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Now if they would only open source Netscape calendaring...

Did RedHat get rights to Netscape Calendar? I thought that was all sold to Steltor as Steltor CorporateTime before it all got gobbled-up by Oracle and became Oracle Collaboration Suite's Oracle Calendar. The only reason I know this is because my company was a legacy Steltor CorporateTime customer and we recently completed an upgrade to Oracle Calendar as support was about to expire on the Steltor product.

If Netscape Calenedar was open-sourced, perhaps I could better-understand the proprietary database backend used with it.

Interestingly, Oracle already owns (and occasionally half-heartedly markets) a full-blown Exchange competitor: Corporate Time Server, which they acquired along with its developer, a Canadian company called Steltor.

Circa 1999-2001, CTS was really the only full-blown UNIX-based replacement for Exchange available: you installed a client-side plugin in Outlook 2000, and it made the CTS calendar server plus any conforming IMAP server look like an Exchange server to Outlook. It was neat, but a little flaky on the client end. I had great hopes for it when Oracle acquired them, but the net result ended up being that the price tripled and the product went nowhere. I'd be completely psyched to see Oracle either re-launch CTS or open source it in conjunction with Lightning.

• MS Exchange Server (server end; NT only), MS Outlook (client end; Win32, MacOS). Very limited support of open-protocol clients (IMAP, webmail?). Microsoft Corp. wants to sell you Exchange 2000, these days, but Exchange 5.5 is still very common.

• Lotus Notes / Domino (server end, Linux supported), Lotus Notes (client end; Win32, MacOS). Limited webmail access (iNotes).

• Novell Groupwise. http://www.novell.com/products/groupwise/ Server end runs on either Novell NetWare 5/6 or WinNT. Client end is proprietary Win32 client or webmail. A native Linux client is under development.

• SuSE Linux Openexchange Server (formerly SuSE Linux eMail Server). Standard, good open-source components (Postfix, Apache, Cyrus IMAP, OpenLDAP, OpenSSL) preconfigured to work well with one another, plus a couple of proprietary components: YaST2 for graphical administration, and SkyrixGreen for integrated scheduling and group discussions (shared folders). Client access from any OS, including but not limited to webmail. A full-functional trial version (lacking only "maintenance") is available for US $20 at http://www.suse.com/openexchange/slox_eval_form.ht ml . Sites are known to scale well to at least 1,000 users per site. The largest deployment yet known (March 2003) is 1,900 users.

• Bynari Insight Server, http://www.bynari.net/ . Server end is Linux-based. Intended as a plug-compatible replacement for MS-Exchange Server, based on POP3, IMPA, SMTP, and LDAP, but also with full support for all the special, proprietary MS-Exchange Server RPC-based protocols for group discussion, scheduling, contact management, task lists, etc., when used with MS-Outlook clients. Review: http://linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6734

• Bynari InsightConnector, http://www.bynari.net/ . Extensions that load into MS-Outlook clients to let them perform MS-Exchange-type functions (scheduling, contact-management, public folders) without needing an MS-Exchange server, using only open-standard IMAP, SMTP, and LDAP servers, instead.

• Samsung Contact (formerly HP Openmail), http://samsungcontact.com/en/ . Server end can be Linux-based (or Solaris/AIX). Based on SMTP, IMAP, POP3, LDAP. Supports proprietary protocols for e-mail, scheduling, etc. native to Samsung's Contact client (which is available on Linux and Win32). Webmail access. Implements Microsoft's (documented, for a change) MAPI protocol for scheduling, public folders, offline folders.

• Oracle Collaboration Suite, http://www.oracle.com/ip/deploy/cs/ . Formerly Steltor CorporateTime, http://www.steltor.com/, until that firm's recent acquisition by Oracle. (That product is said to have emerged from Netscape Calendar.) Does IMAP, POP3, SMTP, E-mail, real-time conferences, voicemail, scheduling. Apparently implements all of the special, proprietary MS-Exchange Server RPC-based protocols for group discussion, scheduling, contact management,

Check out CorporateTime

It is a calendaring server that works in conjunction with an existing LDAP and mail server

An open source replacement for Exchange's calendar store could eliminate a lot of Windows Server installations. Thousands of businesses are tied to Windows Server because Exchange works exclusively with Windows Server and Outlook works (almost) exclusively with Exchange.

Exchange calendaring replacements have been developed by HP and Steltor, and acquired by Samsung and Oracle, respectively. Those products generally don't integrate with Outlook's calendar as well as Exchange does, but they prove the viability of the Exchange-replacement market, and an open source product would have a big pricing advantage over those commercial alternatives.

The tough part is persuading the end-users to switch from Outlook to a new calendar client. If IT can do this, the odds are good that IT could convince the users to switch from Microsoft Office to Star Office.

Maybe it's premature to short-sell MSFT, but this initiative could be a crack in the wall.

At McGill University most people use Corporate Time, by Steltor (recently bought by Oracle). It's not open-source or free, but it seems to work quite well. Most people in my department seem to like it, though I don't have any need for it, really - a notebook with a date written on each page is all the calendaring I need.

At the very least, it's an alternative... and it can sync to Outlook, and to Palmpilots.

Also, it's got clients for many operating systems, including linux (I haven't tried it) and a half-decent web interface.

Steltor makes a canned solution. We're evaluating it for our company. Very nice. About the same price as Exchange, though.

Want a standards-based SMTP server with server-side calendaring that works nicely with Outlook and the plethora of email clients? You want this affordable Intel based application!

Corporate Time from Steltor www.steltor.com. Runs on Linux, Windows 2000, Solaris. They have clients for Linux, Mac and Pcs and it blows Exchange calnedaring out of the water.

My main concern with moving to a Unix environment is scheduling with MS Exchange. I would need to find an affordable mail server application that can compete if not beat out Exchange Server. Is there such a thing?

Steltor makes Corporate Time Server, which is really LDAP, IMAP, SMTP and their proprietary app for calendaring (using open protocols) -- It costs about the same as Exchange Server but everything's out in the open. We briefly evaluated them about 6 months ago but other projects become higher priority. I think I'll be reviewing them again shortly.

There's also Corporate Time from Steltor. They have a native Linux client and as a calendaring server it's far superior to Exchange. I've always thought that craking open the Evolution code and isnerting the CT Linux client for the Evolution Calendar would be a great way to remove Exchange from a lot of places...

Steltor (warning, some flash) creates Corporate Time, a Windows and Linux client and server package which is supposed to give Outlook and Exchange Server a run for their money. They have similar Outlook service DLLs if you want to run Outlook, too.

I evaluated these guys very briefly last year and it looked VERY promising. They're priced similarly to Exchange but you can use any LDAP and any IMAP/SMTP server, although shared folders won't work unless your IMAP server supports them. If you want an all in one solution, use their server software (which is, IIRC, OpenLDAP and Cyrus, not sure of the SMTP server or shared calendar server though). The tech support was actually clueful and helpful. I will be taking another look at them shortly, as my initial evaluation got cut short due to other projects becoming higher priority.

I tired Bynari back in '99 -- I didn't like them at all. The install obliterated my existing SMTP/IMAP/LDAP settings without warning and tech support (at the time) was a high school kid who was never there (presumably at school). I may give them another shot too because they really were the first at the plate when it comes to this, but Corporate Time also gets rid of Outlook which is a big pain in the ass, and they seem VERY happy to just sell you the client side stuff and let you use your existing MTA/LDAP setup, which is very important to me. qmail, vpopmail and Courier-IMAP have never failed me, and I'd rather know my OpenLDAP setup inside and out than rely on someone else's configuration.

1. In addition to OpenMail and Notes, try Corporate Time ( www.steltor.com). A much more robust calendaring app then Exchange will ever be. It runs on Linux and supports Outlook as a client. It's been deployed in lots of big companies and universities (BMW apparently has 40,000 seats).
2. You can quite happily use group policies with Samba. And mapped drives and anti-virus updates are a snap via logon batch file. We've got over 1,500 Windows 98 machines going all that right now. I'm typing this from one with 5 mapped drives and the latest NAV signature files which were automatically installed.

In addition, our file servers have been up for almost a year (no reboots except for power outages since deployment). While our Exchange 2000 servers (with AD, soon to be replaced with a real LDAP directory) have to be rebooted at least once a week due to memory leaks in the Exchange services. Licensing costs for Linux deployemt for file and print (the stuff that works) $0. Costs for Exchange 2000 server, licenses, etc. that doesn't work : over $70,000. Which one was the better business decision ?

there are lots of Unix-based competitors to Microsoft Exchange.

What about sendmail?
Bad example. Sendmail is one of the most non Unix pieces of software ever, in terms of modular and secure design. More to the point, its at best clone on the Exchange Internet Mail Connector. An MTA != A groupware app.

There are not a lot of Exchange clones with code licensed from Microsoft in them that will behave exactly the same for Outlook clients.

Not, but there are clones which will behave exactly (as in, equivalent functionality and no staff retraining) the same for Outlook clients.

Evolution from Ximian.
Yes indeed. Exchange connectors for Exchange5.5 and 2000 will be avaliable at the start of next year. They do all the X400 based stuff Outlook and Exchange do, including group calendaring, unsending messages, etc.

Volution from Caldera
I thought this was a system management tool and a repackaging of postfix, an imap server, and a couple of other bits and pieces. Again, an MTA and MDA are not groupware. Though it it has OpenLDAP and more importantly some way of doing the calendaring stuff it would be close. Corect me if this is the case.

Insight from Bynari
Indeed. Insight also does all the Exhcange - > Outlook specific stuff. The client is also free as in beer, so download it and give it a try. it does seem a little clunky tho, especially when compared to evolution.

Steltor
You didn't mention Steltor that seems to be the best of the Exchange comaptible groupware servers. I have yet to implement it myself but from what I understand its much better maintained and works better with existing Unix services than the others.

Very easy. Steltor.

...OpenMail is the *only* e-mail platform out there, besides Exchange that will support a whole slew of Microsoft Outlook features.

That is not true (any more). The Calendar product in OpenMail is a version of the Steltor CorporateTime calendar. The Steltor Calendar has an Outlook 'service provider' that allows Outlook to talk to their calendar server. Combine that with SMTP/IMAP4/LDAP, and you've got a close competitor to Exchange..

Take a look at Bynari's Insight product... for another 'possbility'.. Calendar-server less calender service!

Oh, one thing about OpenMail.. it IS standards based, as long as you don't mind running an X.400 mail system with an SMTP gateway...

Ignore my posts above. For an iPaq you'll need CorporateSync

When will someone release a calendar/scheduling server (like MS Exchange) for linux. This is a MAJOR thing holding it back from the corporate desktop. Yes, Lotus Notes and MS Exchange both have web interfaces, but if you've used them you would know that they suck.


Please do excuse me for this blatant add, totally biases on top of it. But, it's nonetheless informative.

The company I (gladly) work for offers a cross-platform, groupware calendaring solution. We used to be the OEM provider for Netscape. When we opted not to prolong the contract, it kind of forced Netscape to work on it's own project, which ultimately was abandoned.

Some time later (now), netscape is announcing this new open code base to start a new project. That's fine. We wish 'em luck.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a Linux-based solution, albeit a commercial one, check out Steltor. We provide servers for unices (including Linux) and Windows, and clients for Win, Unix (motif), Mac, web, WAP and sync stuff for handhelds.

Sorry again for the add. but, it does show that commercial companies out there actually cares about Linux (and Mac).

Humbly yours --a Mac dev over there.

I think the best scheduling software is Steltor's CorporateTime. It's cross-platform, robust, scalable, and cheap. You can set up an eval server for free and start playing with it.

Check out Steltor who sell probably the best scheduling system there is. It has clients for Windows, Mac (including native Carbon) and Linux, web, WAP and imode interfaces, and even an Outlook Connector which makes it work with Outlook. The backend, CorporateTime Server, runs on a wide range of platforms, including Linux. It is cheaper than Exchange, more robust, more scalable (designed for multi-server, multi-site scalability from the beginning) and very easy to install.

I know you asked for Open Source solutions, but at least CorporateTime is sane, open and Unix-friendly.

So quit dreading and set up an evaluation server (for free) now. It is very hard to dislodge a working solution. Use that to your advantage.

Check out Steltor who sell probably the best scheduling system there is. It has clients for Windows, Mac (including native Carbon) and Linux, web, WAP and imode interfaces, and even an Outlook Connector which makes it work with Outlook. The backend, CorporateTime Server, runs on a wide range of platforms, including Linux. It is cheaper than Exchange, more robust, more scalable (designed for multi-server, multi-site scalability from the beginning) and very easy to install.

I know you asked for Open Source solutions, but at least CorporateTime is sane, open and Unix-friendly.

So quit dreading and set up an evaluation server (for free) now. It is very hard to dislodge a working solution. Use that to your advantage.

Mails,Calendar,Contact..everything.. anybody can suggest one ?

Check out Steltor's product line. Linux or NT for the server, use your own LDAP or its internal one... even has Outlook services and sync tools for Palm and (I think) Psion. We're evaluating it right now. So far, so good. My only complaint is that they do not have any way to transfer over all your Exchange Server contacts.

Connected Software has an app called Address Magic which converts anything to anything else -- it seems VERY nice, I've been using it for about a year and a half now. Their new version is a hundredfold faster but they still have trouble with the LDIF format. I am working with them to get that fixed so I can get rid of Exchange Server here.

Try Bynari's Insight Server which runs on Linux or Sparc and offers a fairly complete server for Outlook clients, and offers a *nix client to boot! You can share calendars, global addressing, etc.

I tried out Bynari about 10 months ago and the installer wiped out my existing MTA and LDAP servers without warning and without any warning in the documentation. After I'd realized this I tried the software out and it still had quite a way to go.

Thanks for mentioning them though; I will evaluate them again. Currently I'm pretty excited about Steltor's CorporateTime -- Uses an IMAP server and either your existing or an internal LDAP server coupled with their calendaring and scheduling server software. Server runs on Linux or NT; clients for Win32, Linux, Mac and web. Also includes PalmOS, WinCE and an Outlook service. Unlike Bynari, I found Steltor's support very solid and professional. Again, this may have changed with Bynari which is why I am going to re-evaluate them.

I have been tempting to have IT forward all my email to my desktop sun box, but I loose the exchange groupware features. Not worth it.

I've been testing out CorporateTime from Steltor. (warning: Flash site.) The server may run on Linux or NT and you can use an internal LDAP server or one you've already got. Mail and shared folders are stored and accessed with an IMAP server (numerous servers supported) and clients are available for Win32, Mac and Linux. There is also a web client and an Outlook service. The API is totally open.

I don't work for Steltor but as I said I've been evaluating the product and am finding it very good. It seems to be priced very similary to Exchange Server and they provide various levels of support. They've been most helpful in the evaluation. The company has been around for about 10 years doing collabrative software but their CorporateTime product seems to be pretty recent.

A few years ago, friends and i had started building an OS from scratch. Dubbed Pandora, we have a kernel that boots more machines than current Darwin can (you guessed it: PowerPC Macs).

I was responsible for the UI part (I claim no credits to the kernel, which also has a MacsBug-like debuger).

When I started working for my current employer (which also supports Linux for it's commercial apps), I wanted to make sure that my UI project ("Moira") was safe from any corporate entanglement. I had them sign a "copyright disclamer" wich specifically specifies that my employer disclaims any copyrights and interest in the project, thus protecting it.

On the other hand, this only covers this project, and I must ensure anything else doesn't go against the company's NDA (which I signed).

Both parties therefore are protected in what I feel is a mutually equitable agreement.

Karma karma karma karma karmeleon: it comes and goes, it comes and goes.

I'm not claiming that Steltor's Corporate Time is the end call be all server for this, but it meets almost all of your listed requirements above. The website is http://www.steltor.com

My company of 30 people has been happily chugging along using Netscape Calendar. This isn't supported anymore, the original product is CS&T CorporateTime.

CS&T have merged (bought? been bought by?) with another company "Lexacom", and they've changed their name to Steltor. Cute little chameleon logo, just like a certain Linux distribution.

Steltor's CorporateTime product provides a whole heap of features, the ones I use most frequently are:

• "Resources" representing rooms, cars, computers - these can be booked into meetings, then a "designate" selects which of any conflicting meetings that resource will attend
• Off-line operation, similar to Lotus Notes IIRC. You download your agenda to an off-line store, work with it, then next time you connect to the server, your off-line and server-based calendars will be synchronised
• "In-Tray" where you can see all the new tasks and appointments that have been added for you
• Clients for i386 linux, Windows 9x & NT 4.0, Macintosh
• Macintosh and Windows based conduits for your PalmOS or WinCE based palm-top

Some of the features that CorporateTime didn't have in version 4, that I'd have liked were:

• No way of saying "I won't be here for this week" - the only option you have is to book your self into a meeting called "On Leave", which starts at 00:00 and goes to 23:59, repeating each day for the period of your leave
• No way of saying "Don't EVER accept bookings for meetings before 09:30", the only way around this is to book yourself into a recurring meeting from 00:00 to 09:30 for "Don't Bug Me", location "In Bed"
• No way of tying in your schedule with a project plan (done in say Microsoft Project or MicroPlanner X-Pert).

CorporateTime does achieve the goal of managing resources and booking appointments. It's the bits that it doesn't manage that tend to chafe me a little - but most of these are human-to-human communications issues like "don't book me for a meeting without at least 24 hours notice".

I'm currently in a similar situation in needing to fight Exchange, and I've come across Steltor (formerly CS&T) CorporateTime . It's a Calendar Server, but it has an Outlook plugin that makes its calendaring functions look just like Exchange's, plus it adds support back into Outlook for IMAP (which is, for some reason, taken away in the Exchange-enabled version). And the IMAP server looks like an Exchange server for email.

I haven't had a lot of time to look at it, but it looks like a real option (and it runs under a variety of Unices). It might even be possible to fake out your users. Anyone else know anything?

I'm currently in a similar situation in needing to fight Exchange, and I've come across Steltor (formerly CS&T) CorporateTime . It's a Calendar Server, but it has an Outlook plugin that makes its calendaring functions look just like Exchange's, plus it adds support back into Outlook for IMAP (which is, for some reason, taken away in the Exchange-enabled version). And the IMAP server looks like an Exchange server for email.

I haven't had a lot of time to look at it, but it looks like a real option (and it runs under a variety of Unices). It might even be possible to fake out your users. Anyone else know anything?