Re: Lack of integrated email/contacts/calendar?
"Lync may appear to have a clean interface, but it's amazingly bug ridden,"
Only if your sysadmins don't update it from RTM
"bloated beyond belief"
It uses only about 25MB when running.
"and just performing simple tasks is an exercise in frustration"
I can only assume that you must be a moron. Lync is by far the easiest to use UC client that there is.