The Outlook Web App -- Gotta Hate It, Basically...
We used to use Microsoft's Remote Desktop here at the festival a lot -- and I mean a LOT. This is a GREAT way to access your Outlook email when away from the office.
But there was this OTHER way to access email: the Outlook Web App.
I've never been a huge fan, being honest, even though I had others using it (mainly because many people weren't given full Remote Desktop access for many reasons). I always found it difficult to use. Ridiculously so, in my opinion. I mean, shouldn't the idea be to mimic Outlook as closely as possible? That would make sense to me! (I feel the same way about mobile website apps, by the way -- try to make them work like the original site, if possible. I find most mobile websites IMPOSSIBLE to use -- and very annoying. But that's another tale...)
Today Christine and I began what will be a lengthy (very!!!) process to organize the email of our boss, Jeff. It has to be done, and it's dealing with tens of thousands of emails that need processing. If we were using Outlook on his computer, this would be pretty simple. But if Christine wants to use the Outlook Web App, she simply cannot perform some of the functions she needs to do the job!
It's IMPOSSIBLE to use the 'edit message' feature in the Web App. That means you can't add a note to a message or change the subject line. Why, why, why??? Don't they see the need for this, or what? In our office it's really an essential feature...
So she's either going to need to be 'hands on' with Jeff's computer when he's not on it, or I'll have to show her how to Remote to his computer (again, when he's not on), so she can do this work.
But it could have been done easily enough if the function to edit was available in the Outlook Web App!
As usual, Microsoft, I hate you. (No, by no means as much as I hate Apple! But still...)
Could I please be one of your betas??? I have so many logical thoughts about your software (after years and years and years of use, mind you) -- and ways to improve. Ways that make sense and HELP the consumer (consumers of ALL AGES and BACKGROUNDS, too -- not just young, hip users). It drives me crazy that changes are made for the WRONG reasons. Don't fix what's not broken. Don't change things so drastically that you're long-time users can't begin to use the 'new' version. Keep things simple and logical, but not to the point where they're much harder to use!
I'm wasting my time typing these things, as we all know!
I know, I know. I should quit bitching about Microsoft. But when I see something with so much potential being screwed up year after year? It just makes me crazy.
Yeah, I also know that easy-to-use doesn't bring in the biggest bucks for a company -- it's worth more if people MUST rely on you to tell them how to do even the most simple thing. But is it really only about the bottom line? What a lousy legacy that is...
Okay, I'm done now. Christine and I will have to find some way to do this job -- and it's going to be a pain, I'm sure. I'd better get in and live with it.