Rating: 
Summary: Misleading when it comes to Exchange 2000
Review: There is almost a whole chapter which discusses an HTML Form converter to be used to convert Outlook forms to Web forms. This tool was delivered with Exchange 5.5 SP3 but disappeared in Exchange 2000 because Microsoft changed its technologies. The impression is that the Form converter can be used with Exchange 2000 but this is not the case. Herein lies a fundamental problem with the book. It tried to encompass both Exchange 5.5 and Exchange 2000 but failed to distinguish adequately between the two platforms. The waters remain murky.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must Have Reference
Review: This and "Building Applications with Outlook 2000" are the two great references of the Outlook world. Both must be on your shelf if you plan to do any amount of Outlook programming. The examples are good (and work). Rizzo covers the intermediate to advanced topics like: the various collaborative MS systems (dives right into this on page 4) with examples, e-mail (auto name resolution, delayed delivery, voting buttons, etc.), and information management. The author then tackles Exchange Server (directory, public folders (a biggy), security, replication, tools). Then back to Outlook with examples on how to build applications, forms, and VBScript (won't somebody please come out with a book with Javascript examples also? ). Other topics are exhaustively treated: Web access, COM with examples. Finally (my favorite) the CDO. At this point he tips over the edge into the advanced topics and begins teaching everything by example (gee), wrapping up with a tips and pitfalls section. The author also devotes time to the Exchange Scripting Agent, Routing Objects, ADSI, and Exchange COM components. The CD contains all the example code. A must have for the Outlook programmer's library.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Reference
Review: This and "Building Applications with Outlook 2000" are the two great references of the Outlook world. Both must be on your shelf if you plan to do any amount of Outlook programming. The examples are good (and work). Rizzo covers the intermediate to advanced topics like: the various collaborative MS systems (dives right into this on page 4) with examples, e-mail (auto name resolution, delayed delivery, voting buttons, etc.), and information management. The author then tackles Exchange Server (directory, public folders (a biggy), security, replication, tools). Then back to Outlook with examples on how to build applications, forms, and VBScript (won't somebody please come out with a book with Javascript examples also? ). Other topics are exhaustively treated: Web access, COM with examples. Finally (my favorite) the CDO. At this point he tips over the edge into the advanced topics and begins teaching everything by example (gee), wrapping up with a tips and pitfalls section. The author also devotes time to the Exchange Scripting Agent, Routing Objects, ADSI, and Exchange COM components. The CD contains all the example code. A must have for the Outlook programmer's library.
Rating: 
Summary: The content is great . The direction questionable.
Review: This book has a lot of great stuff. My only concern is the same as with the SAMS book on Outlook 2000. The direction for Exchange and Outlook is the Internet! If you want to keep an edge in today's competitive environment you need to keep a look out for changes in direction. You absolutely need to complement this book with something like "Essential Mail Protocols" by Jennifer Adams or "Programmer's Guide to Internet Mail" by John Rhoton to cover all bases.
Rating:
Summary: Essential if you plan to use Outlook 98/2000 for Web email
Review: This book is absolutely essential if you plan to use Outlook 98/2000 along with Exchange 5.0/5.5 to give your clients access to their email from anywhere on the Internet.
Rating:
Summary: An absolutly MUST for all developers
Review: This book is an absolutely must for all developers who are developing collaborative applications with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook. Anybody who is going to dive into that stuff should have a copy of this book!
Rating:
Summary: A beginners handbook
Review: This book is not for the seasoned or advanced programmer. It offers a little too much "by the numbers" descriptions of very standard applications. No tips, tricks or advanced concepts and discussion of the underlying architecture and reasons for Outlook and Exchange to operate they way they do.Want to make simple applications that are merely minor modifications of Outlooks current features ? This book is for you. Want to truly understand Outlook and Exchange and make serious applications ? Look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Very comphrehensive!
Review: This book is the best one I have found on Exchange (both 5.5 and 2000) and Outlook. It is very clear, concise and taught me a bunch of new programming techniques when building collaborative solutions. One great thing is that there are actually useful sample applications that do things like a helpdesk, calendar of events, electronic training and news ticker. Just the samples are in fact worth the price of the book! Check it out. You will like what you see!
Rating:
Summary: A true collaborative reference for the semi-experienced user
Review: This book will broaden your understanding of how to use different tools and languages to make the most out of your Exchange 5.5 servers. The book consists of fifteen chapters divided into three parts. The first part is an introduction to collaborative systems; tools available and how Outlook and Exchange fit into this. Part two deals with building outlook applications; covering more about what you can do and use it, than giving it any depth. The last part describes further development with Exchange (CDO, event scripting agent, server routing objects, ADSI and COM components). The nice thing about the book is that Thomas Rizzo knows his way around the Microsoft product (no wonder, he is almost an integrated part of them) and tells you how to work with different tools and languages to obtain the best results. But this insight also work to his disadvantage, as he sometimes forgets to tell you the most obvious things which you need to know to make use of the examples he provides you with. He has some much on his mind that the text sometimes seems a bit unstructured. The book tries to cover areas for the unexperienced to the seasoned developer. In my opinion, Thomas, with his huge insight, should aim for the more experienced developers and provide more useful stuff for them. If you are new to Exchange development then a lot of this stuff will seem overwhelming. If not, this book is a very good supplement, especially for Outlook developers who want find out more about the possibilites Exchange offer.
Rating:
Summary: A reference to what you can to do with Exchange
Review: This book, the second edition, is mostly for the experienced developer simply because Thomas Rizzo has so much knowledge to share that the inexperienced ones will feel overwhelmed. Throughout the book he focuses on how to use other Microsoft products, tools and features in collaboration with Exchange. In this second edition digital dashboards and the team folder kit has been added to the general overlook of possibilities with Exchange, Outlook forms development, VBScript, the Outlook object model, CDO, ADSI, COM Add-ins, Outlook and the web, the event scripting agent, useful COM components and server routing objects. Nothing is covered in detail, but there are a lot of code, and he gives you tips and advices you won't find anywhere else (because he's a Microsoft man and knows the whole picture). The last, and a small part of the book, is dedicated to Exchange 2000. The nice thing is that he first tells you what differs from the Exchange 5.5 server and then provides you with an extended example which is truly collaborative as it makes use of many different aspects of the Microsoft platform. By refering to the example he explains how you can make the most out Exchange 2000 (schema, web storage, active directory, workflow engine, etc). The example alone is almost worth buying the book (it is of course on a cd). If you already got the first version, this book will not make much difference, unless you have a use of the provided example. Otherwise, if you're an experienced developer this is a good reference of what you can do with the Exchange server.
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