LinuxWorld.com: rsync & the unsung command line

"There are two things that strike me as odd about the Microsoft approach to this problem as compared to Linux or any other Unix. First, why does one have to purchase Microsoft Exchange to get this feature? I can accomplish the same task several different ways in Unix with free software that isn't even remotely related to a message store or even a database.

The obvious answer is that Microsoft is using the Offline Folders features as one of Microsoft's many crowbars that are designed to crack open its customers doors (not to mention their wallets) and shove Exchange into their enterprise.

There is no such agenda in Linux, so there is no need to complicate the process of synchronizing documents by wedging the folder replication feature into a message store. There are several ways you can accomplish the same goal in Linux, but the one that seems closest to duplicating the function of Microsoft's Offline Folders is rsync, which is the utility Kevin mentioned in his VarLinux.org comment."

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