What's SharePoint Not Good For?

SharePoint is an excellent way to create data-driven web sites, in my opinion, but there are other times where I don't think it's the best choice. For example, SharePoint isn't a substitute for a code management library, such as SourceSafe. (Microsoft is working on this for Visual Studio 2005, however, so watch out!) Also, SharePoint's integration with Microsoft Office, Windows, and .NET means that users of other operating platforms (Mac, Linux) or non-Microsoft browsers may have problems using the sites.

In particular, SharePoint authentication does not seem to work with Internet Explorer for the Macintosh or Mozilla prior to Version 1.7.2. In addition, SharePoint pages look different in FireFox, Mozilla, and Netscape Navigator than they look in Internet Explorer. You can compare these differences by using different browsers to view public SharePoint sites such as the last two listed in "Resources." (Users of these other platforms can still get to the files, but they can't really take advantage of SharePoint's integration and management features.)

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