Open Source Microsoft Exchange Replacements?

Carl Farrington asks: "Do you think you could try to raise public awareness of the importance for an open source replacement for Microsoft Exchange (Outlook/MAPI compatible for shared/public folders). Current offerings are SuSE Linux Groupware Server, Communigate Pro (Stalker Software), Samsung Contact (ex. HP OpenMail) all of which are not open source / free. Kroupware is in development, but there will be no Outlook Connector for it. otlkcon is in slow development as a possible connector for Kroupware. There is also OSER (Open Source Exchange Replacement) which again looks like it needs more help. Is there any chance of getting some people to back this stuff? It's so important and is probably the major problem facing Linux as viable replacements for Win2000 servers." While this seems to be a question that keeps popping up in one form or another, it's always worthwhile to come back and point out alternatives, in development, that might need your help to get off the ground and running. So, if you're looking for an alternative to Exchange, would you be willing to contribute some time to one of the projects listed above? If you've been using Unix as an Exchange replacement, what did you do and how well has it been working?

Comments

The best alternative...

[r00tarded]

A knowledgeble sysadmin. Get one of those and a free *nix.

Re:I've been waiting too long...

[kju]

and what good is a Linux solution you have to pay for?

Easy. It isn't Microsoft. You would support ta company instead, which does good things to the linux community. And additionally i'm sure, that their solution won't end up eating 2 gigs of memory after running for a few days and serving about 15 clients (what a gigantic user number...). And maybe they don't have those silly outlook limitation, that you can't have both an mailforward to an external address for an account and use the calendar functions too. I ended up with creating one account for the mail forward, and another one for calender & address book access. Must be to complex for microsoft to implement it. So i think there are enough reasons to choose another solution instead of exchange. even if its pay-for software.

Re:"Fall over" features

[Brendan Byrd]

Wait wait wait...a space HEATER?! In a DATA CENTER?! With tons of SERVERS?!?!

Re:Communigate

[Mikeytsi]

Strange, I never had that problem. I wasn't really using it for macros, it was more hotkeying weapon selection to certain buttons, and using the movement instead of the keyboard. Seemed to work pretty well for that stuff.