the city and this would be the on the same scale as the Berlin Wall falling for politics but for IT.

Read more at: Munich, Germany realizes that deploying Linux was a disaster, going back to Windows - Neowin

 

[Fredledingue]

I don't get it, what's the difference if i read same message in same gmail account thru browser or thru Outlook ?. Let's say I read the message about this thread thru FF, same message would be in Outlook but would have to be downloaded to my disk first.

Speed. But that's my experience, maybe your have a much faster display of internet stuff, eventhought that javascript should slow down your computer nearly as much as mine. By the time I open an mail webpage, I have downloaded the 10 or 20 e-mails I receive daily (save when somebody sends me a large file, but that's a question of at worse 10 seconds usualy). It takes my one click to dl everything and text and pictures appear instantly when I view the messages. Even with ultrafast connection such speed is impossible with a browser because of javascript. Browsers can give a near-instant experience without javascript, but mail clients always use bloat of javascript.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

I think you guys are missing the point

It's not whether it uses Java Script (or the Old Dogs dinner from yesterday or last weeks garbage collection bins) -- nobody really gives two monkeys about how the wretched thing works (or at least those outside the I.T coding community).

What we worry about is that most Webmail clients are security leaks and have zillions of irritating commercials and the Interface is usually HIDEOUS.

I couldn't really care if the whole system was driven by a pair of Dirty Stinky Knickers -- so long as the USER INTERFACE was decent -- I've often had big disagreements over this with I.T developers who say their "Brand new" product is fine and really efficient -- when all we as users want is a NICE CLEAN SIMPLE Interface.

Why on earth did Ms ever get rid of OUTLOOK EXPRESS -- absolutely brilliant program for what it had to do -- OK not enterprise strength but for individuals it worked extremely well.

A lot of modern interfaces are Bloat and adware driven -- BOO BOO !!!! Please get back to basics - and how they work under the hood isn't really of any interest to most people so long as the applications are fit for purpose.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[CountMike]

I agree about Outlook Express, as e-mail client it was as straight forward as you can wish for. I guess that it was too much of competition for Outlook from the Office which cost pretty penny. Outlook is more of a tool for executive secretary than something an ordinary user would need.

 

[Fredledingue]

It's not whether it uses Java Script.... What we worry about is that most Webmail clients are security leaks and have zillions of irritating commercials and the Interface is usually HIDEOUS.

I agree about security and adds. It's boring. With security there is nothing you can do because even if your computer is safe, their server may not be. You depends on somebody else for your safety, reliablity and spam sorting. Most of the time it's good but sometimes you want it different.

---

What I mean about Javascript (and it's important from a technical point of view) is that it's slow. All the bells and whisthles on an executable will work instantly whereas with a javascript based interface it always takes delays of 0.5 to several seconds. Javascript can be efficient, but not in the way it's used and not in the way programmers are coding today. (To get an idea of how much js slows down your on-line experience, turn off javascript and browse the internet for one evening ...or always as I do. Another way, look at your cache and see the size of js files then open 2 or 3 at random among the large ones, in notepad. It's amazing what you find in them! You realy think that these coders must have their head examined...) In a word you can't beat an exe with js.

 

[popeye]

These were the days:

 

[pparks1]

What we worry about is that most Webmail clients are security leaks and have zillions of irritating commercials and the Interface is usually HIDEOUS.

But we can access our email from any device, anywhere...and that means we are willing to deal with these potential irritations. I for one am using strictly gmail, and I almost always check it and respond from my cell phone. I don't want to deal with having to download my email local to my machine and then make sure i have a backup of it. Gmail has taken care of all of that for me. Never lost an email yet.

 

[davehc]

Hi there

Another No No about webmail is that it requires a Browser and fairly unfettered Internet Access for it to work -- a security risk for a lot of organisations.
Cheers
jimbo

Do I misunderstand? As far as I am aware, all Email clients need an internet access?

"Can download only what I want to, rest of it doesn't even reach my computer."

I use Live mail on my desktop. But this is a personal choice. It probably works differently for each provider and countries, but, my ISP, of course, operates my Email delivery and receive facility. I can, if I wish, abandon any Email client on my desktop, and access my mail at my ISPs site. - Inbox, outbox, Spam etc.

 

[pparks1]

Hi there

Another No No about webmail is that it requires a Browser and fairly unfettered Internet Access for it to work -- a security risk for a lot of organisations.
Cheers
jimbo

Do I misunderstand? As far as I am aware, all Email clients need an internet access?

Well, not exactly. If somebody sends you an email and it gets delivered to something like an Exchange server, then your outlook client only needs internal LAN access to Exchange to get your email.

But most webmail is on port 443 (SSL), and companies pretty much have to support employees working remotely, so OWA (outlook web access) is pretty much a given. We have Outlook configured for RPC over HTTP so that people can use their Outlook client from anywhere with Internet access without having to connect via a VPN.

 

[CountMike]

I was just wandering where are those "annoying adds and other stuff" in my g.mail ?

 

[davehc]

Hi there

Another No No about webmail is that it requires a Browser and fairly unfettered Internet Access for it to work -- a security risk for a lot of organisations.
Cheers
jimbo

Do I misunderstand? As far as I am aware, all Email clients need an internet access?

Well, not exactly. If somebody sends you an email and it gets delivered to something like an Exchange server, then your outlook client only needs internal LAN access to Exchange to get your email.

But most webmail is on port 443 (SSL), and companies pretty much have to support employees working remotely, so OWA (outlook web access) is pretty much a given. We have Outlook configured for RPC over HTTP so that people can use their Outlook client from anywhere with Internet access without having to connect via a VPN.

I was really thinking in terms of the average desktop users. Nothing as complicated as office, etc. workers on a Lan. nevertheless, somewhere down the line, internet access is needed.

 

[RBS]

OMG!!

What if they re-install Windows XP ????

 

[adamf]

I was just wandering where are those "annoying adds and other stuff" in my g.mail ?

If you click on one of your mails you see the ads. (well I do). As for internet access I think Jimbos point was with a e-mail client you can download all your mails and reply to them off line (on a plane for example) and then send the responses when you connect again. I could be putting words in his mouth though.

 

[CountMike]

Not a trace of any adds here,

I don't have Addblock or anything like that either unless it's an inbox message of course but that would be in the Outlook too if I open a message like that. Besides most of unsolicited messages end up in Spam anyway. I can choose now what to actually download and what not. If in Outlook or any e-mail client all of those would be downloaded and written to disk, whether I wanted it or not and take considerably longer time. If there was an malicious attachment in a message, that would end up in my computer too without a chance to review it and so be at the mercy of AV to block it. That's one of the reasons I feel safer with webmail.