[clue-tech] Zimbra rocks

[Nate Duehr]

David L. Willson wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-07-16 at 12:35 -0600, Nate Duehr wrote:
>> David L. Willson wrote:
>>
>>> 1) Zimbra is meant as a unique product which can replace Exchange, but it is not an
>>> Exchange clone and does not attempt to replicate all of Exchange's features.
>> I hadn't looked at it in a while.  Looking through the website, they 
>> appear to have created "something nice" there, but...
>>
>> Pricing was horrible.  Many small companies would just go ahead and 
>> continue paying the licensing for Exchange, if presented with Zimbra's 
>> pricing.
> 
> Did you notice that there's a free version?  And that there are
> different price-levels, depending on desired connectivity options?

Yep.  I figured businesses would want ALL of those connectivity options, 
and be forced to the full-blown (very expensive) Network version.

I can't think of a business that doesn't want Crackberries involved in 
the mix these days (at least for executives and management, if not for 
everyone) and all that other "interesting" stuff.

Seemed like their matrix was carefully set up to take you right up the 
ladder to the high priced end, if you were a "typical" business IT 
person.  The low/free versions just seemed "dull".  Those versions could 
be replicated with simple tools.

Zimbra's value-add seems to be in the high end toys that are already 
used heavily in the Exchange world.  They give you a way to run it on 
another platform, and do things a *little* differently... but pricing 
seemed about on par with deals that MS gives on Exchange for small business.

I don't like Exchange, and I really don't like Outlook, but they're 
still doing things for me at work -- where I'm forced to use them -- 
that no Linux/Mac/anything app has ever managed to catch up to and do as 
simply.  Apple's tools are close, but being the second-runner, they 
really need to flawlessly and natively integrate with Outlook to start 
playing in Corporate space.  (In other words, they need to reverse 
Microsoft's usual tactic of "embrace and extend"... out-do Outlook, but 
start by copying it.)

Group calendaring (pardon my French please) is still a giant clusterfuck 
in any environment other than a homegenous Outlook/Exchange system being 
run by a half-clueful IT team, sadly.  And when did Outlook come out? 
How many years?

Do I like how Outlook does it?  No.  The implementation (especially time 
zone support) seriously sucks rocks.  But it works 99% of the time.

Web-based stuff stinks (for those about to e-mail me that Google 
Calendar is the best thing since sliced bread).

Nate