Netline has made the core technology in SUSE Linux
Openexchange Server open source.
The source code for the groupware, collaboration and messaging
program, which lets Linux-based groupware work with Microsoft's
Exchange Server, will be available free by the end of this month.
Users will be able to download it, modify it and contribute
improvements and changes.
SUSE Linux Openexchange Server is based on Netline's
Open-Xchange Server, a standards-based application with corporate
groupware functions such as e-mail, calendaring, contact lists,
task lists and real-time document storage.
"Open-Xchange is built with open-source components, so making
the source code available was clearly the most logical next step in
its evolution," said said Netline chief executive officer Frank
Hoberg. "As demand for an open communications product increases,
the open-source community will help greatly accelerate
innovation."
Ed Anderson, vice-president of Nterprise product marketing at
Novell, which owns SUSE, said the move was good for customers and
developers. "We recognise the value of open source in the rapid
development of software and its responsiveness to users' needs," he
added.
Open-Xchange integrates open-source and proprietary servers and
clients and is accessible through a web browser, allowing users to
share e-mail, calendaring, tasks, threaded discussions and
documents.
Commercially available connectors will be available later this
year to give seamless integration with Windows clients. Because the
Open-Xchange user interface runs on all major browsers, it can be
accessed from Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac and Palm machines.
Microsoft Outlook users can access calendar and contact data as
well as tasks and documents stored in Open-Xchange in real
time.
The source code can downloaded from
www.Open-Xchange.org and
www.openexchange.com.
Todd R Weisswrites for Computerworld