[WinPartners] Microsoft Outlook 2003 Release Announcement

[Bryant C. Vernon]

Date: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
To: MIT Community: itpartners at mit.edu, winpartners at mit.edu,
sw-release-announce at mit.edu, ed-tech at mit.edu, kakapo at mit.edu
Cc: itag at mit.edu, is&t at mit.edu
From: Software Release Team
Subject: Microsoft Outlook 2003 Release Announcement

Good Afternoon,

I am pleased to announce enhanced support and documentation for Microsoft
Outlook 2003. Microsoft Outlook 2003 is the latest version of the Outlook
email client from Microsoft for the Windows platform. 

This release marks the first, full-fledged IS&T release of Microsoft
Outlook.  

We continue to work towards releasing the Techtime Outlook Connector so that
you will have the option to synchronize your Outlook Calendar with TechTime.
Information on the progress of this release effort can be found in the
release notebook at http://web.mit.edu/swrt/releases/outlook. We plan to
release the Techtime Outlook Connector in June 2004.

Notable Features of Microsoft Outlook: 
--------------------------------------
-Navigation Pane allows users to quickly navigate between Mail, Calendar,
Contacts, and Tasks
-Reading Pane displays more information and reduces the need for scrolling
large messages 
-Messages can be ordered by a variety of criteria, such as date, subject,
size, conversation, importance, etc.
-Quick Flags allow users to flag messages by priority or time sensitivity
and find them in whichever folder they reside
-Supports SMTP authentication
-Integrated Research task pane brings electronic dictionaries, thesauruses,
and online research sites into Outlook 2003 so that you can find information
and incorporate it into your messages (some research resources require an
Internet connection).

For a complete list of notable features, please reference the Microsoft
Outlook 2003 Overview Page:
(http://www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/prodinfo/overview.mspx) or visit
the Microsoft Outlook 2003 Product Information Site:
(http://www.microsoft.com/office/outlook/prodinfo/default.mspx).

Known Issues:
-------------
- Microsoft does not support installations of Outlook 2003 that coexist with
previous versions of Outlook.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/2003/three/ch9/OutD01.htm#sub_1

-After installing Office 2003 you should turn off script debugging in
Internet Explorer to avoid being prompted to debug scripts. Testing and user
feedback has proven this prompt to be an issue in some cases.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;822521

-Line breaks in plain text messages sent from Outlook 2003 may not display
properly in Eudora and in Outlook.

http://itinfo.mit.edu/answer?id=6979 

How to Obtain:
-------------- 
Microsoft Outlook 2003 is part of the Microsoft Office 2003 suite. Special
pricing for Microsoft Office and other Microsoft applications is available
through MIT's Microsoft Select Agreement from GovConnection:
http://web.mit.edu/ecat/govconnection/

GovConnection Part# - Product Description 		- MIT Pricing
462225 	- Office 2003 Standard License Only 	- $45.24
461895 	- Office 2003 Professional License Only 	- $54.19

You will also need Select installation media to install Office and use the
select license key; we recommend you purchase the media at the same time if
needed.  Use GovConnection# 463851 for Office 2003 Standard CDs and
GovConnection# 463853 for Office 2003 Professional.  Both cost $22.47. One
media set can be used for multiple installations for the Select License.

Both the licenses and media are special order, so expect about 7 days for
delivery.

Please note that your department may have special licensing agreements with
Microsoft that supersede MIT's licensing agreement. If you have questions
regarding departmental licensing agreements, please contact your
departmental IT administrator or administrative officer.   

Getting Help:
-------------
The Outlook 2003 at MIT page is located at:
http://itinfo.mit.edu/product?vid=614

If you have a question or need assistance, please contact the Computing Help
Desk at computing-help at mit.edu or x3-1101.

All the Best,
Bryant C. Vernon
Microsoft Outlook 2003 Product Release Coordinator 
Software Release Team 
Information Services and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology