Microsoft Mail from the UNIX platform

[Derek Balling]

I know this is a little offtopic for the list, but I think that this is
probably the best place to look for people trying to do what we are.

Our company has email using Microsoft Mail, which sadly requires windows
on most desktops in the office so that people can read company memos,
etc.  Mail to and from the Internet is handled using TFS Gateway
software.

Well, the computer lab is centered around a UNIX platform (mostly Linux,
but a few Solaris systems strewn around). In order for US to read our MS
Mail, we have to either have a seperate Windows machine for each person
(which by nature of how our lab operates would essentially do nothing
except read the mail) or constantly LILO boot into whichever OS we need
"at the moment" (a very ugly solution).

What I'm wondering is what solutions exist that would enable us
technoweenies to get our mail without having to convince the entire
company to abandon MS Mail and move to something based on standard
protocols like POP or IMAP.

I could mount the network drive the mailbox information is on, but I
don't know of any client for the UNIX side that would either (a)
read/write to the postoffice directly, or (b) grab and forward users
mail and store it in a UNIX mailspool which we could then read locally
using our preferred email client of choice.

What might work (and would help us migrate users to a POP solution)
would be the latter of the two options, such that the software knows
enough to grab Users X, Y, and Z's mail, allows those users POP3 access
TO their mail, and accepts SMTP mail from them. (either to other company
employees, or to get forwarded out to the net).

Any help would be appreciated.

Derek Balling
NOC Technician
Peoples Choice TV
708-482-2941