A (currently theoretical) question concerning a book about the Kolab Server

[Richard Bos]

Op Thursday 17 July 2008 13:08:40 schreef Gunnar Wrobel:
> > The other thing is that kolab is fully based on a directory (ldap)
> > and imap storage instead of a database.  But what is the big
> > advantage of using a directory and imap storage instead of database?
> > With IP everywhere a database is also very reachable from each
> > location, even from remote locations and databases can be replicated
> > as well.
>
> You only look at the administrators point of view here. Of course the
> server admin can access a database. But what about the user? This is
> the most crucial point about Kolab for me. Of course Kolab offers a
> lot more than IMAP based storage of data. But to me this is the core
> element. And it is not a technical reason why I'm excited about this
> but a plain social one.

I did not think about this aspect actually, but it is a very nice one indeed.  

However, if one is to use kolab in a company environment this fact (user in 
control of data) is of no importance as the user should not move his email :)
In that case why is the directory / imap storage better than other solutions?  
Probably because it is scalably.  But isn't the same valid for groupware 
solutions based on a database (I wonder)?  Perhaps Bernard or Martin can 
elaborate on this?

-- 
Richard Bos
Without a home the journey is endless