PST Import Tool and Microsoft stupidity

J

John Lockwood

A while ago I (along with thousands of other people) read the announcement
that Microsoft was going to release a .PST import tool for Entourage 2004.

I along with I suspect thousands of other people rejoiced, believing that AT
LAST Microsoft had listened to YEARS of requests for such a tool (although
ideally exporting as .PST would have been possible as well).

Until this week I had no need to use this tool and merely had noted its
availability ready for such a need.

Today I come to try and use it and discover that it will only import from
Outlook 2001 for Mac AND WILL NOT IMPORT FROM OUTLOOK FOR WINDOWS!!!


ARGGGHHHHHH!!!!!


How utterly, utterly, UTTERLY stupid can you get. Microsoft you miserable
idiots we wanted and still want this utility to import .PST files sent us by
PC users!!!

As a result of this mind numbingly stupid decision we are still no further
forward. As a further result it is now infinitely LESS likely that I will
migrate our company to using an Exchange server (since Microsoft still
cannot provide compatibility between their OWN products).

Not only does Entourage 2004 still suck as an Exchange client (less so,
admittedly than Entourage v.X) but it still cannot exchange .PST files with
PC Outlook users!!!

To Microsoft - may a plague of one hundred thousand viruses infect your
computer [oh they already do]
 
D

D

John Lockwood wrote:

Today I come to try and use it and discover that it will only import from
Outlook 2001 for Mac AND WILL NOT IMPORT FROM OUTLOOK FOR WINDOWS!!!
Click to expand...

<snip>

I agree - completely misses the point about interoperability between
Entourage and Outlook. I doubt it's stupidity, though. I reckon it's a
calculated (albiet cynical and annoying) tactic to keep switching to a
Mac just that little bit more inconvienient. Shame.

D
 
J

John Lockwood

John Lockwood wrote:



<snip>

I agree - completely misses the point about interoperability between
Entourage and Outlook. I doubt it's stupidity, though. I reckon it's a
calculated (albiet cynical and annoying) tactic to keep switching to a
Mac just that little bit more inconvienient. Shame.

D
Click to expand...

Ah, so you adhere to the conspiracy theory view, rather than the cock-up
view.

If (for arguments sake) it is due to Microsoft conspiring to make things
difficult, then it is pointless. I am getting round it by importing in to
Outlook (on a PC), then re-importing from that into Mozilla Thunderbird (on
a PC), and from THAT I can either move directly to Entourage or even better,
Apple Mail. So as a result of Microsoft conspiring to make it more difficult
than it should be, I not only will not (apart from the conversion) using a
Microsoft product on Windows, but I will not be using Entourage either,
whereas if they had not artificially limited their PST Import Tool I would
have been using Entourage.

While we are on the topic of Microsoft conspiracies. For many years, (some)
Apple users believed that Microsoft DELIBERATELY crippled the performance of
Excel on the Mac by adding delay loops to their code (since at times,
PowerPC chips have been KNOWN to be significantly faster at floating point
calculations than Intel chips of the same period).

Now that Apple are moving to Intel chips, the SAME chips used to run Windows
(and therefore the Windows version of Excel), any such shenanigans will be
MUCH MUCH more obvious.

Of course, Apple users will now have all the same pleasures of using Pentium
chips as PC users. Just like below.

I am Pentium of Intel. Division is futile. You will be approximated.

Fellow veterans will remember when Pentium chips had a major bug that led to
this joke.
 
D

D

Ah, so you adhere to the conspiracy theory view, rather than the cock-up
view.

If (for arguments sake) it is due to Microsoft conspiring to make things
difficult, then it is pointless. I am getting round it by importing in to
Outlook (on a PC), then re-importing from that into Mozilla Thunderbird (on
a PC), and from THAT I can either move directly to Entourage or even better,
Apple Mail. So as a result of Microsoft conspiring to make it more difficult
than it should be, I not only will not (apart from the conversion) using a
Microsoft product on Windows, but I will not be using Entourage either,
whereas if they had not artificially limited their PST Import Tool I would
have been using Entourage.
Click to expand...

Sometimes - often - it's difficult to see the difference between a
cock-up and a conspiracy. The latter only being necessary because of
the former. But, I think I said "a bit more inconvienient", which is
enough to put most people, who arn't as resourceful as present company,
off. (sorry about that strung-out preposition). I use Entourage, after
years of having to use Outlook in various PC-only environments, because
of the intergration of mail, calendar, tasks etc. I've even managed to
make good use of its clunky project centre. There's a lot wrong with it
and Outlook is the only thing I miss from the PC world. I reckon the
main reason why MS won't make .pst portable between the OSs is because
once people are in the Mac world they might take to it and realise they
don't need most of the functionality of Outlook. Meanwhile Apple may
get their act together and integrate iCal, Mail and Address Book beter
and give it some more functionality. There again, Mac purists might cry
'bloatware'. I am not bothered and my loyalty is with the best price
performance. On balance that's Mac and Office for now. Don't care about
the chip. Good vehicles are the ones with engines you never have to
think about.

Cheers
 
T

Tom Meunier

....
Today I come to try and use it and discover that it will only import from
Outlook 2001 for Mac AND WILL NOT IMPORT FROM OUTLOOK FOR WINDOWS!!!


ARGGGHHHHHH!!!!!


How utterly, utterly, UTTERLY stupid can you get. Microsoft you miserable
idiots we wanted and still want this utility to import .PST files sent us
by
PC users!!!

As a result of this mind numbingly stupid decision we are still no further
forward. As a further result it is now infinitely LESS likely that I will
migrate our company to using an Exchange server (since Microsoft still
cannot provide compatibility between their OWN products).

Not only does Entourage 2004 still suck as an Exchange client (less so,
admittedly than Entourage v.X) but it still cannot exchange .PST files
with
PC Outlook users!!!
Click to expand...

If you have an Exchange environment and a PST, you're already licensed to
use Outlook for Windows, and it comes on the Exchange media. Just open it
in that Outlook, connected to the Exchange server, and drag & drop into your
mailbox. Then Entourage will see them.

I don't disagree with your point, but you're not without options, but having
Exchange in the environment means that you have everything you need to do
the job that you say you want done. And more reliably than a conversion
util would do it, too.
 
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