why cant you just download pop3 mail into an offline store without duplicates? -all they want remotely is mail.

why the hell couldn't they just have outlook connect over a single tcp port and negotiate another for its data like everything else.

like, what is the party line here? what does microsoft say to do? setup a vpn? install a web server? open a bunch of ports to the internet for rpc ds is and such then put hosts/lmhosts entries, split dns zones or install wins?
well why the hell does it need netbios even?

i read everyone suggesting owa here. this is, in other mailsystems, a usefull frill. is this really the only useful way to let people get mail from home? why must i wrangle with the setup proclivities and crap throughput and extra user instructions of a vpn just to get email?

Its nice and fast with a local pst file and imap, but they need the shared calanders/addresses and stuff while in the office.

i mean, the vpn works, its just stupidly slow. like it takes about 3 minutes just to open outlook, then 5-20 sec for each message you click.

ok, most of this post is completely off topic, but i feel like i'm in a vacuum here. what does everybody else do? i feel as though i am missing the simple answer.

any thoughts?