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Absolute worst case, I could see Zimbra becoming a project of the Apache or Mozilla foundations, or some consortium of universities, presuming that key folks who left Stanford for Zimbra are able to return. Universities wouldn't be as well off as they would be with continuing support from Zimbra, but they'd still be better off than they would be with Exchange or Cyrus (which they're already self-supporting).
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I'm with Rich on this. There are a variety of opportunities that could pick up where Zimbra-within-Yahoo!-within-Microsoft might leave off. Frankly, given both the technical success and the popularity Zimbra has enjoyed, if there aren't VCs or foundations taking a good hard look at the potential opportunities this presents, they're dumber than I thought.
And to the frightened NE users--I understand your fears. I'm not sure which is worse--having just spent a ton of money on something that may turn out to be less than you expected, or having just spent a ton of money and resources preparing to buy something that now you're afraid to buy. I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.
However please remember:
- No multibillion-dollar acquisition happens overnight. Between SEC, other regulators, and all the other potential stakeholders, even if every Yahoo! stockholder said "yes" to Ballmer today, the whole thing would take months to button up.
- When have you ever seen Microsoft move quickly on anything? Really, now. . .
- Contract law doesn't get thrown out by mergers. You who have support contracts will get them honored. The details of how they are honored will have to be worked out (assuming a buyout even happens) but even Gates and Ballmer can't simply annul all of your support agreements.
There may come a time when you/all of us have to jump. I don't know that, and I doubt even high-level Zimbra employees know it yet. But there is nothing to be gained--and a great deal to be lost--by reacting too quickly. Save your emergency actions for immediate emergencies, and give this one a little time to unfold.
Cheers,
Dan