Tic-Tech: OWA (Outlook Web Access) vs Outlook 2000

From: Michael Dawson (mdawson@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us)
Date: Mon Feb 26 2001 - 17:01:24 PST

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    --- TIC-TECH message:
    Having a spell-checker, a personal address book and being able to do
    distribution lists are advanced features? Can't receive html? We're going back
    in time, folks. OWA will be easier to config for new setups, but it doesn't
    seem worth switching out of cks or third party email.

    --
    Michael Dawson
    mdawson@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us
    Computer Specialist
    McGilvra Elementary
    Seattle, WA
    206-252-3190
    http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/mcgilvra
    

    Wes Felty wrote:

    > --- TIC-TECH message: > I've just completed installing Outlook 2000 on all of our Office Staffs' > computers. Most of the time, I kept wondering why Outlook 2000 for Office > Staff and OWA for the teachers? I'm now using both systems at school and > home and I think that I have it pretty much figured out. But, I've got to > tell you that you get some real wierdnesses when you shift back and forth > between OWA and Outlook 2000. > > Before SSD came up with these standards, I was preparing to setup my own > teachers with Outlook Express (back when it still worked with cks as a POP3 > Server). I couldn't stand to see them telnetting into cks and using Pine. > But, Outlook Express and most other GUI e-mail systems bring your e-mail > down to the local computer. This isn't acceptable to have a teacher's > e-mail on a local computer where other teachers or students can see it. > Outlook Express does offer password protection, but its pretty weak. And, > non-existent if the user forgets to logout each time. > > So, down to OWA and Outlook 2000 ... Both of these applications leave your > e-mail and file attachments on the SSD Server unless you download them to > your local computer. To my thinking, this is the best feature of these two > systems. They are also both alike in being Client-Server applications. > The actual applications in both cases run on the Server. > > But, how do they differ and why might you use one over the other? OWA is > quick and dirty. It requires no configuration at all on the local > computer. It only requires a Web Browser that can do frames and a few > other slightly advanced Web operations. Internet Explorer 5.0 or later > should be used. A lower version may be used but not as well. OWA does a > good job of sending and receiving e-mails. Your e-mails stay on the Server > until you delete them (With an interesting exception). You can search for > SSD e-mail addresses for Exchange accounts, VAX accounts, and CKS accounts. > There are a number of features that OWA can do that it appears are not > setup on our SSD system, such as Calendar and Group Scheduling. > > Outlook 2000 has a lot of advanced features. One of these is a > Spell-Checker. Another is Distribution Lists which are personal e-mail > lists that are very easy to setup. It only takes a couple of minutes to > make or modify e-mail lists for your whole school. You can setup an > AutoSignature line including graphics. You can setup a Calendar and > suppossedly share it with other people. (This sharing appears to not be > activated on our SSD Exchange Server). You can also create Folders to > divide up and organize e-mail messages as well as create topic threads. > > This ability to easily create Distribution lists of e-mail addresses is > probably the most important reason for having the Office Staff use Outlook > 2000. And, a spell checker can make e-mails look more professional. And, > the ability to sort and organize messages is more important when you need > to handle a lot of data. > > If you go back and forth between OWA and Outlook 2000, you will find the > messages that you kept on OWA disappearing from OWA and appearing on > Outlook. The e-mails stay on the Server, but OWA only displays new > messages. Once Outlook picks them up, they disappear from OWA. > > If anyone is interested in how to setup Outlook 2000 (you have to have an > Exchange "@seattelSchools.org" account), or how to use Outlook Express with > CKS and still send e-mails out, let me know. They are both quite simple. > > -Wes > wfelty@gte.net > > The following is from a Web Page that gives more exacting information on > what OWA lacks that the full Outlook has. > > Outlook 2000 > > Microsoft Outlook Web Access > Supported and Unsupported Features > Outlook Web Access gives you secure access to your e-mail, calendar, group > scheduling, and public folder information on Microsoft Exchange Server > using only a Web browser. > > The Outlook Web Access user interface varies slightly from other Outlook > client family products, because it requires special optimizations to work > within a Web browser. > > Features > You can access Outlook Web Access and take advantage of the following > features: > > Basic e-mail. Outlook Web Access users can address mail using the Microsoft > Exchange Global Address Book, send and receive file attachments and > hyperlinks, set messaging priorities, and request delivery and read > receipts. Also, they can use hierarchical folders and the Outlook bar, and > group and sort messages in a folder based on standard fields or a > conversation thread. > Basic calendar and group scheduling. Users can create one-time or recurring > appointments in a personal calendar, and access daily and weekly views of > the calendar. Also, they can view free/busy times for multiple users and > resources when scheduling a meeting, and automatically send and respond to > meeting requests by using e-mail. > > Basic public folder access. Users can access custom table views in public > folders, and group and sort messages in a folder based on standard fields > or a conversation thread. Users can access public folders anonymously, > allowing customers and employees to post various types of requests for > information, such as sales or product data, via the Internet. > > Collaborative applications. In addition to basic public folder support, > users can develop custom forms by using Microsoft Visual InterDev™ and > display them in Outlook Web Access. > > Limitations > Outlook Web Access is not intended to satisfy advanced e-mail and > collaboration requirements addressed by the other products in the Outlook > client family. It does not include the following advanced features: > > Personal address books > Spell-checking > Sending and receiving rich text or HTML mail messages > Auto-resolving of addressees > Message flags and inbox rules > Three-pane view > Dragging and dropping to a folder > Searching for messages > WordMail and Microsoft Office integration > Monthly view and other customized views of a calendar > Displaying discontinuous days side by side > Appointment list views > Viewing free/busy details > Dragging and dropping to move an appointment > Tracking acceptance of meeting attendees > All-day or multiple-day events > Task lists and task management > Outlook forms > Microsoft Exchange digital encryption and signatures > Synchronizing local offline folders with server folder > > - End TIC-TECH message. To join, leave, or visit > the message archive, go to Tic-Tech on the Web: > http://fp.seattleschools.org/fpclass/tic-tech/

    - End TIC-TECH message. To join, leave, or visit the message archive, go to Tic-Tech on the Web: http://fp.seattleschools.org/fpclass/tic-tech/



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