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Yet Another Exchange Killer?

Posted by michael on from the optimism-springs-eternal dept.

jmertic writes "SuSE Linux now has the latest Exchange killer, but this time for Exchange Server. Openexchange Server is designed to be a drop in replacement for Exchange 5.5 users who don't want to pay the MS tax of going to Exchange 2000. They say it will be available mid November."

3 of 319 comments (clear)

  1. Source code license? by pope+nihil · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I notice that you can get the source code, but under what license?

    SuSE Linux Openexchange Server 4

    Base license with ten groupware clients and an unlimited number of external e-mail clients (POP3/IMAP)

    Order no.: 2118-1INT

    US $ 1,249.00

    Software
    SuSE Linux Openexchange Server 4 (based on SLES 8), source code (4 CDs)
    1. Re:Source code license? by bogie · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Interesting question, but I'd rather see them do something about Yast. That one piece of software spoils the distro for me. I mean most of the other distros GPL their tools, why can't Suse?

      Because of Yast I don't support Suse and never will.

      I know I be modded as Troll for this, but I know many other people feel the same way I do. I mean for a company that claims to be so into opensource why have this "gotcha" built into their distro? Could you imagine if Redhat had done the same thing with RPM? Or Debian had did this with Apt?

      Suse did invent the tool so they do get to pick the license, but what would happen if the 99% of software written by others which they are repackaging all did the same thing?

      --
      If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
  2. Re:Wait a minute. by ProfDumb · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This is being touted as an Exchange killer, yet it costs $1249 for 10 licenses?

    You are comparing, I think, a discounted web price for an Exchange upgrade with a list price for Suse. Suse will also discount, everybody does. Also, others have posted that Suse is charging per connected user, rather than the total number of users who ever connect (if I understand the other posts.) This will make a difference. Further, if you need to upgrade other software (MS OS, Office) and the only thing holding you up from going to Linux / OpenOffice is Exchange, then Suse's OpenExchange prices might not have to be far below the MS price.

    However, if Suse really undercuts pricing, MS could always increase its discounts until SuSe's commercial offering goes away. This is a big advantage of true open source -- it can't be priced out of the market.