Maybe I am crazy, anybody ever come across something that they always wanted to try, or check out further, or perhaps learn? I am not just talking about climbing a mountain, or walking to Tibet, (or that blonde down the street). I mean something in our professional realm. I investigate new technologies all the time, I play with them until I understand them a little better, then I wait for a practical application to come along an impliment it. I did this with Linux, VMWare, and some other cool stuff. That said, you will all know that I am crazy when I tell you of my latest little hobby project.

Sharepoint Services.......

OK I can hear all of you screaming,  " what is a dedicated open-source guy/company, like me dabbling in the dark side? After all, I have many open source alternatives that I use, develop, and love.  Why would I waste even more time trying to make the blasted thing useful?

I am not sure myself...

I have been down this road before, romanced by the slick interface and the cool windows graphics. I have spent more than a few sleepless nights researching fatal errors, and agonizing of yet one more "required component" (for charge of course) that I need to make it run and do something.

My only excuse is to say that Most windows users equate MS office with windows. They think office is windows, they spend all of their computing time in office, or can't be accessed from within office if it isn't in office it doesn't exist.

Web-applications (most open source) are great, and I truly beleive that the future of computing is in web-applications. Sharepoint, to me, is like a web application that is hooked up in office...SO it may just be usefull someday?...or not

Being a sucker for punnishment, I have installed server 2003 small business with what may or may not be a working installation of share point (I have to wait until all the service packs and security updates are installed to find out if it actually works.)

The default install that came with 2003 server SBE didn't install properly (go figure) so I have spent most of an otherwise billable day, obsessed with downloads, service packs, and more than a few reboots to get it installed.

Here are a few of my goals....

1. A working, no hassle installation
2. A document repository that integrates seemlessly with office (info-path?)
3. A MSSQL based business management database
4. An integrated colaborative development environment (to manage my open source projects)
5. A really pretty Visio drawing of the whole thing.

These goals may change as I realize my folly, or discover new capabilities. I will try to securely make some of this available while I develop but no promises.

I will keep you all informed as I go. I have to check out my new site now because it looks like at least the administration sites are working.

• Sick of complex "phone trees"?
• Sick of "scripted" technicians who can't solve your proplems without supervisor approval?
• Sick of not being able to understand the person trying to help you?
• Sick of being a number?