I can hardly believe that this has happened - the Outlook compatible PIM for Linux known as Evolution is now available on Windows. As a matter of fact, I actually emailed Pirillo about this the moment I first discovered the application had finally been successfully ported.

It’s great on Linux, but on Windows - there are some issues.

If you are just looking for a good local PIM with POP email support, this is a great option. The calendar works and is very responsive. But the MS Exchange support is not working at all for me with this ported application.

On my Ubuntu install, everything with my MS Exchange needs are flawless. But I can deal with this. My real question will be whether or not I can actually get this to Bluetooth sync with my Cingular 8125. I need it to handle my contacts, tasks and my calendar without fail. If this can happen, I may very seriously look into dumping Outlook for good as I am growing tired of it as things stand anyway.

Linux and Windows - so happy together!

What I am really looking forward to is being able to synchronize my data files between the two OSes. No longer will I have to leave my Linux notebook on the shelf with regard to serious business needs. It appears that I finally have a choice of Open Source PIM access on my Windows desktop.

It’s interesting; one of the biggest problems I had with using Linux 99% of the time was lack of compatibility with my Microsoft applications such as Outlook. But rather than pointing fingers here, suffice it to say that with any luck I will be able to have another option to that of only using Outlook. This is pretty exciting and hopefully come Monday, I will have some good news to report.

Evolution - it may not be pretty, but it’s free and it works.