http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-exchange-server-2013-whats-new-7000001407/

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg398616(v=ocs.15)

http://ucken.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/whats-new-in-lync-2013.html

First thing that caught my eye – “Replacement of the Exchange Management Console by a Web-based Exchange Administrative Center (EAC)”

FFS. Many MS products seem to flip flop from web-based admin to MMC and back again. I fucking hate web-based admin. Sure as an additional administration option, web based is great…. but the primary admin tool should always be an MMC or MMC like interface and powershell (or some type of command line interface)…. the decision to go back to web based is, IMO, extremely disappointing. The responiveness and usability of web-based is fundamentally flawed byt the very nature of what it is.

Next up- ” Better integration with Lync and sharepoint” – this could be great….. but define “better”… each version always advertises tighter integration…. (as they should) – but until i have some type of specifics – this tells me nothing.

The Lync 2013 post lists a bunch of new feastures, many of which are useful – but none that are excessively exciting. It appears that there is still no option for using an authenticated sip trunk – which is very disappointing.

I am currently having a play around with these preview versions in a virtual environment – and im not a fan of the management so far.. (exchange 2010 EMC was great – why replace it?) – anyhoo…. as i use it more, obviously my opinion may change… 🙂