Rodney O. Lain - 2000.04.18
In other centuries, human beings wanted to be saved, or
improved, freed, or educated. But in our century, they want to be
entertained. The great fear is not of disease, but of boredom. A
sense of time on our hands, a sense of nothing to do. A sense that
we are not amused. Where will this mania for entertainment end?
- ;. This artifice will drive them to seek authenticity.
Authenticity will be the buzzword of the twenty-first
century."
- Michael Crichton, Timeline
It began innocently enough.
One day, I'm sitting at work, talking to a client. He wants to
know how to get one of our software products to work in conjunction
with Microsoft Outlook. From what he is saying, he is describing
Microsoft Outlook, not Outlook Express. Outlook is the
full-fledged, Microsoft Exchange-server compatible email and
scheduling application for PCs; Outlook Express is the freeware
emailer and contact management app for the Mac - a sop to those of
us who'd prefer the meatier group-sharing program.
Wanting to make sure I did not misunderstand him, I repeated his
request to him, asking if he is talking about Outlook Express.
"No, I'm talking about Outlook, not Outlook Express."
I scoff the veracity of his claims, but he swears that there is
a Mac version of the Outlook client. He says that it is version
8.2.x. He explains that it ships with Microsoft software for system
administrators, but that it is in hidden files. I don't know if
this is true; I am merely passing along what he said.
I don't think too much about it, until a few days later, when I
mention this to my supervisor, who then opens up his PowerBook and
launches Outlook 8.2.1. I'm surprised.
"How long have you had this?"
"At my last job, we were connected to an Exchange server, and
all of us Mac users were given an installation copy of
Outlook."
We play around with it, and I notice that it doesn't appear to
be a version written from the ground up for the Macintosh. Instead,
it looks more like that terrible "port" called Microsoft Office
4.2.1 - arguably the most forgettable Microsoft product for the Mac
ever.
This revelation (maybe it is old news to you) begs the question
that many have voiced time and again - why doesn't Microsoft live
up to its promise to produce more Mac versions of its software?
This is a valid question, since part of the Apple-Microsoft deal in
1997 was a promise to produce Mac-versions of its flagship software
- or was that just pertaining to the Office suite?
A Microsoft official has been quoted as saying that producing
Mac versions of products like, say, Microsoft Project, is not
feasible, yet millions are spent on Internet Explorer and Outlook
Express, which are both given away for free. Of course, the cost
spent therein is a small price to pay for steps toward Microsoft's
controlling the Internet, so this comparison is not a good one. But
the argument still remains: why aren't more MS products being
ported to the Mac, especially when Microsoft Office is such a
bestseller for the Redmond giant.
But I digress from my main point, which is Microsoft Outlook.
The fact remains that this is a product that exists - and yet no
one hears about it in the Mac community.
What would be the motive behind Microsoft not promoting this
product? I can think of a few:
- Microsoft has a no intention to support the Mac beyond the
letter of its agreement with Apple. After all, any company that
isn't Microsoft is a competitor to Microsoft. I'm sure that
Microsoft wants Apple to do well, but not that well.
- Microsoft has other things to tend to. Like that
antitrust thing.
- Microsoft is being realistic. The Mac market is still a
small market, it can be argued.
This whole Outlook "cover-up" begs other questions, namely, what
other Microsoft products are not available? How about Mac versions
of Microsoft Encarta? How about a Mac version of FrontPage (not
that I'm about to give up my copies of Macromedia Dreamweaver and
Adobe PageMill)? And, a personal request, how about a Mac version
of the Encarta Africana? I can keep this up all day.
Microsoft talks about its commitment to the
Mac, but there is more said about actions than words. I'd like
to see some action on Microsoft's part.
After all, I was born in Missouri. Literally. Kansas City.
1968.
Fini
Note: Via the search engine courtesy the fine folks at Version Tracker, I discovered
you can find the Outlook Exchange client at
ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/exchange/exchange-public/fixes/Eng/Exchg5.5/SP3/MAC.
If you prefer Microsoft Outlook Express, go to http://www.microsoft.com/mac/download/en/default.asp.
