TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Feb. 14, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Open-Xchange Inc., the only remaining independent open source alternative to Microsoft Exchange, today announced it will release all server components, installation and administration tools under the General Public License (GPL). Now, the Open-Xchange e-mail and collaboration server is open to full community involvement, thereby enabling industry partners and community members to extend the Java-based platform beyond traditional groupware functionality.
Open-Xchange Community Edition offers email, calendar, contacts, tasks and document sharing, providing companies with all the tools needed to facilitate communication and efficient teamwork. Customers and/or partners can improve communication and teamwork with simple, intuitive tools and intelligent features, such as smart links between calendar appointments, task lists, contacts, documents, bookmarks, knowledge articles and AJAX-based mashup capabilities by UWA (Netvibes Universal Widget API).
With its AJAX-based user interface, Open-Xchange Community Edition provides an unprecedented user experience and allows businesses to take advantage of the cost benefits of open source software. Initially, Open-Xchange Community Edition will be available for Debian and Ubuntu, with more Linux distribution support to be added soon.
"Recent events, including Yahoo's acquisition of Zimbra and Microsoft's bid to buy Yahoo, clearly demonstrate the need for an independent, open source alternative for email and collaboration," said Rafael Laguna, CEO, Open-Xchange. "Today, we are inviting our partners, customers and the Open Source community to fully participate in the evolution of a true open and independent communication platform. By opening up the platform we are giving contributors and industry partners long-term security to continue independent development."
Availability of maintenance, support and Outlook connectivity
Open-Xchange provides additional services for Open-Xchange Community Edition, such as maintenance, via an automated updater and connectivity for Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 clients. Open-Xchange Server Edition starts at US $435/EUR 299 and is available today at the Open-Xchange Online Shop (www.open-xchange.com/shop) and through qualified resellers. Governmental, non-profit organizations, educational organizations and users of competitive products are eligible for discounts. All prices exclude VAT.
Availability
Open-Xchange Community Edition will be available for free download at popular open source portals such as sourceforge.net and freshmeat.net. To contribute to Open-Xchange Community Edition developers should visit http://www.open-xchange.com/header/community_area.html. Open-Xchange is # 130 in popularity out of 44,051 projects listed on http://freshmeat.net.
About Open-Xchange Inc.
Open-Xchange Inc. is the innovator of scalable and integrated open source email and collaboration solutions for enterprises, academic institutions, and government authorities. Open-Xchange Hosting Edition enables web-hosting companies to provide an easy-to-use and feature-rich application delivered as Software as a Service (SaaS). Internet service providers (ISPs), telcos and hosting providers, led by 1&1 Internet, deliver advanced email and groupware features through Open-Xchange Hosting Edition to millions of users. Open-Xchange Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Tarrytown, NY, with research, development, and operations in Olpe and Nuremberg, Germany. For more information, please visit www.open-xchange.com.