Help! Home Workgroup System Design

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bill
  • Start date Start date
B

Bill

I'm not sure this is the best forum for this question - please feel free
to suggest another forum/newsgroup.

Work, school, soccer, vacations, etc. Keeping an active family sync'ed
is becoming a nightmare!

I already have a home lan set up and working. I now want to implement a
workgroup solution for our family:

- Shared calender over the 4 PCs so we can sync schedules/appts
- individual contact list mgmt, with ability to sync w/ iPhone and
Windows mobile devices
- PC clients include WinXP, Vista machines, w/ Macs a possible future
addition
- Currently use Outlook Express email clients on XP while cautiously
exploring Windows Live Mail on Vista (primarily as read-only when on the
Vista machine; I haven't yet migrated my Outlook Express email archives
because I'm not sure how)

What I *really* want is the functionality that I have at work with MS
Outlook, but on my home lan for my family

What's your suggestion/solution?

Regards,

Bill
 
I already have a home lan set up and working. I now want to implement a
workgroup solution for our family:

- Shared calender over the 4 PCs so we can sync schedules/appts
- individual contact list mgmt, with ability to sync w/ iPhone and
Windows mobile devices
- PC clients include WinXP, Vista machines, w/ Macs a possible future
addition
- Currently use Outlook Express email clients on XP while cautiously
exploring Windows Live Mail on Vista (primarily as read-only when on the
Vista machine; I haven't yet migrated my Outlook Express email archives
because I'm not sure how)

What I *really* want is the functionality that I have at work with MS
Outlook, but on my home lan for my family

What's your suggestion/solution?

Regards,

Bill
Click to expand...


If MS Outlook on your job does the trick...
then why not use it at home too?
 
Bill said:
I'm not sure this is the best forum for this question - please feel free
to suggest another forum/newsgroup.

Work, school, soccer, vacations, etc. Keeping an active family sync'ed
is becoming a nightmare!

I already have a home lan set up and working. I now want to implement a
workgroup solution for our family:

- Shared calender over the 4 PCs so we can sync schedules/appts
- individual contact list mgmt, with ability to sync w/ iPhone and
Windows mobile devices
- PC clients include WinXP, Vista machines, w/ Macs a possible future
addition
- Currently use Outlook Express email clients on XP while cautiously
exploring Windows Live Mail on Vista (primarily as read-only when on the
Vista machine; I haven't yet migrated my Outlook Express email archives
because I'm not sure how)

What I *really* want is the functionality that I have at work with MS
Outlook, but on my home lan for my family

What's your suggestion/solution?
Click to expand...

Windows 2003 Small Business Server R2 - you want the functionality of
Exchange is sounds like.
Regards,

Bill
Click to expand...


--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
spodosaurus said:
Windows 2003 Small Business Server R2 - you want the functionality of
Exchange is sounds like.
Click to expand...

Reading up on the features ... you may be right. It's that server side
of the equation that I need. And it seems like I can get a 5-client
license for about $600, which is not too bad for what it may help us
achieve.

I'll research this some more.

Thanks!

Bill
 
philo said:
If MS Outlook on your job does the trick...
then why not use it at home too?
Click to expand...

Because in my home it's just a standalone client on PCs, with no shared
calendar like at work. In another response, spodosaurus suggested an
affordable server solution that may complete my system requirements.
I'm going to check it out.

Thanks!

Bill
 
Bill said:
Reading up on the features ... you may be right. It's that server side
of the equation that I need. And it seems like I can get a 5-client
license for about $600, which is not too bad for what it may help us
achieve.

I'll research this some more.

Thanks!

Bill
Click to expand...

I have to wonder if the client licenses are in addition to the server OS
costs...

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
spodosaurus said:
I have to wonder if the client licenses are in addition to the server OS
costs...

Ari
Click to expand...
Along these lines, you may do well to examine exhange alternatives that
integrate with the outlook client and can run on an XP operating system:
MUCH less expensive. Not sure if they can run without a domain and user
authentication server though.

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
Google Calendar??Not all functions you'd want, but as a shared calendar..

http://www.google.com/calendar/

--
Tumppi
=================================
A lot learned from these newsgroups
Helsinki, FINLAND
(translations from/to FI not always accurate
=================================
 
Bill said:
Because in my home it's just a standalone client on PCs, with no shared
calendar like at work. In another response, spodosaurus suggested an
affordable server solution that may complete my system requirements.
I'm going to check it out.

Thanks!

Bill
Click to expand...


Though the server suggestion will certainly work...
since this is a home network I made the assumption that you did not want to
stick a lot of $$$$ into it.

Perhaps all you need is some application such as

http://www.officecalendar.com/


I've not used it so I don't know how well it works...but there seem to be
plenty of apps out there
that may work for you.
 
Bill said:
I'm not sure this is the best forum for this question - please feel free
to suggest another forum/newsgroup.

Work, school, soccer, vacations, etc. Keeping an active family sync'ed is
becoming a nightmare!

I already have a home lan set up and working. I now want to implement a
workgroup solution for our family:

- Shared calender over the 4 PCs so we can sync schedules/appts
- individual contact list mgmt, with ability to sync w/ iPhone and Windows
mobile devices
- PC clients include WinXP, Vista machines, w/ Macs a possible future
addition
- Currently use Outlook Express email clients on XP while cautiously
exploring Windows Live Mail on Vista (primarily as read-only when on the
Vista machine; I haven't yet migrated my Outlook Express email archives
because I'm not sure how)

What I *really* want is the functionality that I have at work with MS
Outlook, but on my home lan for my family

What's your suggestion/solution?

Regards,

Bill
Click to expand...

The best solution for a family network would be to forget computers and just
talk to each other.
 
RIAA said:
The best solution for a family network would be to forget computers and just
talk to each other.
Click to expand...

This from the guy that can't tell the difference between duel and dual...

Being able to check each others calendars makes scheduling family
resources very easy, compared to having family meetings every time
someone wants to go shopping.

Ari


--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
spodosaurus said:
This from the guy that can't tell the difference between duel and dual...

Being able to check each others calendars makes scheduling family
resources very easy, compared to having family meetings every time someone
wants to go shopping.

Ari
Click to expand...

And just how did families communicate before computers came along, and why
is the family unit deteriorating so rapidly now? Computers are fine for
business and internet and other areas, but a family should talk rather than
try to imitate how things are done at work.
 
RIAA said:
And just how did families communicate before computers came along, and why
is the family unit deteriorating so rapidly now?
Click to expand...

Evidence please, not idle conjecture or unfounded assumption.
Computers are fine for
business and internet and other areas,
Click to expand...

Like organising a busy household.
but a family should talk rather than
try to imitate how things are done at work.
Click to expand...

So you've repeatedly asserted that this entire family goes through the
day without speaking to each other. Yeah. That's what anyone without a
brain tumor or chronic intellectual disability would also assume. Uh huh.

Why do you assume that what you think "should" happen with other people
is the way things "should" be? Perhaps you can live as you believe you
"should" and stop trying to present yourself as superior to others
because they are not behaving just as YOU think they "should".

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/
 
RIAA said:
And just how did families communicate before computers came along, and why
is the family unit deteriorating so rapidly now? Computers are fine for
business and internet and other areas, but a family should talk rather
than try to imitate how things are done at work.
Click to expand...

Besides a simple marker board would probably do. But that's like saying
the pencil is adequate word processor : )
 
DonC said:
Besides a simple marker board would probably do. But that's like saying
the pencil is adequate word processor : )
Click to expand...
Good point Don. Much more the ideal solution than the pseudo-intelligent
ramblings of spudosaurus. (what is that anyway? a gay dinosaur?)
 
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