Just a link to show they have a leg up on RC, they're not so small it seems... take it how you will.
http://atmail.com/client_portfolio.php On Wed, 26 Jul 2006 09:17:49 -0400, Brett Patterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Thomas Bruederli wrote: >> Hi everybody, >> >> Just wanted to forward a mail I've got yesterday and would like to >> hear your opinions about this topic. Either this could make RoundCube >> grow faster or atmail just wants to get rid of some (more and more >> serious) competition. >> >> Don't panic, I didn't decide anything yet and I don't want to get rich >> anyway :-) >> >> Regards, >> Thomas >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: Ben Duncan >> Date: 25.07.2006 09:06 >> Subject: Roundcube merger - Ideas from atmail >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> Hello Thomas, >> >> Ben Duncan here, I emailed you earlier this year about doing some >> consulting work for @Mail in Australia but it seemed you were busy. >> >> Just as a quick intro, I'm the founder of @Mail, a >> WebMail/Email-server project I first started in 1998. We are based in >> Australia and run a business with about 6 people, supporting the @Mail >> product as our main focus. Our site is at: http://atmail.com/ >> >> We'd like to propose a business deal to merge Roundcube with our @Mail >> product. In summary we'd like to fork an open-source version of @Mail, >> and use the current Roundcube product as leverage for the open-source >> offering. We would then continue developing @Mail as the full >> commercial copy with added features; while running a decent quality >> open-source version as incentive for people to use our commercial >> copy. >> >> We can offer you a reasonable fee to purchase the license of >> Roundcube, the site, and for the effort you have contributed to the >> project. We'd also be very interested if you could spear-head the >> development of our open-source @Mail product that would be merged into >> Roundcube and offered to the open-source community. >> >> If you are available we'd love you to consult our company in Australia >> for 1-3 months on the development of @Mail and merging the two >> products for the open source offering. We could propose a deal for the >> merger and pay you for consulting our company for the desired time >> you'd like to visit Australia. >> >> Let me know if you are open to any business deals, and I can submit a >> proposal for you. >> >> Kind regards, >> >> Ben Duncan >> >> > Wow.... that's all I can say.... > This stinks to high heaven to me.... and it looks like something > Microsoft would do to Linux ;) I personally love Roundcube, and I've > tried @mail (just to gauge the competition) and @mail has some nicer > features that aren't in Roundcube yet. So it *could* be beneficial for > RC to move that way. On the other hand, there is stuff like too much > junk in the interface that makes it terrible to use, and just plain slow. > > I would hate to see RC be "bought out" even though it technically > can't. Just the brand can be bought. The code is solidly GPL. But if > they buy the brand, we start a fork, and we change domain names... no > big deal. Although I'd be ticked after getting the forum up and running > having to switch names, themes and such.... :( > > Thomas, you do as you want. But to me, it seems like they see you as > being a true competitor when RC reaches it's first real release. While > we won't have the feature list they have (POP, Customization) we've got > a leg up on them: 30gigs.com is using RC as their webmail. I don't know > anyone that uses @mail currently. > > Don't think too lightly on this one.... really weigh out what would > happen to RC... I see nothing good coming of this.... > > ~Brett
