Zimbra iSync beta released
Zimbra 
, “a rich, full-featured, AJAX-based Web client that brings e-mail and calendar items to life through Web mash-ups on the front end” (kewl!), has announced a beta test of its Apple iSync utility.
This will allow Mac users to sync their calendar and contact data with Zimbra’s web-based interface. It seems to offer a solution for those who fear too great a gulf in Web 2.0 services between server-side data-storage and users’ computers.
The screenshots featured in the announcement show that the beta is already well-developed and offers significant user control over the synchronisation:
The beta test is only open to Zimbra Network Edition or Network trial users. The Open Source Edition is not supported.
Users who qualify can contact their Zimbra sales rep to register their interest.
[Thanks, sjk]
Tags: Address Book, Apple Mail, beta, email, iCal, mail.app, synchronization, web 2.0, ZimbraRelated posts
March 7th, 2006 at 6:32 am
I am in a love hate relationship with Zimbra — it has much power, but it is highly unattractive — as a designer, I’m appalled by some of it’s UI decisions. Not to mention it’s lack of quality Safari output (go ahead and test the demo); though that’s partially safari’s lack of javascript in some areas, there are other routes they could have taken.
Now, I’ll avoid the fact that it loads as long as other applications to get going (again, the javascript part), but the html and CSS were NOT coded by professional talent. I see bugs in that code I wouldn’t have made four years ago — maybe we have some programmers that think html/css is a joke, but I tend to think if they can’t do the simple stuff, why should i trust the advanced stuff on my server?
I like the power, but looking under the hood, it’s not going on my xserve… and for the love of god, brushed metal with gray canvas?! NOoooo….
March 7th, 2006 at 11:41 am
hehehe ;-)
Yes, it’s a bit like that, isn’t it? I had to switch to Firefox to try the demo.
I’m obviously not as visually astute as you are. It ddin’t seem too horrible on the eyes to me.
I wonder to what extent it is skinnable? I know you can customise the logo and so forth in the Network Edition, but about the rest of the CSS?
March 7th, 2006 at 11:54 am
Lots of it looks CSS enabled — in theory, any CSS user experienced enough can style it as needed — but some of those images are in the html, so that would be a whole new angle (and I’m sure they didn’t use alpha transparent png’s because Internet Explorer doesn’t support that, so each probably has a sucky background — you’d have to change those too).
It’s template-able, but not like Wodpress or roundcube — whose engine uses very customizable html and css, so we can control it much more closely. Especially the HTML, there’s no reason for some of their mess.
Regardless, part of it is open source, so I could take a week to destroy it and re-write it… but why, when it’s such a load on my computer, I’ll stick with my roundcube and php calendar — but it is nice it’s tied together… just not touching my server with that code:) I refuse!
March 9th, 2006 at 12:04 am
[...] This will allow Mac users to sync their calendar and contact data with Zimbra’s web-based interface. It seems to offer a solution for those who fear too great a gulf in Web 2.0 services between server-side data-storage and users’ computers. Source: “Zimbra iSync beta released” — Hawk Wings [...]