Focus On: Email

Don't believe Christmas greetings-by-email is huge business? Google it. Every sleazebag outfit on the web offers them. Some even throw-in spyware and rootkits or links to phishing sites, free of charge. That's why so many network managers do everything they can to block the traffic. Email Battles invents a way to make everybody happy. Sadly, nobody's using it.

With all the hoopla surrounding Yahoo RSS Mail, you can be forgiven if you were under the impression that a great technical barricade has been breached. By mating webmail with an RSS news reader, Yahoo made a webmail client that also presents RSS news feeds. That's a long, long way from an RSS messaging system.

Microsoft's MSN and Hotmail have apparently been brought to their knees by an as yet unidentified virus. As a result, Comcast reports subscribers are being blocked. Customers of Canadian ISP Cogeco are purportedly managing a bit better, with one out of five messages actually reaching their targets. Update (5 Dec 2005): Comcast says it's getting better, & suggests giving it a shot.

The end is near for Exchange 5.5 as Microsoft terminates product support January 1, 2006. For those who haven't already upgraded or switched, the big question is (as always): Microsoft Windows, Linux, Apple OS X or Other? All communities will find more highly regarded solutions for the enterprise than ever before, spanning both Open Source and Commercial worlds: Bynari Insight Server, eGroupWare, exchange4linux, FirstClass, Kerio MailServer, Kolab Server, Lotus Notes & Domino, Novell GroupWise, Open-Xchange, OpenGroupware and Scalix. Late Additions: Merak Email Server Suite, Zimbra Collaboration Suite.

So far, the Sober-Z worm has directly or indirectly disrupted email service for millions of subscribers at MSN, Hotmail, Comcast, Cogeco, and probably, Telewest. Email Battles notes that Telstra and Webcentral customers cannot be counted among the victims, as those ISPs have found other ways to deny service.