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Microsoft Office Unable To Locate Internet Server For Hyperlink On Mac

If you use a network to connect to the Internet, you might have to specify a mail proxy server. Ask your network administrator for the correct settings for your mail proxy server. For instructions about how to enter these settings, see Mac OS Help. Cause: Your email server is unavailable. Solution: Make sure the mail server is online. It will help if you post the errors you are receiving from the testexchangeconnectivity wizard. Alternatively, you can run the same test from Outlook: hold the CTRL key while right-clicking on Outlook's icon in the tray, select Test E-mail autoconfiguration. Get a free trial and you’ll have access to the latest AI-powered apps, 1 TB of cloud storage per person, and premium mobile features to stay on top of things wherever you are on any device. Download and install Office apps for free on multiple PCs/Macs, tablets, and phones. Review, edit, analyze. And simultaneously this result in Hyperlink in Microsoft Excel not working issue Well this is very irritating as with the eruption of the issue the entire functions in Excel disrupts. So, here in this article I am providing the complete information how to resolve Excel Hyperlinks do not work problem. Mac service and repair. Learn about AppleCare+ and the Apple limited warranty coverage, start a service request for your Mac, and find out how to prepare your Mac for service.


Topics Map > Features and Functionality > Client Capabilities > Desktop
Topics Map > Features and Functionality > Client Capabilities > Mobile
Topics Map > Features and Functionality > Client Capabilities > Web (OWA)

Important: Many errors or inability to access a feature/action will occur if an Office application (such as Outlook, Word, or Teams, etc) is not correctly authenticated into Office 365. Before performing major troubleshooting, please follow steps outlined within Office 365 (Outlook for Windows/MacOS) - Incorrect Authenticated Account document and see if the problem is resolved.

Below is a list of known issues within Office 365.

You can contact Microsoft directly to make a case for supporting a specific feature in Office 365, by submitting your idea to Microsoft's Office 365 feedback and suggestions site at https://office365.uservoice.com/

For a list of issues that have been resolved, click here.

You may also want to review support documentation from other services that may be related to the issue you are experiencing.

  • OneDrive for Business: known issues | support
  • Wisc Account Administration site: known issues | support
  • Google Apps: known issues | support
  • WiscList: known issues | support *

Note: If you are experiencing message delivery delays and are interacting with a WiscList, review the documentation related to WiscList above.

All clients or multiple clients

The issues listed below apply to all or multiple email/calendar clients.

  • Cannot respond to S/MIME encoded emails in Outlook on the web

    • Individuals who receive an email that is signed with a security certificate, may not be able to respond or forward that message when using the Outlook on the web client. The UW-Madison Office 365 team is working with Microsoft for a solution.

    • Workaround: Use a desktop client to answer S/MIME encoded email.

  • Cannot print calendar in Outlook on the web's new interface as of 09/2019. Per Microsoft, this is known behavior/issue.

    • Workaround 1: Print calendar using the browser option instead of using the print option in Outlook on the Web.

    • Workaround 2: Save the calendar as a PDF using Internet Explore and then print the calendar events.

    • Microsoft recommends voting for the option to print calendars in Outlook on the web's new interface here: https://office365.uservoice.com/forums/264636-general/suggestions/38460925-not-printing-details-of-the-meetings-calendar.

  • When editing a single instance of a recurring event, the edited event may not appear appropriately for invitees of that event.

    • In order to prevent this and any possible data corruption of your calendar from occurring, we recommend that if you would like to edit a single instance of a recurring event, delete that single instance from the recurrence and create a new event where the deleted instance would have taken place.

  • Unable to view/open attachment

    • Certain attachment types are blocked in Office 365. If you are unable to view or open an attachment, please review this document to verify that the file type is not blocked.

  • If a resource calendar is set to auto-accept meeting invitations, the title/subject of the event will list the name of the organizer when the resource calendar is viewed

    • This only occurs only if the resource calendar is invited to the event. If the event is scheduled on behalf of the resource -- i.e., the resource calendar creates the meeting -- this will not occur.

    • Microsoft is aware of this issue and has stated that the feature is working as designed.

    • There are two ways to work around this issue:

      • Use the resource calendar to create the meeting. In order to do this, you will need at least read and write permissions to the resource. Select your client below for instructions:

      • Disable auto-accept for the resource calendar:

  • Desktop versions of Outlook may display some emails in CJK characters (aka. Chinese characters, Han characters, kanji, etc.)

    • Open the problematic email in Outlook, click Actions > Other Actions > Encoding, and then change the encoding to Unicode (UTF-8).
    • Or, open the email via Outlook on the web. If the CJK characters still appear, you will need to open the email in an Outlook desktop client and change the encoding.

  • Filtering based on which alternate address in the To field does not produce the expected results.

    • The reason for this is because when the message is received and processed within Office 365, the alternate address is replaced by the primary address of the account.
    • A possible workaround for this is to create a matching header rule (It includes these words | in the message header...) instead - and enter the alternate address as the matching words.

  • When calendaring between different systems (e.g.,Gmail, Yahoo!, etc. to Office 365 and vice versa), the attendee may receive anywhere between 0 and 2 invitations.

    • Similar behavior should be expected when the attendee accepts or declines a meeting, and when the owner of the event cancels the meeting.

  • Sending an event invite to an '@groups.wisc.edu' address -- a WiscList with scheduling enabled -- will result in all Office 365 members receiving up to 3 notifications of the event.

    • The attendees will be able to take action on the event invitation from any of the notifications, but only one response is necessary.

  • If a Novell/GroupWise user invites an Office 365 resource calendar to an all day event, the event may appear from 7:00pm to 7:00pm the next day.

  • From March 1 - March 31, if an Office 365 user receives an event invitation from anr external calendar system, the event time will be one hour behind.

    • This issue occurs because of Daylight Saving Time. More information can be found here.

  • Calendar clients (in most case mobile clients) may not load/sync or load/sync very slowly.

    • This may occur if recurring event(s) do not have an end date set. To fix this issue, edit all recurrence events using Outlook on the web or Outlook desktop client and confirm/set a specific end data.

  • Email clients that are configured via IMAP will experience a variety of limitations and performance issues.

    • All clients connecting via IMAP will experience data throttling

      • Throttling causes a reduction of speed when downloading or moving a large number of messages
      • Throttling is controlled by Microsoft and cannot be removed

    • If throttling occurs when you are attempting to move mail, you may lose messages. For information on how to avoid this issue, click here.

    • Most IMAP flags are not supported in Office 365. Only the 'Read/unread', 'Important', and 'Recent' flags are supported

    • If you have a client configured via IMAP, Outlook on the web will show drafts of messages you have already sent in message threads

    • For information on how to improve your IMAP client's performance, click here.

  • Due to the issues listed above, configuring a client via IMAP is not recommended.

  • Issues involving Office 365 service accounts:

    • Service accounts hidden from the Global Address List (GAL) by default. However, it takes a few moments for this setting to be enabled, meaning that for the first five (or so) minutes after creation, the service account will be displayed in the GAL.

      • During this time, it is possible to subscribe to the account's calendar or use the Open mailbox feature in Outlook on the web.
      • Once this five-minute window has elapsed, users will no longer be able to subscribe to the calendar or use the open mailbox feature because the features to do so require searching the GAL.
      • To allow users to subscribe to the service account's calendar or use the open mailbox feature, you will need to show the account in the GAL using the Wisc Account Administration site.

    • When a service account is hidden from the GAL, the only way to subscribe to its calendar is to use the Add calendar option within the email invitation that is sent as a result of the service account sharing it's calendar.

      • The Add calendar option does not work in local Outlook clients. When users attempt to subscribe to the calendar, the button either does not respond or the Outlook client will crash.
      • Adding the service account to your address book will allow you to subscribe to it's calendar in desktop Outlook clients; however, the data for the calendar will not populate. Outlook on the web does not allow searching based on address book entries.

    • A service account cannot be deleted within ten minutes of creation

  • Suggested Meeting Add-In places event at incorrect time and/or on incorrect date.

    • Sometimes the Suggested Meeting Add-In does not schedule the event at the correct date/time, even though it did pick up the correct date/time in the email.
    • The event should be deleted and recreated manually.

  • Problem with resource calendars not automatically processing event invitations and cancellations

    • Some users may experience an issue with resource calendars not processing event invites and cancellations appropriately, even if the setting is selected to do so.
    • Our current work around for this issue can be found here: Office 365 - Resource Calendar Not Automatically Processing Invitations and Cancellations

  • Changing your NetID password

    • When changing your NetID password, you must ensure that you update your clients and mobile devices accordingly and restart them because Office 365 has no facility to terminate active client sessions..

      • Update the password on the account linked to your desktop or mobile client. You can visit the following document for more information regarding client configuration/access Office 365 - Set up your mobile device or desktop client
      • Restart your mobile device or desktop client to put the change into effect.

  • Service account display names suddenly changes to include a '.' in front of the name

    • Role accounts migrated as service accounts will display with a period in front of the name, for example: the name 'Bucky Badger' will appear as '.Bucky Badger.' To resolve this issue, a domain admin will need to change the first and last name by following the steps provided in this document Office 365 - Change your display name.

  • When sending as someone else in Outlook desktop client, if you save the message as a draft it, will disappear.

    • The current work around is to not change the 'From address' until you are ready to send the email.

  • When using Office 365 web services, text appears in a language other than your 'default' Office 365 language

    • Office 365 web services use browser settings to determine language. If you have multiple languages configured within a browser for translation or other purposes, Microsoft may recognize one of these additional languages and translate text automatically. Remove any additional languages besides the one which you would like to be displayed on Office 365 Web Services from your browser's settings.

Outlook on the web

The issues listed below apply only to Outlook on the web. Issues occur in all browsers, unless otherwise specified.

  • Error 'An internal server error occurred. The operation failed' when attempting to add/change image for a resource/shared mailbox.

    • Microsoft confirmed this as a known issue/behavior. When opening another mailbox via Outlook on the web, the account control cannot be maintained to the mailbox that was opened. It will only control the account you authenticated/logged in with.

  • Unable to log into Outlook on the web via Safari browser on MacOS Mojave - may receive 'We couldn't sign you in. Please try again'

    • We are currently working with Microsoft to further troubleshoot the issue.

  • Current workaround:

    • Use Chrome or Firefox to access your Office 365 account via Outlook on the web.
    • Use Outlook desktop client.
    • Upgrade your MacOS to most current version.


Desktop versions of Outlook

The issues listed below apply to one or more desktop version of Outlook. If a version is not specified, the issues applies to multiple versions of Outlook. Learn more about client support.

  • When you view items in the secondary mailbox, new items may not appear or items seem to be missing or items that you had deleted still appear in the secondary mailbox.

    • For additional details on this issue, review following information.
    • Workaround/solution:
      1. Start Outlook for Windows.
      2. On the 'File' tab, click Account Settings in the Account Settings list.
      3. In the Account Settings dialog box, click the 'E-mail' tab and then double-click your Microsoft Exchange Server account.
      4. In the 'Change Account' dialog box, click More Settings.
      5. In the 'Microsoft Exchange' dialog box, click the 'Advanced' tab.
      6. Click to clear the Download shared folders check box.
      7. Click OK two times.
      8. Click Next, click Finish, and then click Close.
      9. Restart Outlook.

  • Outlook for Windows will automatically load any account that you have been granted full mailbox permissions to, Outlook for Mac will not.

    • In Outlook for Windows, accounts that you have full mailbox permission to -- including any linked accounts -- will be added to your account list automatically. Review the following document for further details on AutoMapping: Office 365 - Automapping.
    • In Outlook for Mac, accounts that you have full mailbox permissions to -- including any linked accounts -- will not be added to your account list automatically. You will need to subscribe or configure these accounts.

  • User attempts to run Outlook for Mac (or any other Office for Mac application) and receives an error similar to the following: 'Your account, [account name], doesn't allow editing on a Mac, to learn more, contact your admin about your office plan.'

    • To resolve this issue, start by removing all Microsoft Keychain entries by following Step 3's instructions in this document: Troubleshoot Office for Mac issues by completely uninstalling before you reinstall
    • If following the instructions in Step 3 does not resolve your issue, complete all additional steps in the document to completely remove Office for Mac.

  • Error - Sorry! There was a problem, please try again.

    • When you attempt to submit a message as spam/phish, you receive the following error: Sorry! There was a problem, please try again
    • For information on how to avoid this issue, see Office 365 (Outlook for Windows/Mac) - Error - Sorry! There was a problem, please try again.

  • Unable to edit or assign permissions to or create/edit/delete events on a resource when granted editor/owner rights in Outlook for Windows.

    • Some users may experience the inability to edit (create, edit, delete events) or assign permissions to a resource even though the user has been granted the appropriate access to the resource.
      • Current Work Around
        1. Open Outlook
        2. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings
        3. Select your Exchange profile > Click 'Change' > Click 'More Settings' > Select the 'Advanced' tab
        4. Check Use Cached Exchange Mode (if not already checked)
        5. Uncheck 'Download shared folders'
        6. Click OK > Click 'Next' > Click 'Finish'
        7. Restart Outlook


OneNote


Teams

  • Users are unable to change the default apps in both the web and desktop application.

    • Issue: Users attempting to change their default Teams apps will initially see the change go into affect; however, their change will eventually revert back to the default settings. The issue will not appear immediately and can sometimes take approximately 15 minutes or more to appear.

    • Workaround: None.

    • Status: Microsoft plans to roll out a fix in the next couple of updates to Teams.

  • User's account is being blocked when sending a calendar invite through the Teams app (desktop or web) when they include the option to 'Add channel' to the invitation. This adds the Teams channel to the invite and includes the Office 365 group members in the invitation.

    • Issue: When a Group has a large number of external members, this can result in the sender being blocked by Microsoft if they include the 'Add channel' option to the Teams invitation. Basically sending suspicious messages to external recipients is consistent with compromised account behavior, the accounts are being flagged and in some cases blocked from sending additional messages.

    • Workaround: If the Office 365 Group includes a large number of external members you should not include it as a channel on the meeting invite. People can invite the Group, they just shouldn't add the channel. Outlook on the web and Outlook desktop clients do not have the option to add a channel to the invitation so they don't run into this issue.

    • Status: Microsoft has resolved the issue.

Server


See Also:

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  • Want to print this page? Try the printer friendly version.
  • For an extensive list of Microsoft alternatives, please seehttp://microsoft.toddverbeek.com/
  • Want to discuss this page and Microsoft alternatives?Visit the KMFMS forum on alternatives.

Where to start?


Are you aWindows user and want to gradually wean yourself off of a dependenceon Microsoft? Download, make a copy from a friend (yes, it'slegal), or order TheOpenCDwhich is a fantastic CD packed with a ton of great opensource software that will give you a taste on Windows of what'savailable on open source operating systems like Linux.You will be getting a fully featured, free office suite, a powerfulphoto editor, a cutting edge web browser, and so much more.Start usingthese very high quality, non-Microsoft applications today onWindows and you can gradually decrease your dependence on Microsoftat your own pace. Every Microsoft alternative you use helps tokeep choice and innovation in the software industry alive and itmoves you one step closer to being free fromeverything that is wrong with Microsoft.

If you're sick of the unreliability, the bloat, the insecurity, andthe perpetual upgrading associated with Microsoft products you'll behappy to know that there are some excellent alternatives out there.The list below is meant as an introduction to Microsoft alternativesand as such it is by no means comprehensive.

The KMFMS recommendedproducts are products that we here at KMFMShave personally used with great satisfaction. The recommended list doesnot necessarilyreflect the value of other alternatives, it is simply a list of productsthat we can personally vouch for. Just because a product isn't recommendedby KMFMS doesn't mean it isn't a great product - it may just mean that wehaven't had a chance to extensively use it yet. You may also beinterested in what other users have to recommend in the'alternatives' section ofour discussion forums.

Legal disclaimer: all product names below are trademarks of theirrespective owners.

Quick Guide

CategoryMicrosoft Product(s)Alternative(s)KMFMS Recommends
Desktop Operating SystemWindowsLinux,Mac OS X,and many, many moreFedora (Linux),Mac OS X
Web BrowserInternet ExplorerFirefoxNetscape,Opera,Lynx,ELinks,iCab, andmany, many moreFirefox
Office Suite, Word Processor, and SpreadsheetMicrosoft Office, Word, and ExcelOpenOffice.org,StarOffice,Corel Office,Lotus Smart Suite,Appleworks,KOffice,GNOME Office,WaveMakerOpenOffice.org
Email ClientOutlookThunderbird,Eudora,Pine,and many, many moreThunderbird*
<<< Discuss these & other alternatives >>>
Web Based EmailHotmailGmail,Yahoo! Mail,Hushmail,KMFMS EmailYahoo! Mail
Server Operating SystemWindowsBSD,Linux,Mac OS X,Solaris,and many, many moreRHEL,OpenBSD
Web ServerIIS, FrontpageApache,Tomcat,lighttpd,Zeus,Boa,thttpd,Enhydra,and many, many moreApache,Tomcat,lighttpd
Game ConsoleXboxSony PlayStation,NintendoSony PlayStation*
<<< Discuss these & other alternatives >>>
Internet Service Provider (ISP)MSNAOL,Earthlink,Speakeasy,and many, many moreWithin the USA:Earthlink for dial-up,Speakeasyfor broadband
Email ServerExchangeSendmail,Qmail,Exim,Steltor's Outlook ConnectorEvaluation not complete
<<< Discuss these & other alternatives >>>

Operating Systems

Did you realize that older computers which can't satisfactorily runthe latest version of Windows can be given a second lease on life byinstalling an operating system that better manages resources? Are youa home or businessuser who is tired of the instability of Windows or who could use theperformance increase that a well written OS would offer? You may be interestedto know that there is an OS out there calledLinux which offers much better performancethan Windows and without the overhead. Linux will breathe new life intohardware that you thought was obsolete and it will unleash the real powerin newer hardware. Even Microsoftcan't help but give Linux a glowing review as you can read in theirinternal memo that wasleaked in October 1998. Oh yeah - Linux is free too.

Another excellent option to consider if you are buying a new desktop or laptop isMac OS X. OS Xcombines the legendary ease of use and stylishness of Apple'sMacintosh operating system with the rock solid stability and power ofBSD. It easily outflanks Windows in ease of use, style, stability,security, and power. Mac OS X comes included with new Macs.

Are you an administrator who uses Windows as a server? If so, you should be awarethat the alternatives are more reliable, much more secure, andmuch less expensive.Linux makes an excellent server withits stability and excellent performance. It's also easy to install andeasy to administer if you get a distribution such asRed Hat's.If security is a concern (as it should be) you may also be interested inthe OpenBSD operating systemwhich is perhaps the most secure operating system in the world.It makes a great server and it completely blows away Windows (as well as mostother operating systems) when it comes to security.

Linux and BSD (including Mac OS X) are our favorites here at KMFMS because they have proven to be excellentsolutions for various projects. There are, however, several other non-Microsoft solutionsthat we haven't tried so those of you wishing to get a broad overview of what's out therecheck out the review ofoperating systems at tunes.org,the KMFMS forum on alternatives, orYahoo's listof operating systems (by the way - Yahoo, one of most heavily used sites on the internet,also runs on BSD).

Editor's note: the following information on the Mac OS was accuratewhen it was first published in August 1999. Some information,such as current version numbers, has since changed.

A KMFMS Reader writes: For those of who want a professional-level OS, but don't want to spend all your time learning it, MacOS X Server is good. (It's ideal for a small network.) OS X Server is only at version 1.0, but is quite comparable to Linux. With your help, it can grow into something that'll make Microsoft shake in their boots. It sits upon the Mach microkernel and BSD.

Web Browsers

The best choice in web browsers for nearly all people isFirefox(although, Safari is also agood choice for Mac users). If you are on Windows you should use itbecause it has nowhere near the number of security exploits asInternet Explorer, it is packed with a lot of powerful features whileretaining a very clean feel, it is quite stable, it won't bring downyour operating system if it does happen to crash because it hasn'tbeen forcefully shoved into the OS like Internet Explorer, andit properly supports Java (unlike IE). If you're not using Windows (goodfor you) then you're probably already using something else becauseMicrosoft can't strong-arm you into using IE. Although Microsoft doeshave a version of IE for the Mac, they have no loyalty and you woulddo well to not rely on it being there going forward since they havealready pulled the rug out from under users on other operating systems.Microsoft initially released a version of IE for Solaris so that theycould claim that IE was 'cross platform', but it didn't take them verylong after IE gained a majority market share to drop the Solarisversion entirely.

There are a ton of other browsers out there, some of which may be better than Firefoxfor certain situations. Several people considerOpera the ultimate lightweight browserand its speed and small size are very impressive if you're into that sort of thing.Also, Lynx andELinks are both text only browserswhich can be extremely useful for remote administration, but chancesare if you have a use for them you probably already knew what theywere. Finally, there's a whole slew ofbrowsers at Yahoothat fit into other niche markets.

Office Suites, Word Processors, and Spreadsheets

Why would anybody spend several hundred dollars on Microsoft Officewhen there are high quality, free equivalents available? Saveyourself some money by trying the free, high-quality, open sourceOpenOffice.org today.Not only will you save yourself a bundle now, but you'll save yourselfeven more on upgrades in the future as you will no longer be lockedinto Microsoft's viscous cycle of forcing MS Office upgrades by changingthe 'doc' and 'xls' file formats (OpenOffice.org does a good job of keeping up withthe newer MS Office file formats).

OpenOffice.org providesalternatives to many of the applications which make up the MicrosoftOffice suite including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, MicrosoftPowerPoint, Microsoft Access, and more.

If you work in a (physical) officethat uses office suite softwareand you are worried about potential compatibility issues, try this: limityour MS Office installation to a single machine and install OpenOffice.orgeverywhere else. For internal documents and documents which you print(or otherwise distribute in hardcopy form) you can standardize on theOpenOffice.org format (which is an open standard and not proprietary). For the few documents that you want toelectronically distribute outside your company, you can use OpenOffice.orgto write the document in MS Office format and then use your singleinstallation of MS Office to touch up anything that may not haveconverted perfectly. For incoming documents in MS Office format,OpenOffice.org will read most without a problem. If there ever are anyproblems, simply use your single installation of MS Office. Thissimple strategy could save even a small office several thousanddollars.

Email Client

There's a very goodreason why Outlook has come to be nicknamed LookOut by seasoned users.Microsoft Outlook has a notorious security history with many a virusowing its ability to spread to Outlook's 'features'.Help slow the spread of email viruses and support software diversity byusing another email program, such as the free and excellentThunderbird.

Perhaps you use Outlook for more than just email and an address book. If you use Outlook for scheduling as well, you may also want to consider using Yahoo! Calendar in conjunction with Thunderbird or a web based email solution. This can provide quite a bit more convenience and versatility than using Outlook by itself.

Do you want to further explore combining alternatives to replace how you use Outlook? If so:

  • Post your own question in the KMFMS forum on alternatives.

Web Based Email

When selecting a web based email service, you absolutely do not want touse Hotmail. Forget for a moment the large number of security holesthat have been uncovered in the Hotmail service (including one thatallowed anybody to read the email from any Hotmail account without using a password). An even bigger problem is that by using Hotmailyou are very likely to become victim of Microsoft's typical lock-intactics at some point in the not-too-distant future. MSN has lockedout non Microsoft browsers before, forcing people to use InternetExplorer, so what happens if Hotmail starts doing this too? Don't thinkfor a second that it doesn't matter because you use IE anyway - whathappens when you're traveling and you stop to check your email viathe web? What if you're visiting a friend who uses Firefox or you'reat a web kiosk that uses Linux underneath for security purposes? Youwon't be able to use IE, which means you won't be able to use servicesthat require IE.

Yahoo! Mail is an excellentalternative to Hotmail. It features exceptional functionality whichmany people consider superior to Hotmail (having never used Hotmailourselves, we are relying on third party comparisons). Mostimportantly, it is not produced by a company that has a vestedinterest in forcing users to use a particular browser. In fact,Yahoo! has an excellent track record of making their content availableto the widest possible audience. Yahoo! Mail is a good way to protectyourself against the software lock-in and incompatibility that yourisk by using Hotmail.

Web Servers

Microsoft office unable to locate internet server for hyperlink on mac os

If you're running a web server it's tough to beatApache.Over half the web servers on the internet are running Apache(Source: Netcraft), it hasthe largest number of developers developing for it(Source: Netcraft), and it offers far more performancethan most websites could ever dream of needing. It's also open source and freein all senses of the word which means it is more secure (because it is subject topeer review and doesn't rely on security through obscurity), it rapidly incorporatesnew standards, it is feature rich while at the same time capable of being entirelystripped down for maximum performance,it is well modularized for easy expandability, and it is guaranteed tohave long term viability because it is not being used to drive a perpetual upgradecycle. Add the PHP module onto Apachewhich makes dynamic content a lot easier to generate than with the CGI of daysgone by, and you have a first class web server for no money down and no payments ever.For an even more elegant and highly scalable dynamic content system, check outthe Tomcat servlet containerfor serving JSP and servlet content from Apache or other servers.

If you are fortunate to hit the performance limitations of the Apacheweb server, lighttpd is acompelling upgrade option. It combines the incredible scalability ofnext generation web servers with a high degree of customizability andthe ability to serve dynamic content in many of the same ways asApache. Like Apache, it too is free and open source, so youautomatically get the benefits of peer review and long term viability.

Game Consoles

The PlayStation platform has a much larger library of games availablethan the Xbox. Furthermore, current incarnation of the PlayStationare still capable of playing games made for older PlayStations, whichexpands the available library even more given that the PSOne was oneof the most successful systems in history.

Please note: this recommendation is under consideration for possible reconsideration. You may want to consider other alternatives as well, such as Nintendo.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

You should definitely avoid using MSN because it will force you intousing Microsoft's software. As of this writing (November, 2001) youmust use Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Hotmail to retrieve your MSNmail and the MSN website portal recently made headlines by blockingmost users who weren't using Internet Explorer (earning Microsoft amuch deserved rebuke from Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the WorldWide Web). You would be much better off with a non-Microsoft ISP andthere is practically no reason to go with Microsoft in this case asISPs are all very standardized and Microsoft doesn't wield monopolypower in that industry (yet).

Your physical location will have a great impact on your choices ofISPs. 'The List' is a verycomprehensive list of ISPs which should help you find an ISPregardless of your location. If you are in the United States, youmight want to considerEarthlink for dial-up access orSpeakeasyfor broadbandaccess. Earthlink has a very large number of dial-up numbersthroughout the US, which is good if you travel at all and have alaptop, and it is very easy to set up Linux to use an Earthlinkaccount. Speakeasy is an exceptionally good DSL company (absolutelyworlds apart from the Baby Bells, if you've had any experiences withthem) with a surprisingly clueful technical support staff whichactually supports Speakeasy on Linux.

Email Servers

The KMFMS evaluation of email servers is not complete enough to make arecommendation because expectations vary widely on what an emailserver is meant to do. Here at KMFMS we actually have considerableexperience with email servers within the context of sending andreceiving email. The problem is that enterprises might also want theemail server to handle ancillary tasks, such as calendaring, and weonly have experience using email servers for email.If you want a best of breed email server that outshines Exchangeon what email servers are supposed to do (transfer email) look nofurther than the staples of the internet,Sendmail andQmail.For email servers that handle more than email,we will reserve recommendations for a later date. For now, we willpass along the following pitch from arepresentative at Steltor who has informed us thatSteltor's Outlook Connectoris a 'piece of client-side middleware (MAPIservice providers) that allows you to replace Exchange with astandards-based offering consisting of a mail server offered bySteltor partners such as Sendmail, directory servers (offered bySteltor partners) and a best-of-breed calendar server offered bySteltor.'

A KMFMS reader wrote in to highly recommendExim writing that he stronglyprefers it over Sendmail and that it has easy to use spamfiltering.

Another KMFMS reader also wrote in to tell us aboutEMWAC IMS. He said that ifyou are stuck using Windows, EMWAC IMS is an excellent, free choicefor a mail server.He used it at his own ISP which handled over 100,000 email messages aday on a Pentium 100 and he claims that it is very well supportedin the community.

Do you want to further explore Exchange alternatives? If so:

  • Post your own question in the KMFMS forum on alternatives.

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