And so it begins...

If anybody is interested, I'm in the process of changing my email
infrastructure. I've read a lot over the years about the weaknesses of
Outlook and the joys of a "real" email client (many of those statements from
someone who shall remain nameless but whose name rhymes with Avid Ibbs
<grin>).

This is involving a whole slew of technologies, from VMWare to Linux to Open
Source, all in an effort to consolidate my network. I've grown from a
single PC and a model 150 to an eight-machine network, and it's time to make
some changes.

So far, my general impressions are this:

1. VMWare. Freaking astounding. I've only scratched the surface of this
tool, but the things it can do are incredible. In fact, in some ways the
product is too good. I actually find myself asking it to do the impossible
and being upset when it only handles minor miracles.

2. Linux. Way too many decisions for one man to make. Just trying to
figure out the flavor or Linux (the "distro") is enough to make your eyes
roll up into your head. You think picking a version of Vista is bad, try
picking one of a hundred different Linux versions.

3. Mozilla. Your two most subjective choices: your browser and your email
client. I've grown up with Microsoft and Outlook and frankly didn't know
any better. And while I'm still getting my arms around things, I have to
say that Firefox and Thunderbird are some pretty impressive packages.

I'm not done yet by any means. Converting from a POP3 server with Outlook
to an IMAP server using Mozilla isn't going to happen in a weekend (although
a lot of it did). But if you're interested in my travails, I'll probably be
writing a few articles in MC, and I'll answer questions here if I can.

Joe Pluta

See What i Can Do