Samba is a "mess" because anything Microsoft is a mess to be compatible with if you are not MS. That said, sharing files across networks is a hell all its own.

Samba is a "mess" because anything Microsoft is a mess to be compatible with if you are not MS. That said, sharing files across networks is a hell all its own. In particular if you want something to just automagically appear in some GUI across the office/world/whatever. Only "reliable" ones are those that require the user at the other end to know what address to enter to get access.