I agree, I think they have bought the experience and knowledge along with the NE and related code.
So one reasonable scenario would be:
Without decent access to that knowledge it is more difficult for anyone else wanting to move the OSS version along. For a controlled more easily supportable return on investment the NE version is best suited to hosting not selling. So I suspect that as they control the pricing and they have a broad based resource available for hosting that they will make NE a hosted Yahoo! service. Over time this will cut out the current partner deals perhaps by services (eg Yahoo! themselves could mix'n'match NE and OSS for clients) or increased cost to third parties, pricing their offering too close to third party costs to allow a decent margin for current partners and then perhaps even an opportunity to buy back users to Yahoo! services.
MS is moving to rented software/services for mail applications. Google offers online services where no one needs the full code. Yahoo! and Google make their money on marketing information gathered by their services. If Google can read and index all your mail correspondence and present you with appropriate adverts on your searches or use it to bias the list results be sure Yahoo! would like this power to be enhanced too. But this requires more people hosting their email with you not just buying your software - hence the pressure perhaps to not sell NE as a separate product. Even now the ISP license does provide for intermediary services and ad revenue.
A hosted free OSS version could be used as a taster and to meet some demands for users to whom they can't/wouldn't sell to but don't want to lose entirely because of the value of the data collected. It wont be in their interests to improve the system too much as there will be little revenue from the move up if the OSS is too good. Staff will be set to improve the integration to Yahoo! administration and management for NE Zimbra and the new opportunities it presents. New developments will move to the NE version not OSS to widen the distinction. Eg the Zimbra desktop (not yet 'confirmed' as remaining OSS), considering the PDA sync which could be OSS yet isn't and I suspect that would be the pattern for much of the new core functionality.
I don't intend to make Yahoo! out to be an evil corporate monster, it will do what many would do to try to find ways to make money from OSS based software. Part of the problem is its more difficult to make money from software that you have no unique hold over ie if it is OSS. The differentiator with (F)OSS is based on the type of service you offer to clients and at what price rather than with internal and closed 'if you want it you can only get this from us'. The former can enable customer portability that encourages brilliant hosting and high levels of service for clients for retention. The latter, a pseudo monopoly that tends to reduce choice and minimise the level of service.
Anyhow, this is all air. No one really knows and we shall need to wait and see what really happens. In the mean time Zimbra is here now, working and to some extent fOSS. Thanks for showing it can be done Guys and hope you get to keep doing it!
K  |