In a blog written by Kentc, the author has brought up the subject of Outlook Connectors and their role in allowing email users to synchronize their personal email tools with Outlook. It can be used to synchronize an end-users’ email, calendar, and contacts with Outlook using a technology called DeltaSync.

The Wikipedia definition for DeltaSync is listed as follows:

“DeltaSync is a proprietary Microsoft communications protocol for synchronizing web services with offline clients.[1] Windows Live Hotmail is exposed to offline clients using DeltaSync, and Outlook Connector and the Windows Live Mail client use it for offline access. Microsoft is pushing for this protocol instead of POP3 or IMAP4 for supporting various advanced features like contacts, calendar, notes synchronizing. Using the DeltaSync protocol, Microsoft intends to provide a common platform for any compatible device to implement a client which can two-way synchronize mail, contacts, calendar and notes.”

Kentc has written that many users would like to be able to easily respond to emails from their Outlook application but at the same time indicate that the email they are sending is coming from a personal email application such as Hotmail.
I think that it’s great to have that kind of flexibility but the downside is that it makes it easier for users to be able to slip into spending time on personal email matters at work when they are being paid by their employer for time spent working on matters related to the employers’ business rather than on personal email matters.

Be that as it may, from a pure technology perspective I can definitely get excited about the pure technology and work involved in writing a software tool such as an Outlook Connector.

Continue reading The Outlook Connector Advantage