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jeromewood
Newbie
Joined: 30 September 2024
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1
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| Posted: 30 September 2024 at 2:32am | IP Logged
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I'm in the process of trying to find a replacement for my self-hosted Zimbra OSE server, but it's proving really difficult.
It seems like all the free options are either stuck in 2003 or fancy on the surface but lacking in (what I consider) basic functionality.
Is it too much to ask, for example, for a webmail client with global search? The only one that I found so far is Roundcube, which can do a global search (all parts, all folders) with "just" 4 additional clicks. Why is that? I had a server running Horde Groupware in 2013 that could do that.
Same with unified inbox - combining multiple folders into one view. Again, Horde could do that, Zimbra can do it, haven't seen it anywhere else.
I installed mailcow on a test server, but SoGo has a terrible user interface, Roundcube integration is only so-so.
I also tried Afterlogic WebMail Lite PHP and OX App Suite and they look a little better, but also have some issues. OX App Suite looks promising, but doesn't have email server included, and using mailcow for authentication works but users needs to be manually replicated to OX.
Kopano is basically dead (unless someone could tell me otherwise), eGroupware is extremely clunky, the list goes on.
Then I installed the demo version of Axigen, and I'm blown away. It's everything one would want in a mail solution, modern, efficient, easy to administer, customizable, etc. But of course ridiculously expensive, similar to Zimbra in pricing.
Any other options that are affordable (not even asking for free, but >1000€/year for a handful of user accounts is too much), have halfway-decent groupware features and at least some things that should be "normal" in 2023, like universal search, easy folder/mailbox/calendar sharing&delegation, horizontal preview pane layout, ideally GUI user management etc.
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Igor
AfterLogic Support
Joined: 24 June 2008
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6101
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| Posted: 30 September 2024 at 6:05am | IP Logged
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Hello,
I can only speak about our products - while I may be aware of how things work in Roundcube and other email clients, that wouldn't be an expert opinion really.
First of all, our WebMail (even a free Lite version) is able to do a global search. Click an arrow to the right from the search bar:
and you get access to advanced search features, including the folder range selection:
But in fact, you don't need to use advanced search to access those features, simply enter something like folders:all searchword in a search bar - and search will be done in all the folders. You can read more on what our search can do at: Advanced search
One other thing you mentioned is horizontal layout, and we do have that as well, it's just not enabled by default.
Unified Inbox is a feature found in WebMail Pro, Lite doesn't support multiple email accounts per user.
As for managing users, you typically wouldn't need to create users manually, the users are automatically added on first login with their valid IMAP details - but as for deleting, searching and disabling, that's all available in the admin area.
With regard to groupware features, we believe this doesn't belong in webmail, but has to be a part of a separate business mail solution, and we do have such a product called Aurora Corporate (its comparison with WebMail Pro). And I'm only speaking of sharing contacts, calendars, folders and files. Sharing mailboxes isn't something our products can do, and generally it's not possible in a standalone webmail client at all - unless there's a deep integration between webmail and specific mail server.
One last point I'd wish to make is that all of the above is about webmail/groupware clients you use with your existing email server. But we also offer mailserver bundles - in case of WebMail Pro that would be MailSuite Pro for Linux, while Aurora has a separate all-in-one edition for that purpose.
I hope this clears things up a bit. And if you got questions or doubts, do let us know please.
--
Regards,
Igor, Afterlogic
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