Re: exchange - opengroupware cost comparison: do you think you are

On 23.01.2004, at 11:50, solo turn wrote:
>>> - paying licenses for TRYING an opensource solution:
>>>   you are crazy!
>> Well ZideLook is actually not an OpenSource solution and only users of
>> proprietary clients are hit by the licensing cost.
> i did not mean it has to be free. i ment it must be free for trial to 
> get a user base.

This is not for discussion (and was discussed to death before).

>> ZideLook is developed by a partner company of SKYRIX.
> which one, if i may ask? if you are not the right person for "trial 
> version" maybe they are more open to this concept.

Our partner is Codeon, but since the "free" support will bounce to us, 
that won't change a lot. We are not going to provide a trial this time. 
(again, don't try to discuss)

>>> - how do you define "competitive"
>> With regards to the target audience, which is companies that do not
>> want to run Microsoft software on the server yet need to support
>> Outlook on the client in the best possible way.
> you really think a company exists which does not want to run microsoft
> software on the server (the bigger ones)?

We are doing groupware business for about seven years, we know that 
this is the case. There are loads of reasons for not running microsoft 
software - especially Exchange - on the server.

> the main driver for exchange today
> is companies sales people, who want to have their "crm" solution, and
> communicate with everybody in the company. and these people generate
> companies revenues, and are the "bosses" (technicians sometimes call
> this "boss by ability", they are only able to use simple software).
> evangelism is (nearly) dead.

Good that your clear that up for us, Mr. [email protected] ;-)

> in our case:
> - we were prepared for opensource
> - we prefer linux to microsoft on server, we run both and know both
> - we could not test zidelook
> - we don't buy things we don't see working
> - and decided for exchange

Thats fine for us. If you can live with Exchange, use Exchange, it has 
by far the best Outlook connectivity. No product is for everybody.

> a "normal" decision-maker does not care about "opensource and free". 
> he cares about cost, and risk. at the end of the day, you have to have 
> a running business, at fair cost. there is no room for politics or 
> evangelism.

We do neither. OpenSource is exactly about risk. And free is about 
cost. As said before I'm not going to try to convince people on why 
using Microsoft software just is a huge failure and what the practical 
advantages of OpenSource are.
If you need explanations on that, feel free to write Richard Stallman 
or Eric Raymond.

Please don't bother us with your FUD.

Greets,
   Helge
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OpenGroupware.org

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