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SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office

Offline Charles2008

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SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« on: March 18, 2013, 03:50:05 PM »
I came across the SME9 'Wish list' page yesterday ( http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server_wishlist) and was intrigued by the following:
    o Decide which webmail should be in core, if any
                   
    • Zarafa oh yé Stephdl (talk)
    • Horde 5.x - would make the most sense as a direct upgrade to 8.x and has free sync to Outlook via Funambol (David Harper)
    • eGroupware It will be my choice --Larieu (talk) 03:35, 6 February 2013 (MST) - I think this is a good starting point  - http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/7289/1

This is a timely topic as I would like to chose a Groupware to install on my SME8 Production Server.

I have over the last 4 months examined demos and installed some of the Groupware offerings talked about by SME'ers in this forum, but it is very clear to me that nothing is going to come close to real experience.

My longish shortlist had been - Horde, SoGo, eGroupware.  Trailing ... Zarafa (complicated), epiware (old), Group-Office &  PHPGroupware (don't seem popular with SME'ers).

I am currently favouring eGroupware as it is so comprehensive, however cannot find as much information on Group-Office. I like the fact that eGroupware is popular with SME'ers and (I have read) has a FOSS 'constitution'. I am also impressed with the 'infoLog' eGroupware feature which, when so closely integrated with Calendar / Email / Filemanager / Addressbook, strikes me as a CRM (-lite) by any other name. However, I have read in a number of places in the forums of SME users abandoning eGroupware.

We are currently 3 very active users (photos, file sharing, emailing, websites, etc) in a small start-up business.

This is a tricky decision with long term consequences.

I would love to hear the advice any business-oriented users of any of the above Groupware. Particularly eGroupware / Group-Office.
TIA
Charles


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« Last Edit: March 18, 2013, 04:08:27 PM by Charles2008 »

Offline Stefano

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #1 on: March 18, 2013, 07:18:25 PM »
my personal vote goes to SOGo :-)

Offline Charles2008

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2013, 11:46:41 AM »
For anyone else interested in Groupware, I detail below the various demo sites that I have come across:

eGroupware   (last updated 2012)  http://www.egroupware.org/demo
Horde  (latest update 2013) http://demo.horde.org/services/portal/index.php
SOGo   (last update 2013) http://www.sogo.nu/english/tour/online_demo.html

Zarafa   (last update 2011) https://demo.zarafa.com/webapp/
Group-Office  (last update - 4 days ago) http://demo.group-office.eu/   (demo, demo)

PHPGroupware  (last updated 2010)  http://www.opensourcecms.com/demo/1/347/phpgroupware    (admin, demo)
epiware (last release 2008) - can't find one


Others I have looked at include - OBM Groupware, Feng Office, PHPprojekt, PHPcollab, dotProject, Tine2.0, Open-Xchange, web2project
I haven't looked at - Redmine

I hope that someone finds that useful.
Charles
« Last Edit: March 21, 2013, 04:38:12 PM by Charles2008 »

Offline Charles2008

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2013, 12:02:03 PM »
@ Stefano

Thanks for the response.
Why do you rate SOGo so highly?
Is it because of the way SME is set up with (an older version of) Horde and you can install the very latest 'all bells and whistles' SOGo alongside it. Is SOGo the Lamborghini next to the Horde Range Rover? :-)

As I understand it SOGo doesn't have (integrated):
- filing system (DMS)   
- ToDo list    <edit - my mistake, it does have tasks - edit>
- Issue tracking
- Wiki / knowledge-base
- Project Management / Gantt (Horde misses this also I think)
whereas Horde and eGroupware look as though they do?

Is there a way to integrate those 'missing' business apps into SOGo? Or any other manageable work around?
TIA Charles
« Last Edit: March 21, 2013, 05:07:02 PM by Charles2008 »

Offline purvis

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2013, 05:52:16 PM »
I am like Stefano. SOGo  1st    Simple and fast.
But I do picking a 2nd horse too.
I feel the 2nd horse should only be optional to load only, but a preferred and well supported 2nd horse if possible.

Offline Jáder

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2013, 07:47:26 PM »
Same here... SOGo is popular because it's beatiful. Horde/IMP is powerful!

Jáder
...

Offline purvis

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2013, 03:03:08 AM »
Do any to these have a global send to contact.
 I would like a email system that could have a common contact list that could be imported and/or changed possibly by an outside program.

Offline Charles2008

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2013, 05:00:59 PM »
@Purvis
Personally, I am not experienced enough to answer your question.

The comparison of complex business application software is almost, by definition, unachievable.

What do I mean?  In order to REALLY get to know a software, you have to use it for six months, perhaps longer. You then find out things that you can't possibly pick up by 'looking at the demo'; you confront compatibility issues that you might not find out about with an 'install and play'.

This of course will apply to all the competing software also. So there is a problem - who would want to change business critical software 2 or 3 times in 18 months? Nobody in their right mind. Also, even if one was crazy enough to change, the software that you were once so familiar with would have been updated - new features, new strengths, new weaknesses. New problems, perhaps problems fixed.

It is almost impossible, to have a valid, up-to-date, comprehensive (and correct) opinion of the relative merits of competing softwares.

Saying that, here is a nice side-by-side comparison on eGroupware and SOGo available by visiting the SME Server Wish List in the link in the OP (I missed it the first time around).  :-?

I would love to hear from someone using eGroupware, Open-Office or Zarafa. The SOGo'ers seem pretty bullish.

Charles


Offline Stefano

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2013, 05:11:42 PM »
@ Stefano

Thanks for the response.
Why do you rate SOGo so highly?


SOGo is an exchange repolacement that use TB as mail client, and so it can be used on every (client) O.S. that is supported by TB

if you need project management and so on, SOGo is not for you, that's all :-)

Offline Charles2008

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2013, 01:31:23 PM »
Thanks Stefano.

If there is anyone else interested in this topic, here are a few links related to these groupware solutions:

http://www.clearfoundation.com/component/option,com_kunena/Itemid,232/catid,36/func,view/id,15749/
http://www.stuartsheldon.org/blog/2011/08/open-source-groupware-sogo/
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/10730_3932591_2/Top-5-Open-Source-Alternatives-to-Microsoft-Exchange.htm
http://ieg.ignou.ac.in/wiki/index.php/User:SonalAgrawal/My_Documentation

I am still very interested to hear opinions (perhaps a "we couldn't do without ...xyz" )from SME users re eGroupware / Open Office / Zarafa etc
Charles
« Last Edit: March 28, 2013, 01:36:30 PM by Charles2008 »

Offline mmccarn

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2013, 12:54:23 PM »
It might not be groupware, but I'm getting what I need from my SME server using OwnCloud:
- contacts and calendar that sync w/ my computers, iPhones and ipads
- easy file sharing (including webdav), either internally or with outside users

guest22

Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2013, 03:51:39 AM »
Hi Charles2008 :-)

Without going into detailed discussions, I personally opt for Zarafa and z-push. Despite the 'feeling' it is not complicated, just well thought out ;-)

The current wiki page on zarafa on sme8 (and especially the talks page) works just fine on SME8 and upcoming 9.

Regards,
guest

Offline frifri

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2013, 09:23:21 AM »
@Charles2008

Why do you think zarafa is complicated ?

For three users, the Outlook-connection with the zarafaclient is free.
If you don't use Outlook, the webaccess (webapp) is superb and free too (for as many users as you want).

Frederik

Offline Stefano

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2013, 09:35:01 AM »
this topic should not become a "best groupware" war, anyway, my 2€c:

Zarafa won't become the default webmail application in SME because, essentially, it's not full OOSS.. and, please remember, it must use its own mail daemons.. finally, since Zarafa stores everything in a biiiiiig mysql database (mine was about 4 GB), it could be difficult to backup and restore (think about the pre-backup event, that makes mysql database dumps)

SOGo is already available as a contrib (thanks to Nethesis crew), is totally OOSS, uses standard protocols, use every kind of mail daemons (smtp, imap etc), uses a standard email client (thunderbird) available on all OSes out there.. should us be able to install samba4 on SME9, we could get it work as a FULL exchange replacement (full integration with outlook without any kind of plugin or connector and totally for free)

EGW is "only" a web application, and in some cases (all my customers, for example) won't fit people needs.. in a country (italy) where broadband connection is sometime unavailable, webmail is not a good choice..
« Last Edit: April 04, 2013, 09:37:56 AM by Stefano »

Offline frifri

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Re: SoGo / eGroupware / Group-Office
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2013, 10:18:19 AM »
@Stefano,

Big MySQL-database ?  ... Perhaps if you store attachements in the database (the howto doesn't, but you could) ?  I don't know any reports of problems with backup/restoring zarafa-databases.  I never had any problems with backup/restoring the zarafa-database from one server to another.  Do you know any reports of backup/restore-problems ?

Only the zarafaclient (for the Outlook-connection) is not OSS.  Do the other 'exchange-replacements' have a OSS-outlook-connection ?

Sogo (without SAMBA4 - when in SME9 ?) even isn't a exchange-replacement, because it doesn't support Outlook.  And even with SAMBA4 there are a lot of 'known issues' ...

Conclusion : if you want Outlook, you need Zarafa.

Other Linux-SmallBusiness-Servers already integrated Zarafa as there groupware-sollution : ClearOS, Collax, Univention and Zentyal ... all ZARAFA-implementations ...

Frederik


« Last Edit: April 04, 2013, 10:35:55 AM by frifri »