Hi All
Just got a test server up and running and it looks very familiar on some fronts 😉 albeit a little more of a fresh frontend!
Some of the services and some other aspects seem to use the Zimbra name which I thought was protected, so wondered if this is with the agreement of the current holders of Zimbra IP or this is due to be removed rapidly in due course?
I also see that the entire section of file export/import is removed and, as ever, the backup process is not part of the CE experience. These are really quite essential to a modern mail system and user peace of mind rather than a corporate nice to have. Is there a plan to include any of this or is this where Zextra sell up to get the add-ons bought? Imap sync is not really a solution - more a 'last-resort' option.
It sounds like I am being touchy, which is only partly true 😉 but after years of dealing with Zimbra and other collab projects I just wanted to get a clear picture of how Zextras will support the process of development so I can understand how it will work in the mid to longer term.
We have always supported open source projects financially where we can and always contributed time and feedback, but as so many in this particular space fund things with a simple but very expensive user based license or very limited range of support packages.
These often make very little financial/logical sense as the support is usually disconnected from user numbers and closer connected to support instances, eg a problem is normally resolved with the same amount of support input whether for one user or a 1000.
If I am a large business highly dependent on the Carbonio services or with lower technical support internally then I will need help more often so should be charged more. Faster response times and deeper hand holding would tend to be more critical to those who depend on the external support.
A pseudo 'insurance' support model where I pay a moderate subscription periodically for expiring access to support to make sure I can get help if needed but dont have to use it as the system runs so well is a win for Zextras and the user.
So really, what I want to understand is the model for revenue that Zextras is going for, as it informs how we users will need to engage with it.
Its very good that you are trying to pick this up and I am pleased, and I want you to be succesful - which is why I have the questions.
D
Hi All
Just got a test server up and running and it looks very familiar on some fronts 😉 albeit a little more of a fresh frontend!
Some of the services and some other aspects seem to use the Zimbra name which I thought was protected, so wondered if this is with the agreement of the current holders of Zimbra IP or this is due to be removed rapidly in due course?
I also see that the entire section of file export/import is removed and, as ever, the backup process is not part of the CE experience. These are really quite essential to a modern mail system and user peace of mind rather than a corporate nice to have. Is there a plan to include any of this or is this where Zextra sell up to get the add-ons bought? Imap sync is not really a solution - more a 'last-resort' option.
It sounds like I am being touchy, which is only partly true 😉 but after years of dealing with Zimbra and other collab projects I just wanted to get a clear picture of how Zextras will support the process of development so I can understand how it will work in the mid to longer term.
We have always supported open source projects financially where we can and always contributed time and feedback, but as so many in this particular space fund things with a simple but very expensive user based license or very limited range of support packages.
These often make very little financial/logical sense as the support is usually disconnected from user numbers and closer connected to support instances, eg a problem is normally resolved with the same amount of support input whether for one user or a 1000.
If I am a large business highly dependent on the Carbonio services or with lower technical support internally then I will need help more often so should be charged more. Faster response times and deeper hand holding would tend to be more critical to those who depend on the external support.
A pseudo 'insurance' support model where I pay a moderate subscription periodically for expiring access to support to make sure I can get help if needed but dont have to use it as the system runs so well is a win for Zextras and the user.
So really, what I want to understand is the model for revenue that Zextras is going for, as it informs how we users will need to engage with it.
Its very good that you are trying to pick this up and I am pleased, and I want you to be succesful - which is why I have the questions.
D
Hi @donty,
Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback. They will be extremely helpful. Speaking of being touchy, that's what exactly expect from the community 🙂
@arman Difficult and demanding bunch aren't we 😉
Hi All
Just got a test server up and running and it looks very familiar on some fronts 😉 albeit a little more of a fresh frontend!
Some of the services and some other aspects seem to use the Zimbra name which I thought was protected, so wondered if this is with the agreement of the current holders of Zimbra IP or this is due to be removed rapidly in due course?
Carbonio is using a variety of OpenSource components including some GPL V.2 components from Zimbra.
I also see that the entire section of file export/import is removed and, as ever, the backup process is not part of the CE experience. These are really quite essential to a modern mail system and user peace of mind rather than a corporate nice to have. Is there a plan to include any of this or is this where Zextra sell up to get the add-ons bought? Imap sync is not really a solution - more a 'last-resort' option.
CarbonioCE is a Free and OpenSource product and is going to include a lot of features for SMB's while Carbonio is an OpenCore (based on CarbonioCE) version that includes enterprise features such as HA, RealTime Backup, Object storage support, Meeting Rooms, EAS etc..
It sounds like I am being touchy, which is only partly true 😉 but after years of dealing with Zimbra and other collab projects I just wanted to get a clear picture of how Zextras will support the process of development so I can understand how it will work in the mid to longer term.
CarbonioCE is the result of 20+ years experience in OpenSource Email systems and the main goal is to provide the best Email/Collaboration platform in the OpenSource scenario.
It is a long term project, we started 2 years ago and we are actually investing more than 50 of our developers in the project full time.
We have always supported open source projects financially where we can and always contributed time and feedback, but as so many in this particular space fund things with a simple but very expensive user based license or very limited range of support packages.
These often make very little financial/logical sense as the support is usually disconnected from user numbers and closer connected to support instances, eg a problem is normally resolved with the same amount of support input whether for one user or a 1000.
If I am a large business highly dependent on the Carbonio services or with lower technical support internally then I will need help more often so should be charged more. Faster response times and deeper hand holding would tend to be more critical to those who depend on the external support.
A pseudo 'insurance' support model where I pay a moderate subscription periodically for expiring access to support to make sure I can get help if needed but dont have to use it as the system runs so well is a win for Zextras and the user.
We are going to propose Support Plans for CarbonioCE as soon as the product reach the GA stage but for large installation I would suggest to use Carbonio because of all the Enterprise features.
So really, what I want to understand is the model for revenue that Zextras is going for, as it informs how we users will need to engage with it.
Its very good that you are trying to pick this up and I am pleased, and I want you to be succesful - which is why I have the questions.
Hope I gave you some more info bout the business model.
Do not hesitate to ask anything else!