Zimbra
Encyclopedia
Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) is a groupware product created by Zimbra, Inc., located in Palo Alto, California
, USA. The company was purchased by Yahoo!
in September 2007, and subsequently purchased by VMware
on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. The software consists of both client
and server
components. Two versions of Zimbra are available: an open-source
version, and a commercially supported version ("Zimbra Network") with closed-source components such as a proprietary MAPI connector to Outlook for calendar synchronization.
The ZCS Web Client is a full-featured collaboration suite that supports email, group calendars and document sharing using an Ajax
web interface that enables tool tips, drag-and-drop items, and right-click menus in the UI. Also included are advanced searching capabilities and date relations, online document authoring, "Zimlet" mashup
s and a full administration UI. It is written using the Zimbra Ajax Toolkit.
Zimbra Desktop is a full-featured free desktop e-mail client.
The ZCS Server uses several open source projects (see the section, Included open source projects). It exposes a SOAP application programming interface
to all its functionality and also is an IMAP and POP3 server. The server runs on many distributions of Linux
as well as on Mac OS X
.
ZCS can synchronize mail, contacts, and calendar items with open-source mail clients such as Novell Evolution
and also with proprietary clients such as Microsoft Outlook
and Apple Mail, but only through proprietary connectors available exclusively in the commercially supported version. Zimbra also provides native two-way sync to many mobile devices (Nokia Eseries
, BlackBerry
, Windows Mobile
, iPhone
, Android).
According to former Zimbra President and CTO Scott Dietzen, the name for Zimbra is derived from the song "I Zimbra
" by Talking Heads
.
(CPL) and Mozilla Public License
(MPL), and accordingly requires that modifications made to existing files, if distributed, be provided in source code form to the recipients under the same license. It also includes a clause requiring trademarks, logos, etc. be preserved making it an "attribution-style" open source license.
Categorically it is similar to the Open Source Initiative
(OSI) Common Public Attribution License (CPAL).
The Free Software Foundation
accepts the license as being a free software license and refers to it as being identical to the Yahoo! Public License
with the exception that VMware
provides the license, rather than Yahoo!
.
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, USA. The company was purchased by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
in September 2007, and subsequently purchased by VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. The software consists of both client
Client (computing)
A client is an application or system that accesses a service made available by a server. The server is often on another computer system, in which case the client accesses the service by way of a network....
and server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
components. Two versions of Zimbra are available: an open-source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
version, and a commercially supported version ("Zimbra Network") with closed-source components such as a proprietary MAPI connector to Outlook for calendar synchronization.
The ZCS Web Client is a full-featured collaboration suite that supports email, group calendars and document sharing using an Ajax
Ajax (programming)
Ajax is a group of interrelated web development methods used on the client-side to create asynchronous web applications...
web interface that enables tool tips, drag-and-drop items, and right-click menus in the UI. Also included are advanced searching capabilities and date relations, online document authoring, "Zimlet" mashup
Mashup (web application hybrid)
In Web development, a mashup is a Web page or application that uses and combines data, presentation or functionality from two or more sources to create new services...
s and a full administration UI. It is written using the Zimbra Ajax Toolkit.
Zimbra Desktop is a full-featured free desktop e-mail client.
The ZCS Server uses several open source projects (see the section, Included open source projects). It exposes a SOAP application programming interface
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
to all its functionality and also is an IMAP and POP3 server. The server runs on many distributions of Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
as well as on Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
.
ZCS can synchronize mail, contacts, and calendar items with open-source mail clients such as Novell Evolution
Novell Evolution
Evolution or Novell Evolution is the official personal information manager and workgroup information management tool for GNOME. It combines e-mail, calendar, address book, and task list management functions. It has been an official part of GNOME since version 2.8 in September 2004...
and also with proprietary clients such as Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
and Apple Mail, but only through proprietary connectors available exclusively in the commercially supported version. Zimbra also provides native two-way sync to many mobile devices (Nokia Eseries
Nokia Eseries
The Nokia Eseries consists of business-oriented smartphones, with emphasis on enhanced connectivity and support for corporate e-mail push services. All devices have advanced office features...
, BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, Android).
According to former Zimbra President and CTO Scott Dietzen, the name for Zimbra is derived from the song "I Zimbra
I Zimbra
"I Zimbra" is a song by American New Wave band Talking Heads, released as the second single from their 1979 album Fear of Music.The song's lyrics are an adaptation of Dadaist Hugo Ball's poem "Gadji beri bimba."-Lyrics:The lyrics contain these lines:...
" by Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
.
Software license
Zimbra Collaboration Suite (ZCS) source code is available under the terms of the Zimbra Public License (ZPL) which is derived from the Common Public LicenseCommon Public License
In computing, the CPL is a free software / open-source software license published by IBM. The Free Software Foundation and Open Source Initiative have approved the license terms of the CPL....
(CPL) and Mozilla Public License
Mozilla Public License
The Mozilla Public License is a free and open source software license. Version 1.0 was developed by Mitchell Baker when she worked as a lawyer at Netscape Communications Corporation and version 1.1 at the Mozilla Foundation...
(MPL), and accordingly requires that modifications made to existing files, if distributed, be provided in source code form to the recipients under the same license. It also includes a clause requiring trademarks, logos, etc. be preserved making it an "attribution-style" open source license.
Categorically it is similar to the Open Source Initiative
Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software.The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond, prompted by Netscape Communications Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship Netscape Communicator product...
(OSI) Common Public Attribution License (CPAL).
The Free Software Foundation
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
accepts the license as being a free software license and refers to it as being identical to the Yahoo! Public License
Yahoo! Public License
Yahoo! Public License is a free software license by Yahoo!. It is used among others by old versions of the collaborative software Zimbra. It is approved by the Free Software Foundation as a free software license....
with the exception that VMware
VMware
VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
provides the license, rather than Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
.
Included open source projects
The ZCS Server uses open source projects such as:- PostfixPostfix (software)In computing, Postfix is a free and open-source mail transfer agent that routes and delivers electronic mail. It is intended as a fast, easier-to-administer, and secure alternative to the widely-used Sendmail MTA....
- MySQLMySQLMySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
- OpenLDAPOpenLDAPOpenLDAP Software is a free, open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol developed by the OpenLDAP Project. It is released under its own BSD-style license called the OpenLDAP Public License. LDAP is a platform-independent protocol. Several common Linux distributions...
- JettyJetty (web server)Jetty is a pure Java-based HTTP client/server, WebSocket client/server and servlet container developed as a free and open source project as part of the Eclipse Foundation...
(since version 5) - Apache TomcatApache TomcatApache Tomcat is an open source web server and servlet container developed by the Apache Software Foundation...
(last used in version 4.5) - LuceneLuceneApache Lucene is a free/open source information retrieval software library, originally created in Java by Doug Cutting. It is supported by the Apache Software Foundation and is released under the Apache Software License....
- ClamAV
- SpamAssassinSpamAssassinSpamAssassin is a computer program released under the Apache License 2.0 used for e-mail spam filtering based on content-matching rules. It is now part of the Apache Foundation....
- AMaViS and Amavisd-new
- DSPAMDSPAMDSPAM is a free software statistical spam filter written by Jonathan A. Zdziarski, author of the book Ending Spam and other books. It is intended to be a scalable, content-based spam filter for large multi-user systems...
- Aspell
- JamesApache JamesApache James, aka Java Apache Mail Enterprise Server or some variation thereof, is an open source SMTP and POP3 mail transfer agent and NNTP news server written entirely in Java. James is maintained by contributors to the Apache Software Foundation, with initial contributions by Serge Knystautas....
- SieveSieve (mail filtering language)Sieve is a programming language that can be used to create filters for email. It owes its creation to the CMU Cyrus Project, creators of Cyrus IMAP server....
- Perdition mail retrieval proxy (until 4.5)
- nginxNginxnginx is a Web server and a reverse proxy server for HTTP, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP protocols, with a strong focus on high concurrency, performance and low memory usage. It is licensed under a BSD-like license and it runs on Unix, Linux, BSD variants, Mac OS X, Solaris, and Microsoft Windows.- Overview...
(since 5.0)
See also
- AjaxAjax (programming)Ajax is a group of interrelated web development methods used on the client-side to create asynchronous web applications...
- Atmail
- Comparison of feed aggregatorsComparison of feed aggregatorsThe following is a comparison of notable RSS feed aggregators. Often e-mail programs and web browsers have the ability to display RSS feeds. They are listed here, too.Many BitTorrent clients support RSS feeds for broadcatching ....
- Groupware
- Online office suite
- KolabKolabKolab is an open source groupware suite. It consists of the Kolab server and a wide variety of Kolab clients, including KDE PIM-Suite Kontact, Horde Webfrontend, Mozilla Thunderbird and Mozilla Lightning with SyncKolab extension and Microsoft Outlook with proprietary Kolab-Connector PlugIns.-Basic...
- Zarafa Collaboration PlatformZarafa (software)Zarafa is the name of an European open source collaborative software, developed in Delft, the Netherlands. The company that develops Zarafa, previously known as Connectux, is also called Zarafa. The Zarafa groupware provides email storage on the server side and brings its own Ajax-based mail client...
- List of applications with iCalendar support