Funny Out of office messages

Tara Hall over at the developerWorks Lotus blog asked about funny Sametime status messages. The other day I received a funny e-mail with amusing out of office replies:

Suggestions for next time you're out of the office and need to set up an Auto-Reply e-mail:

*********************
I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.

*********************
I'm not really out of the office. I'm just ignoring you.

*********************
You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received
anything at all.

*********************
Sorry to have missed you but I am at the doctors having my brain removed so that I may be promoted to management

*********************
Thank you for your email.

Your credit card has been charged £5.99 for the first ten words and £1.99 for each additional word in your message.

*********************
Thank you for your message, which has been added to an email queueing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks and 3 days.

*********************
I am on holiday.

Your e-mail has been deleted.

*********************
Hi. I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.

*********************
Hi! I'm busy negotiating the salary for my new job. Please don't bother to leave me any messages.

*********************
I've run away to join a different circus.

*********************
AND, FINALLY, ABSOLUTELY THE BEST....

*********************
I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Loretta' instead of 'Steve'.'

As for the funny status message, one I can recall is:

I used to be more active when I was young

:o)

Rip and Replace: So long Exchange features--we hardly knew ye!

TechRepublic has an article out the features of Exchange that Microsoft has ripped out of Microsoft Exchange 2007. Althought not comprehensive, it lists the following as most significant:

• Exchange 5.5 integration: No longer available. Users will have to migrate to Exchange 2000 or 2003 before they can install 2007 (which is 64-bit only, of course) in their infrastructure. - You can still run a Domino 4.6.7a server in a mixed 5, 6, and 7 infrastructure
  
• Network-attached storage: Exchange 2007 does not support network-attached storage, only iSCSI.
• Active Directory Computers and Users-based management: The author seems to think this will make it more difficult to manage users. ROI?
• NNTP: Gone. NNTP has been removed from Exchange 2007. - Same in Lotus Domino. RIP, NNTP.
• Active/Active clustering: Only active/passive clustering is supported in Exchange 2007. - Active clustering has always (since Release 4.5?) - and still is - supported in IBM Lotus Domino.
  

The article then sums it up:

This isn’t a complete list of what Microsoft has gutted from Exchange 2007. While some of these features won’t be missed, some will take some getting used to and will require workarounds.

I'm sure Active/Active clustering (that has a single point of failure) will definitely not be missed since it never worked in the first place? ;)

Info Exame: TI - Infraestrutura: Colaboracao e' com o Sametime

A edicao de dezembro de 2006 da Info Exame que ja' esta' nas bancas contem uma otima reportagem sobre o IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5. Peca apenas em alguns pontos:

1. Suporte a dispositivos moveis: Como pronto fraco em sua avaliacao, a reportagem diz que "falta um cliente para dispositivos moveis". Entretanto, o IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5 Mobile lancado no dia 30 de outubro de 2006 fornece suporte para os seguintes dispositivos moveis:
   
   • RIM BlackBerry. Devices include BlackBerry 8700 and BlackBerry 7100.
   • Nokia Enterprise Eseries. Devices include Nokia E60/E61/E62/E70.
   • Windows Mobile V5. Includes all devices that run on this platform, such as Sprint / HTC 6700, HP iPAQ hx2790, Dell Axiom x51v, and Motorola Q (Smartphone) among others.
   • Windows Mobile 2003 SE. Includes all devices that run on this platform, such as HP iPaq H6315 and Dell Axiom X30 among others.
   
   Vale a pena ressaltar que a instalacao e' extremamente simples: basta voce apontar o browser do seu dispositivo movel para a URL do seu servidor (ex: http://sametime.minhaempresa.com.br/mobile) que ele detecta e instala automaticamente o Sametime Mobile para sua plataforma.
   
2. Suporte a Linux: A reportagem nao menciona o fato da plataforma IBM Lotus Sametime ser multi-plataforma e suportar o Linux tanto no cliente, enquanto suporte para um servidor IBM Lotus Sametime rodando em Linux foi anunciado para a primeira metade de 2007.
   
3. Suporte a VoIP: A reportagem nao deixa claro o suporte a chamadas de voz via VoIP entre usuarios do cliente Lotus Sametime 7.5, que utiliza o codec iSAC da Global IP Sound, a mesma fornecedora do codec licenciado pelo Skype.

No geral, uma excelente reportagem que da' as seguintes notas ao IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5

• Fabricante: IBM
• O que e': Software de comunicacao e colaboracao
• Ponto Forte: E' robusto e rico em recursos, pode ser expandido
• Ponto Fraco: Falta um cliente para dispositivos mo'veis
• Administracao: 8.0 - Via web, com definicao de politicas para todos os niveis de usuarios
• Comunicacao: 8.0 - E' similar aos programas de mensagens instantaneas pessoais, mas tem recursos para uso profissional.
• Colaboracao: 8,5 - Permite reunioes virtuais com compartilhamento de arquivos, visualizacao de slides e edicao.
• Plug-ins: 8,0 - Inclui alguns e traz uma ferramenta para desenvolvimento
• Preco por usuario: R$ 139,50
• Avaliacao Te'cnica: 8,2
• Custo/Beneficio: 8,0

Lovin' It!

Just got my notebook refreshed for the second time this year here at work, from an IBM Thinkpad T42 to a T60. The models here in Brazil are different than the ones in the US (usually lower video memory and no DVD burner), but the thing I like best about it is that now I'm not longer limited to 1024x768 of screen real estate.

Hannover is looking sweeeeet at 1400x1050. Actually, everything is, since I don't have to run everything maximized anymore, which makes it great for changing between applications quickly.