Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Christopher — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 18:37:29 GMT

You're asking me to inconvenience my organization by deploying pre-release (unstable, admit it) software that every single employee uses CONSTANTLY; and then you offer nothing in return. The "privelege" to test something for you and actually talk to you about your bugs is not an incentive. If you had added that you would give me the release version for free, with the same level of licenses that I currently have for Exchange 2003: Then I'd be all over this. My company (50 people, 2 exchange servers in a front-end/back-end config) would be willing to put up with some email problems for a free upgrade of Exchange. But alas, the only incentive you offer is a firm poke in the eye.

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Matthew Loraditch — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 19:29:56 GMT

I sent my email in, we are a small company with about 120 email users, and i'd love to join TAP. It seems to me MS seems to focus more on the big guy and doesn't always worry about how to make the little guys job easier so helpfully if we get in we can help with that!

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Bozford — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 16:20:14 GMT

Christopher,

MS isn't asking YOU to DO anything. They are asking if you are INTERESTED in doing something. Quit being so indignant at being given an option to have input. You aren't interested. We get it. Quit whining about it.

Do I agree with you that MS should offer the server for free as a thank you? Absolutely. Do you see me griping because I have the OPTION to participate? Nope.

Try being a little more constructive next time instead of a whiney weenie.

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Odin — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 22:59:52 GMT

Christopher,

Hey maybe you don't know this but if you are an MCP (Microsoft Certified Partner) you get all the Microsoft software for free. I get CD's every month of the latest version of software with a volume license attached to it for my company to use. Oh and if I were to lose the CD? I can always download it from the MSDN site. I work for a smaller company http://www.onsitetechnology.com than everyone here which is why I definately want to get into this test program. The smallest voice will be the loudest!

Odin

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Jørgen Flaten — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 09:50:09 GMT

I tried to send an email becuase I would love to participate in the E12 TAP. But I got a delivery failure back. Tried from two email accounts, with same error. Is the adress correct?

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Matthew Loraditch — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:40:45 GMT

Jorgen, I didn't have a problem perhaps their mailbox is full? what is the error, that should say so if that is the case

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Christopher — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 01:39:42 GMT

Whiney weenie lol. Yes I see how my comment could be read as whiney.

If you will permit me to restate:

I would love to participate. I love giving feedback. But if participating requires deploying pre-release code into my "production" environment then I'll need more incentive that I can use to sway my executives to agree to the risk.

And so the reason that I post feedback at all is to let MS know that they are missing an opportunity for feedback because they "free stuff" isn't there. My frustration in the fact that I could not participate in this program resulted in my wording as a whiney weenie. A lesson learned...

Were it a chance to comment on the new version in a non-production environment, then I'd be all over it.

Odin thanks for note.

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Exchange — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 03:13:41 GMT

Christopher,

There will be a separate beta program next year, which is where you can evaluate it in a test environment. The TAP is a special program with a very specific goal of production deployments - thus the "A" for Adoption :-) The TAP should not be confused with the concept of a beta program as it is a much more intensive, higher-touch program than a beta.

- KC Lemson

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

TowerDave — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 15:56:42 GMT

I am running SBS2K3 SP1 on my server here at home. I have 5 users on my home network. I use OWA. I am willing to test Exchange 12 on my production server, or do I need to wait for a specific version to beta test for SBS?

I'm sure you are looking for environments with more users, but I'll test if you are willing and my server meets the requirements.

TowerDave

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

dimitris — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:01:01 GMT

@Christopher: I am willing to participate - roaring to go actually - for two main reasons.
1. Because I think that the product will be stable enough already. I was in a TAP project for Windows 2003 (I used to get a new build every week and put in one of the sites with the highest peak traffics in my country) because I knew that IIS6 will be a far better product than IIS5 - even at beta. Same applies here. I have Exchange 2003 I am very happy for its performance in the last 18 months, I have migrated from NT4/5.5 in one of our locations so I take the stability for granted. I dont consider it a risk. You may but some of us dont.
2. I am not happy with the utilization of the capabilites of Outlook 2003 by my colleagues and I think that it is here that we are going to see the big (productivity wise) improvements in this release. This is a risk I am happy to take.

However I will be glad if during the TAP - if accepted - we are to get some feedback about the usability issues that our office clients will provide to MS (i.e. feedback on our feeback). In addition I will be eager to know if we shall have any kind of centralised support point the way Vista and Longhorn promise (where users ask for support - sent issues to a location that you define, when this happens).

Anyhow everyone gets what he/she deserves (husbands their wifes, companies their IT departments etc). And to philosophise a bit more about it... I will close with an old greek saying... the things that dont get redeemed, do get interest. So even if you dont get your free software you may have saved your company in productivity over that time, or you will get something else in a new company that will need someone to install this software etc etc.

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Exchange — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 00:54:08 GMT

Jorgen - I have been receiving many nominations per day, so I am confident that there is not a problem on my end.

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Robbie — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 02:20:36 GMT

Can I ask, when are you going to contact those who have made it into the TAP program, my boss keeps asking. Is there a cut off time that we should assume we did not make it in.

Thanks

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Exchange — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 02:27:17 GMT

Hi Robbie,

Sorry for the delay - the selections have been made, and the invitations will go out in the next few days. We won't be sending the rejections until we receive acceptances from most of the invitees, because if one of the invited customers decines the invitation, then we want to have a backup customer to invite next.

I expect the whole process to be completed by mid-November. Sorry for the delay!

- KC Lemson

re: Looking for customers under 500 employees/users for the Exchange 12 TAP program

Robbie — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 04:05:04 GMT

Thanks for the quick responce, fingers crossed we have been selected !!

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