Zimbra has launched an alpha version of the Desktop client in Mac, Linux and Windows flavours for its open-source “Exchange-killer” collaboration platform.

The Mac version weighs in at 20 MB and requires Java Runtime Environment 1.5.x to run.

Once installed and connected to a Zimbra server, the client loads into a browser (Firefox, Safari) through local port 7633. It then downloads a local cache of your entire Zimbra account, allowing you to process your mail and calendar whether you’re online or not.

Next time a connection is established, any changes are synched up to the server.

It also comes with a menubar new mail notification utility — “Zimbra Toaster” — which will check for new mail every minute and lists the new mail in a drop-down menu.

I would love to show you some screenshots of the client in action, but work’s Zimbra test server is down. Frustrating but true.

I can, however, show you a screenshot of what happens when the Desktop client can’t establish a connection:

Edifying, eh? (TechCrunch’s server is up. It looks pretty much like the web interface.)

Download the Mac client and give it a whirl yourself.not mail.app, not apple mail, zimbra, desktop client, email, productivity

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• Zimbra gets friendly with Safari 3.0, CalDAV, iPhone

Tags: desktop client, email, not apple mail, not mail.app, Productivity, Zimbra

This entry was posted on Tuesday, 27th March, 2007 at 1:24 am and is filed under Not Apple Mail, Productivity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.