Kolab solution completely Free Software

[Bernhard Reiter]

Dear Kolab-Users,

reading Citadel's last announcement, 
you might be interested how Kolab relates to the raised points:

http://www.citadel.org/doku.php/news:citadel.adopts.gplv3
| Citadel remains the only messaging and collaboration system offering 
| end-to-end GPL across the entire code base,
[..]

The Kolab solution is build out of a number of Free Software components,
like Postfix and Apache, some of which are not under the GNU GPL nor
do members of the Kolab group own the copyrights.
So from the legal maintainability aspect 
Citadel is better as they can change and defend the license more easily. 

| Furthermore, when compared with other systems in its category, Citadel 
|remains the only one that is comprised of end-to-end free software at all.

I cannot say, if Citadel considers the Kolab Solution being in the same 
category. Naturally Citadel has some features Kolab does not have, 
and Kolab has some that Citadel lacks. 
This will always be the case with two different software packages.

It is important to know that 
the Kolab solution is Free Software from end-to-end. 
Server, Web (in beta) and KDE client are all Free Software.
The concept, specs and documentation have been released as free documents.

In addition some can use Outlook with/or without a proprietary connector, but 
the connectors have not been developed by the Kolab initiative.
Also you could use any proprietary Email client like Outlook
or Outlook with a proprietary connector with Citadel in a useful way.

|Others offer a feature-limited free version but require a paid license in
|order to use the “enterprise” or “network” edition. Citadel has no such
|limitation; we make our very best work available to everyone on the same 
|terms.

 http://www.citadel.org/doku.php/doku.php?id=start
| Citadel is true open source (GPL) software. Unlike other groupware servers,
| it isn't a cut-down version of an expensive proprietary “pro” version. We
| make our very best work available to everyone on the same terms.

Kolab also does not have a "restricted" or non-free version of any kind.
The companies being members of the Kolab Konsortium (like Intevation, my 
company) even offer the exact versions they recommend for their professional 
support as gratis downloads.

As a Free Software person I like diversity and as a business person 
I like competition, so I welcome that Citadel is around.
Naturally I hope to clarify the potential missunderstandings about Kolab
within the Citadel community.

Best Regards,
Bernhard

ps.: I am trying to send this public email to the Citadel community as well. 
Room_citadel_support a..t uncensored.citadel.org was the best I could gather
as contact address from the website. Please forward accordingly.

-- 
Managing Director - Owner: www.intevation.net       (Free Software Company)
Germany Coordinator: fsfeurope.org. Coordinator: www.Kolab-Konsortium.com.
Intevation GmbH, Osnabrück, DE; Amtsgericht Osnabrück, HRB 18998
Geschäftsführer Frank Koormann, Bernhard Reiter, Dr. Jan-Oliver Wagner
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