found this:

Global Address list is NOT available offline for mobile devices (Windows Phone, Android, iPhone...)

http://community.office365.com/en-us/forums/172/t/10181.aspx

If that's true, that's it.  I'm out.  No more google, no more microsoft, no apple.  this is too much.  if everyone wants their ecosystem, they can go ahead without me.  Microsoft and their idiotic ecosystem that doesn't even play with their own products is the silliest one.

I'm off to check out owncloud's contact capabilities.

Quote from: Stoic Joker on December 12, 2013, 09:42 PM

Quote from: tomos on December 12, 2013, 09:01 PM

I'd guess it's this, but SB will have to confirm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Address_List

Correct, and yes the Exchange online does have one. It's a full fledged Exchange server with a web based configuration interface, and full PowerShell support (from LM).

hmmm....I'm really having a hard time seeing where these options are.  Let's say I have a csv file of addresses.  I want to use it to make a GAL, but I can't find that option anywhere.  I'm really having a hard time with all this gui oversimplification windows has done with windows 8 and wp8.  it's too much.  too much white space, not enough buttons.  But they still need the functionality, so they are hiding everything in the weirdest places.  is it really that much of a gui nuisance to have a little menu button somewhere that expands all the options in one place?  is that really going to turn the entire market away from windows to apple?

IIRC the csv import option requires PowerShell. Yes it a bit intimidation (CLI...) but it's really not that bad. If I can find the procedure in my notes from the last job (had to pull all sorts of shit from everywhere), I'll post them here later.

found this:

Quote

Global Address list is NOT available offline for mobile devices (Windows Phone, Android, iPhone...)

http://community.office365.com/en-us/forums/172/t/10181.aspx

If that's true, that's it.  I'm out.  No more google, no more microsoft, no apple.  this is too much.  if everyone wants their ecosystem, they can go ahead without me.  Microsoft and their idiotic ecosystem that doesn't even play with their own products is the silliest one.

I'm off to check out owncloud's contact capabilities.

Owncloud is just going to be a different way of getting to the same place ... Key word is Cloud. Here's the thing with the GAL...(key word global)...the object is to centralize information so everyone has access to, with out having to store a copy of the whole thing locally. This also cuts down on the need to use a ton of bandwidth while everybody syncs everything with everybody else.

How often are you really going to be completely offline these days? Any contact that has been previously used on any given device is going to be stored locally in its version of history. So it will only be the newly needed previously unused contacts that are not going to be readily available if you find yourself in airplane mode for some reason.

Actually, if you don't have a connection available to do a lookup, you'll not be able to send/call either...so there's really no loss of functionality. Unless for some odd reason you desperately need to lookup someone's number before writing it on the wall in an airplane bathroom.