5 ms·

When I was forced to use Lync (due to an acquisition) in 2014 it was absolutely fucking terrible. The OS X client failed to report online status correctly, coul

by kough 11y ago

When I was forced to use Lync (due to an acquisition) in 2014 it was absolutely fucking terrible. The OS X client failed to report online status correctly, couldn't participate in most group chats or video or audio calls, and crashed regularly. Also weirdly non-native UI. And, no linux client to speak of - for a startup like the one I worked for where many devs used linux, that was a nonstarter. Has the story improved since then? (Thankfully no longer have to deal with it since I quit that job a half year later)

douche 11y ago
If you're using Lync, but can get by with just IM and presence, install Pidgin and use SIPE[1]. Even if you're on Windows, it's worth doing - Lync has some silly restrictions about running multiple instances, and no way to connect to more than one account at a time [1] http://sipe.sourceforge.net/ http://sipe.sourceforge.net/
mitchty 11y ago
Lync actually starts for you? Mine just segfaults on startup. I've given up on it entirely.
- area51org 11y ago
  Adium has a plugin available (OCS) that lets you connect. No video or audio, but if you just need IM to work, this'll do the job.
  - mitchty 11y ago
    Fortunately we have irc, lync is more used by managers to find out when people are available. I'll have a look though thanks!
hvass 11y ago
So much this. We are currently using Lync and to quote you: absolutely fucking terrible.
- Pxtl 11y ago
  12 clicks to view an attached image! 13 and you accidentally cancel it and it must be re-sent.
yulaow 11y ago
You should see how much even people inside microsoft hate Lync.
- douche 11y ago
  Fix it then. I heard a lot of sound and fury after the Skype acquisition, but it seems to have signified nothing.
0x0 11y ago
LOL, "lync.exe" a.k.a. "Skype for Business". 1. The worst brand management this side of 1984. "Skype for Business" has nothing to do with Skype and the .exe is still called "lync.exe" 2. SDK: Trying to use the C# SDK for even simple tasks leaves your app deadlocking or spinning 100% CPU in threads you didn't create or throwing native exceptions that doesn't make any sense as they are referencing raw hex 0x12345678 pointers or COM objects you never even touched. And if you try to watchdog all that have fun with 5 orphaned lync.exe's claiming your USB audio/video device.
- spdustin 11y ago
  Microsoft products are filled with references left behind by what I can only assume to be developers who were just hoping to get on a different product team after their next review. SharePoint's virtual path for its SOAP services is "_vti_bin". VTI = Vermeer Technologies Incorporated, the makers of FrontPage and the FrontPage Server Extensions. Then there was Groove (brought in Ray Ozzie's luggage) that was renamed SharePoint Workspace (groove.exe). SharePoint Designer (which didn't actually have a visual designer in the 2013, and final, release) crashes when performing some operations in source files ... With an exception in the FPEDITAX.DLL (FrontPage Editor ActiveX). Those can all almost be forgiven - they are like vestigial organs after each product evolved into something else. Until you get to OneDrive. smh
  - bitJericho 11y ago
    I knew OneDrive was going to be the punchline -_- So much wasted time.
    - bbcbasic 11y ago
      Can you or the GP explain?
      - bitJericho 11y ago
        OneDrive For Business is pretty much unusable: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2ex10y/onedrive_for_business_rant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2ex10y/onedrive_f...
area51org 11y ago
Between the two I'd pick Slack, hands-down. Lync is awful, and I have to use it—so I use the Adium with the OCS plugin instead. It doesn't do audio calls or video, but it is stable and fast. (For video, hangouts are much better anyway.) Slack? I use it, but I don't see the attraction. It's just another chat client with a couple of cute features. I'm really not clear on why the world seems so enamored with something that's really not much of an improvement on something we had in 1995.
- dasil003 11y ago
  It's a huge practical improvement over IRC. The integrations are turn-key for most things, very powerful, and deep search integration, so it can become your one-stop shop for things. It realistically has the possibility to replace Dropbox and email for internal collaboration. The channels, groups, and notifications preferences make it possible to structure your team for maximum signal to noise across both desktop and mobile. Saying that Slack is "just another chat client" is sort of like all the old arguments about how much more powerful PCs were than Macs because they have more features—it's ignoring the value of design and conceptual elegance, and the real impact that has on UX and productivity.
  - area51org 11y ago
    Every feature you mention was available in the '90s. I'm not saying Slack is bad, just that it's nothing impressive or innovative. The only surprising thing about it is that someone didn't make it sooner.
    - asgardiator 11y ago
      > The only surprising thing about it is that someone didn't make it sooner. ... is that not the hallmark of a great product?
      - goldenkey 11y ago
        Moreso that open source sprouts by necessity mostly. IRC buildbots and other integrations have been around forever. It's just that Slack paid for the integrations that really makes it shine. Money, and well the work->integrations it buys, really talks.

by kough 11y ago

douche 11y ago

If you're using Lync, but can get by with just IM and presence, install Pidgin and use SIPE[1]. Even if you're on Windows, it's worth doing - Lync has some silly restrictions about running multiple instances, and no way to connect to more than one account at a time [1] http://sipe.sourceforge.net/ http://sipe.sourceforge.net/

mitchty 11y ago

Lync actually starts for you? Mine just segfaults on startup. I've given up on it entirely.

area51org 11y ago
Adium has a plugin available (OCS) that lets you connect. No video or audio, but if you just need IM to work, this'll do the job.
- mitchty 11y ago
  Fortunately we have irc, lync is more used by managers to find out when people are available. I'll have a look though thanks!

hvass 11y ago

So much this. We are currently using Lync and to quote you: absolutely fucking terrible.

Pxtl 11y ago
12 clicks to view an attached image! 13 and you accidentally cancel it and it must be re-sent.

yulaow 11y ago

You should see how much even people inside microsoft hate Lync.

douche 11y ago
Fix it then. I heard a lot of sound and fury after the Skype acquisition, but it seems to have signified nothing.

0x0 11y ago

LOL, "lync.exe" a.k.a. "Skype for Business". 1. The worst brand management this side of 1984. "Skype for Business" has nothing to do with Skype and the .exe is still called "lync.exe" 2. SDK: Trying to use the C# SDK for even simple tasks leaves your app deadlocking or spinning 100% CPU in threads you didn't create or throwing native exceptions that doesn't make any sense as they are referencing raw hex 0x12345678 pointers or COM objects you never even touched. And if you try to watchdog all that have fun with 5 orphaned lync.exe's claiming your USB audio/video device.

spdustin 11y ago
Microsoft products are filled with references left behind by what I can only assume to be developers who were just hoping to get on a different product team after their next review. SharePoint's virtual path for its SOAP services is "_vti_bin". VTI = Vermeer Technologies Incorporated, the makers of FrontPage and the FrontPage Server Extensions. Then there was Groove (brought in Ray Ozzie's luggage) that was renamed SharePoint Workspace (groove.exe). SharePoint Designer (which didn't actually have a visual designer in the 2013, and final, release) crashes when performing some operations in source files ... With an exception in the FPEDITAX.DLL (FrontPage Editor ActiveX). Those can all almost be forgiven - they are like vestigial organs after each product evolved into something else. Until you get to OneDrive. smh
- bitJericho 11y ago
  I knew OneDrive was going to be the punchline -_- So much wasted time.
  - bbcbasic 11y ago
    Can you or the GP explain?
    - bitJericho 11y ago
      OneDrive For Business is pretty much unusable: https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2ex10y/onedrive_for_business_rant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/2ex10y/onedrive_f...

area51org 11y ago

Between the two I'd pick Slack, hands-down. Lync is awful, and I have to use it—so I use the Adium with the OCS plugin instead. It doesn't do audio calls or video, but it is stable and fast. (For video, hangouts are much better anyway.) Slack? I use it, but I don't see the attraction. It's just another chat client with a couple of cute features. I'm really not clear on why the world seems so enamored with something that's really not much of an improvement on something we had in 1995.

dasil003 11y ago
It's a huge practical improvement over IRC. The integrations are turn-key for most things, very powerful, and deep search integration, so it can become your one-stop shop for things. It realistically has the possibility to replace Dropbox and email for internal collaboration. The channels, groups, and notifications preferences make it possible to structure your team for maximum signal to noise across both desktop and mobile. Saying that Slack is "just another chat client" is sort of like all the old arguments about how much more powerful PCs were than Macs because they have more features—it's ignoring the value of design and conceptual elegance, and the real impact that has on UX and productivity.
- area51org 11y ago
  Every feature you mention was available in the '90s. I'm not saying Slack is bad, just that it's nothing impressive or innovative. The only surprising thing about it is that someone didn't make it sooner.
  - asgardiator 11y ago
    > The only surprising thing about it is that someone didn't make it sooner. ... is that not the hallmark of a great product?
    - goldenkey 11y ago
      Moreso that open source sprouts by necessity mostly. IRC buildbots and other integrations have been around forever. It's just that Slack paid for the integrations that really makes it shine. Money, and well the work->integrations it buys, really talks.