Features outside of the Kolab format

Gunnar Wrobel wrobel at pardus.de
Thu Nov 1 08:45:38 CET 2007


Hi!

I have been analyzing cross Kolab client compatibility for the Kolab
Konsortium during the last weeks. I have been looking at the following
six clients:

 - Kontact
 - Outlook/Toltec
 - Outlook/Konsec
 - Outlook/Bynari
 - Thunderbird
 - Horde

This was focused on checking compatibility with Horde.

There is one obvious conclusion concerning the Kolab format
specification:

 It is extremely successful.

Besides some really minor bugs the clients have no problems talking
with each other since they all adhere to the format specs.

The downside:

 The Kolab format is limited.

Many clients by now offer features beyond what is specified within the
Kolab format.

What do developers do in case a Kolab client offers additional
features that are not being described within the Kolab format?

 They implement it.

This leads to the interesting situation that all the Outlook
connectors implement any groupware object attributes that lie outside
of the format specs in their own special way and are incapable of
understanding each other concerning those attributes. The same holds
true for the other clients in cases their feature set lies outside of
the specs. Horde may be an exemption from that but only because it
does not yet offer features left undefined by the Kolab format.

I think it would be good if the Kolab format development process would
better accommodate for the fact that clients progress and offer
features beyond the boundaries of the format specifications.

Cheers,

Gunnar

-- 
______ http://kdab.com _______________ http://kolab-konsortium.com _

p at rdus Kolab work is funded in part by KDAB and the Kolab Konsortium

____ http://www.pardus.de _________________ http://gunnarwrobel.de _
E-mail : p at rdus.de                                 Dr. Gunnar Wrobel
Tel.   : +49 40 432 72335                           Bundesstrasse 29
Fax    : +49 40 432 70855                            D-20146 Hamburg
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