The Wise in GroupWise
I don't understand why Lori MacVittie didn't mention Novell GroupWise in her Aug. 5 BuzzCut, "Oracle's Groupware Challenge." I have worked with Microsoft Exchange/Outlook, Lotus Notes and GroupWise. Notes is a very customizable but bloated package that is extremely expensive if you're using it just for e-mail. Microsoft's products are buggy and squirrelly, to say the least. Novell GroupWise, however, has been scalable, robust and stable in my experience. It is far superior and more economical than what is coming out of Redmond.
There are alternatives to Microsoft products other than IBM offerings and now what Oracle's bringing to the table. Let the world know.
Rich Hamel
Manager of Information Systems
Melwood Training Center
rhamel@melwood.com
Lori MacVittie responds: Forgive my inadvertent omission. I agree that Novell GroupWise is alive and kicking and should have been included in my article.
Fix-It-Tool Funnies
Thanks for Bruce Boardman's article "SolarWinds Sheds Light on Networks." I'm considering toolkit-level products for an 80-plus site WAN and found the article very helpful. In particular, I enjoyed Boardman's "wake up and pay attention to this boring stuff right here" sense of humor, which made me chuckle a few times out loud. I caught the F-16 thing but missed Finger as a kidding point. Great article.
Dave Masterson
Senior Director of Technical Services
The Catholic Diocese of Memphis
dmasterson@cdom.org
More Truth
I agree with Greg Shipley's comments in "Security Watch: The Hole Truth," but I see a problem: Very few decision-makers are willing to invest in security resources -- at any level. Even when they are forced to do it or could gain some benefit, they delay, retract or simply ignore. This is not a bitter remark, but it is based on our experience. IT security is often considered relevant to talk about but futile to apply; it is considered an accessory.
Francesco Millotti
Documentation and Training Manager
Data Security, Italy
friscom@tin.it
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Heavy Thinking
While reading your July 8 cover story, "And Now for the Heavy Lifting," I was struck with a sense of déja vu all over again -- another case of management trying to resolve a poor business process with technology.
Specifically, Life Time Fitness' vice president of marketing, Will Sullivan, describes the "limitation" of Life Time's present accounting system and relates a scenario in which he can't figure out how much the company spends on office supplies. On reading it, my first thought was "why don't they set up sub-G/L accounts to track projects or supply purchases?"
My point is that poor procedures are not resolved by throwing new software or technological "fixes" at them; some initial thought needs to be given to the problematic situation and to the possibility of changing the way things are done.
A little BPR (business-process re-engineering) can go a long way in these kinds of situations. It amazes me that some 10 years after the publication of Michael Hammer's milestone book about BPR [Re-engineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, HarperCollins, May 1993], many businesses still run the way they do "because that's the way we've always done it." Throwing a new computer at these kinds of problems is analogous to patching a tire on a car whose brakes and engine are giving out as well. It's a short-term fix that won't help in the long run.
Bob Fately
Vice President
Third Wave
f8lee@mindspring.com
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Linux Misstep
Regarding Lori MacVittie's BuzzCut, "UnitedLinux at Odds With Open Source?", I think UnitedLinux would be a terrible move for the Linux OS and distributors. Linux is becoming more popular because of its lack of per-seat licensing and, of course, because it's open source and free. Once the Linux distributors start charging per seat, I think the Linux movement will be over and companies will stick to Microsoft-based products.
Microsoft has a firm grip on the market and is coming out with some great new products that will enhance Microsoft networking and with Internet applications that could push the Linux movement out of the market. By comparison, Linux is hardly known on the desktop now, and Microsoft Server and Enterprise Server capabilities are pushing companies further away from Linux. UnitedLinux will generate some revenue for a time and may make some individuals' pockets fat, but in the end, which won't be far, UnitedLinux's greed will halt the Linux OS's momentum. It's hard enough now to get companies big or small to move to Linux for lack of support personnel, so this is just another impediment.
Is UnitedLinux the wrong direction? Most definitely.
Grant Weasner
Computing End User Support Analyst
Company name withheld upon request
a href="mailto:gweasner@earthlink.net">gweasner@earthlink.net
Correction
The phone number for nCircle Network Security (Quick Takes, July 22) is (415) 625-5900.
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