[clue-tech] Zimbra rocks

[Nate Duehr]

Hey, continuing the previous "why would I install this" thread... (sorry).

Going back to the website, here's the list of things the open-source 
edition will do with my added comments in (_):

WEB COLLABORATION AND PRODUCTIVITY SECTION:
AJAX Mail & Address Book (okay, but it had better sync into all my gadgets)
Basic search (yawn)
Advanced Search (smaller yawn?)
Tags (yawn)
Sharing (huh?)
Basic/Enterprise Zimlets (wonder what that means)
AJAX Calendar (yawn)
Conversations (huh?)
Resource/Group Scheduling (cool, if it talks to all my other apps and 
gadgets)
AJAX Documents (ick)
Instant Messaging (already got that, yawn)
Tasks and Briefcase (weird to put those on the same line, still... yawn)

Stuff that the open version won't do:

Attachment search (hey, that's useful)
HTML attachment rendering (WHAT? I have to pay to see HTML attachments?)

...

Okay, on to ADMINISTRATION & TCO section:

Stuff it will do:

Web/CLI administration (great... LOL)
Integrated Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus (yawn)

Stuff it won't do:

Online backup/restore (WHAT?  I can't back it up online unless I pay?)
Clustering/HA (darn, that would be useful)
Storage management (huh?)
Rebranding (I can't change the graphics files without paying... okay.)
Web/Phone support (okay)
Advertising support (huh?)

...

DOMAIN-LEVEL Management Section:

Will do:

Multi-Domain support (good.  Like that, but still yawn...)

Won't do:

Domain-level Administration (bummer, that would be useful)
Domain-level branding (more graphics stuff, yawn)

...

EXTERNAL CLIENT COMPATIBILITY:

Will do:

POP/IMAP (huge yawn)

Won't do:

Outlook/MAPI sync (thought you said it would?)
Apple iSync (well that's probably the way to my gadgets, so... humbug.)

...

MOBILITY:

Stuff it won't do:

Zimbra Mobile (yawn)
Blackberry support (that would be useful.. I'm seeing a trend here)

Stuff it will do:

Rich J2ME Client (yawn)

...

Additionally the "Advanced Search" and "HTML Attachment Rendering" can't 
be done at all on Mac OSX Server, if someone were to pay for the full 
product.


... Sorry man, I'm just NOT impressed by the above list.  It's a web 
interface to mail with an integrated calendar.

Maybe the open-source version would be useful in a small organization 
just starting out, but you'd outgrow that capabilities list real fast 
and have to pay for a pay version.  The open-source product is just a 
marketing teaser, going by this table.

If it does "cooler things" than this, they really need a better 
description and table of features on their website.  They seem to need a 
smarter Marketing department, 'cause their "Business E-mail Edition" has 
a LOT less features than their Consumer edition!  Yikes!

http://www.zimbra.com/products/product_editions.html

Then even weirder... on every page there's a "Network Edition Free 
Trial" link.  There's no "Network Edition" on their comparison chart. 
Do they mean "Professional Edition"?  Yep, after you click they give the 
right name... Broken.

Then I followed the links for hosted services from the site and it takes 
you to a long description of what hosted services are and how they 
created the system specifically to help hosted providers (then why are 
you trying to sell it to me?)... and waaaay down at the bottom another 
link to go to hosts.

Looking through the list of hosts, I recognize none of those names... 
all small players.  No Rackspace, none of the usual big name hosting 
environments.  Already nervous.  Go to first link, look at their 
offering, and all of the useful (outlook/MAPI, blackberry, Apple iSync) 
are all "optional for a higher charge"... okay... how much?  Click on 
the Blackberry thing and ANOTHER description page pops up saying the 
hosting company doesn't do the Blackberry integration, some OTHER 
company does, and it's "not ready yet"... just for fun I click on THAT 
company's page and they say they DO support the Crackberry now.

The whole thing is just as sloppy as most open-source projects, 
honestly.  I expect it from open source.  For BUSINESS?  They just don't 
seem to have their act together or any control of the hosts that use the 
system that they're hoping to push people toward.  I see nothing but 
heartache in a solution that requires calling three different companies...

So... anyway, there's some insight into how I would "rate" these guys. 
Their site is a mess, their productization (?) is a mess, their vendors 
that provide their product as a service are a mess, and I wouldn't touch 
it with a ten-foot pole.  Even if they have the best product on the 
planet, I'd be hard-pressed to hand over something as important as 
e-mail to something that disorganized.

Nate