[besson3c]

This might be a better topic for the Applications section, sorry if my judgement is disagreed upon as far as the best place to post this....


The Unix world really needs a groupware solution that is as strong an end-to-end solution as Exchange is. While I hate to say it, and while I realize that Exchange is not a panacea, this is the most useful product that Microsoft makes that I envy the most.

Some clients of mine need a groupware solution, so I've been re-exploring options. Several new options exist that didn't when I last checked. Here is what I've found, please feel free to add to this list, or help point me in new directions:


Exchange/Outlook/Entourage:

- requires MS server, license, administration learning curve (for me)
- requires Unix systems to have an Active Directory plug for LDAP to interact with ADS

Groupwise/Evolution:

- requires license
- Evolution is an X11 app on the Mac


Web solutions:

There are a gazillion different web-based solutions. Some are paid subscription services, some are open source solutions. I've looked at the open source solutions and came up with the following as the strongest options with the most flexibility, support, best design and feature set:


Hula:

This looks like it will be the strongest option down the road, it is approaching its version 1 release as an Exchange replacement. For now, here are its pros and cons:

- a big monolithic thing, it would take some effort for it to coexist with existing mail setups
- there are rumors that Apple will be supporting this in future releases of OS X Mail
- the collaborative features are a little light for now (at least within the web client)
- based on a mature Novell product, strong backing

Opengroupware.org

- Very customizable, written in WebObjects. It can be a little difficult learning how to customize it, it is almost a little too open (i.e. GUI customization options are a little light)
- Can support making contacts available through LDAP
- Can coexist with existing mail setups
- I believe you can use iCal to post to this system

Open-Xchange

- I couldn't even get it to install in FreeBSD. Requires Java, Tomcat, OpenLDAP, and Postgresql to work in tandem
- Similar very similar to Opengroupware.org in features, although there is more emphasis on the email server as a replacement.


Have I missed anything? Any insights/suggestions here?

[dawho9]

I think you have hit all of the big ones. I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

My only comment is that I'm really excited about Hula also. Novell has been doing a lot of things recently that I'm really impressed about. GroupWise/Evolution is a pretty good combo, but yeah the X11 solution isn't that great. However, there is an OSX client for GroupWise, so you wouldn't need to use X11.

dw9

[CaptainHaddock]

I'm always curious when it comes to stuff like this: what do they use at Apple?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock

I'm always curious when it comes to stuff like this: what do they use at Apple?

I know they use PeopleSoft, but I don't know if it will handle these groupware tasks, and if so, whether they use them. As far as I understand things, PeopleSoft is not really a viable option for small businesses. PeopleSoft is now owned by Oracle, so it is designed for the Enterprise level.

[tooki]

There is no question that this belongs in Applications: the Mac OS forum is for discussing Mac OS, and the forum description is very clear on this point:

Topics about applications (including all Apple apps, such as iLife, Final Cut, DVD Studio Pro, AppleWorks, Safari, etc.) belong in the Applications forum.

Feel free to repost in the correct forum.

tooki