Very nice analysis!!
Eric Coffman wrote:
Here is a brief assessment of each so far: I will elaborate if there is interest.
Merak - It is quite proprietary. It has its own web server and runs a custom compiled PHP binary. The interface is nice but editing it is a nightmare. They have lots of branding on it and it is forbidden to remove it according to the comments in the code. I spent all morning trying to change the login box just a little bit and ended up with 15 files opened that were included in the homepage. I eventually gave up. It has the a nice data store format for messages. Each email is a separate file in maildir format. Read files end in 02.tmp and unread files end in 40.tmp (or something close to that) so it is easy to keep track of things. Backup and restore would be very easy with this one. Lots of info on the website and support seems to be readily available. Has a nice PDA theme.
Smartermail - Nice interface, uses asp.net code and is very clear what is happening in the pages. There is no GUI admin tool, the whole thing is web based. The mail storage is complex. Each user folder has a mailbox file for each date. The messages appear to be close to maildir format but the top of the file has some binary garbage. Tracking of read/unread messages is done via a binary index file. if you delete it or it gets corrupt all messages get marked read. They seem less established with little info on the website, a low activity forum. Doesn't have ODBC support for user list.
Mdaemon - The web interface is ran via a DLL. Want to customize it? Sorry, it is a compiled DLL. It tracks read/unread messages via a binary index file although individual messages are individual maildir like formatted text files. Has a nice PDA theme. The web interface seemed confusing to me.
MailEnable - Web interface is asp. API seems well documented, uses a reliable IIS web server (no proprietary crap). Each page of the template is simple asp and can be easily modified. The WYSIWYG editor works in Mozilla and IE. The mail storage format is individual files in maildir format. The tracking of read/unread messages is done via an XML index file per folder. MMC integrated administration tool that is very easy to use. The company is in Australia so forget phone support...
My choice so far is MailEnable (Enterprise). I am testing it out now pretty heavily. I expect to have custom templates done in a few days and drop Imail completely across all my domains before the new year.
Overall my requirements are: - preferably asp (.net or php wil do) for easy customization - proven web server (IIS or Apache) I hate proprietary stuff - mail storage in maildir format with a text readable index or a simple way to identify read/unread messages (no binary garbage) - PDA interface or ability to easily make one (try that with Imail... hahahah) - Would like WYSIWYG html editor that works in both browsers - Spell checker that actually works (try that with Imail... hahahah) - Ability to do cleanup (dump messages older than X number of days, etc) - Decent support and proven record of actually fixing bugs - Reasonable price (relative to Imail everything else looks very cheap) - ODBC connection for account list - Spam control - It would be nice to have an AV option but this can be done via a mail gateway
I personally do not need calendaring, instant messaging, integrated media players, integration with groupwise, XM satellite integration, etc. I just need a decent webmail server that works and that will easily integrate with my portal.
Eric
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