The study group tasked with exploring new e-mail clients to replace BlitzMail has submitted a report on Tuesday outlining their recommendations to the senior administration. Administrators will review the report and come to a decision in early June, according to computer science professor and Associate Dean David Kotz, who leads the Communication and Collaboration Tools for Faculty and Students Study Group.
The group is deciding between Microsoft Online Services E-mail and Google Mail.
BlitzMail has been Dartmouth's e-mail service for 20 years, and was a pioneer in the early days of e-mail systems, according to the study group's website. As more advanced systems developed, however, Blitz revealed that it was no match for competing online services, the website said, which spurred conversations about a change in e-mail programs.
"The migration away from BlitzMail in particular has been discussed for years," Kotz said in an interview.
Blitz has become costly because it needs constant service to function, Kotz added.
"It requires ongoing maintenance to keep it working as the technologies around it evolve," he said. "That gets expensive."
With more advanced online services available, the transition from Blitzmail to another program is increasingly "enticing," according to Kotz.
"[Online services] are offered to us at a very good price, so it's natural to consider that migration," he said. "I know a lot of students and faculty are already using Google Mail and similar services for their own purposes, so there seems to be interest."
The administrative departments have already planned a shift to Microsoft Online Services beginning in Fall 2010 and continuing through the 2011 fiscal year, according to the E-Mail and Calendar Migration Project for Administrative Departments website.
While the Taskforce on E-mail and Collaboration Tools determined Microsoft Online Service was the most appropriate service for the administration, the Communication and Collaboration Tools study group will determine the best program for faculty and students.
The Communication and Collaboration Tools study group began meeting in late March. It is composed of 18 individuals, including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, according to Kotz. Among the members are Associate Dean of the College Mary Liscinky, Thayer School Director of Computing Services Mark Franklin, and economics professor Jim Feyrer, according to the study group website.
In April, teams from both Microsoft and Google met with the group to demonstrate their programs, according to the site.
The group also collected over 100 responses after soliciting student and faculty feedback, Kotz said.
"I think that there will be a mixed [response] given the feedback we've been getting," he said. "Some people would love to stick to BlitzMail."
Many students said they are worried that a switch from BlitzMail would detract from a Dartmouth tradition.
"[Newer e-mail clients] are just better in every sense of the word," Harper Pack '12 said. "But we have a lot of Dartmouth traditions like using our ancient client are we no longer going to have Green Key or the snow sculpture or something?"
Others say they fear Microsoft or Google will not provide the same benefits as BlitzMail.
"I feel like there's a lot of Dartmouth-individual, Dartmouth-specific ways that we use [BlitzMail]," Kat Hicks '12 said. "I don't know if that's going to be available on other types [of e-mail provider]."
The report of "many, many pages" describing the better e-mail client took two weeks to complete, according to Kotz.
Kotz did not announce his findings to The Dartmouth "out of respect for the process."
"We've decided to submit our report and let the administration read it before any decisions get made," he said.
The study group would be satisfied with a decision in favor of either client, Kotz added.
"Both of these tools are very nice tools and will be useful for students and faculties alike," he said. "Regardless of which one we choose, they are both good products."
