Why Microsoft fails

Check out this error dialog from Microsoft Outlook below.

“The rules on this computer do not match the rules on Microsoft Exchange. Only one set of rules can be kept. You will usually want to keep the rules on the server. Which rules do you want to keep?

The point I want to highlight, is that you can’t see the rules without choosing Client or Server from this dialog. You have to choose which rules to keep, without seeing the rules! So you are forced to throw away personal data, without getting a chance to look at it.

In fact there were some rules I wanted, but I did not know which spot they were on, and I chose wrong and lost the rules.

How hard would it be to show me both sets of rules, and allow me to craft a flexible solution to any replication or collision?

Anybody who thinks this is an ok way to treat customers, will never succeed completely.