Zimbra Desktop Lite? - to solve the Windows application "Send To" challenge

[mrgupotl]

My company is hesitant to move to Zimbra due to the fact that we cannot utilize the "File | Send To | Recipient as attachment" option within our applications (Excel, Word, etc.). This option works in our current environment and would therefore require a significant sacrifice were we to choose Zimbra. Here is more background on our situation:

* We are currently using Outlook 2000 to "pop" mail from sendmail
* Most of our team members connect to a virtual desktop using a thin client that accesses a Windows Terminal Server; a minority have laptops and/or PCs.
* We need a real collaboration system
* We have narrowed the list of options to Microsoft Exchange and Zimbra
* If we purchase Exchange, we will receive licenses for Outlook 2007.
* Zimbra appears to be viable only if we utilize the Zimbra Web Client to replace Outlook 2000 as the default email client.
o If we were going to upgrade Outlook, we might as well go with Exchange

As stated above, the biggest shortcoming for Zimbra appears to be the inability to easily send documents that you are working on. Here is my understanding of the challenge, along with a recommended solution...

* Programs that want to send email will attempt to launch the default email application
* Since Zimbra Web Client is actually a website, rather than an application, it cannot be set as the default email application.
* Zimbra Desktop is an application and can therefore be the default email application.
* While organizations using the Zimbra Web Client as their main email client could possibly install Zimbra Desktop as the default email application, they do not want to as it would cause many other challenges due to the full synchronization with the Zimbra Server.
o Confusion for the users
o Duplication of data
o Unnecessary network burden
* Therefore, I recommend creating Zimbra Desktop Lite, a significantly scaled down version that provides only the following features
o True synchronization of the address books (Global, shared and personal)
o No other Zimbra Server data would be downloaded to Zimbra Desktop Lite
o One way synchronization of sent messages - messages sent with Zimbra Desktop Lite would be synchronized with the Zimbra Server just like any message sent using the Zimbra Web Client

[ewilen]

I'm not sure I understand that confusion issue. Everything you see in ZWC, you see in ZD, and vice-versa, except for Zimlets and offline mail. However given current complications in backing up offline mail, I'd discourage its use (or turn it off entirely if possible). I wonder about the network burden of ZDC--is it any greater than Outlook? And about the comparison with Outlook with regard to duplication of data, if Outlook isn't caching data locally, isn't that going to increase network activity?

In any case, a big problem with ZDC from your perspective is that it currently only supports one user/machine. (I understand that Zimbra is planning on remedying this.)

Could Thunderbird + Lightning/Sunbird be an option, instead of Outlook or Zimbra Web Client?

Or, perhaps you could just use Thunderbird as a sending agent for "File | Send To", and sync its addressbook with Zindus. See: Zimbra Thunderbird address book sync ; or directly: Zindus

If that works, you'd want to minimize the amount of mail that Thunderbird downloads by pruning its IMAP folder subscriptions and turning off as much checking and automatic downloading as possible. Setting it up as a POP account might also be worth a look, in terms of minimizing any download of data.

[soxfan]

* Zimbra Desktop is an application and can therefore be the default email application.

Just so you know, up to and including the latest version of the Zimbra Desktop it does not support the "File --> Send To --> Mail Recipient" function, even though it can be set as the default email application. The lack of this functionality with the ZWC, Toaster, Desktop, etc. is one of my biggest knocks on the Zimbra clients as a whole. This is one time I hope someone comes back with "You're wrong! It can be done.", because I truly hope I have overlooked something. Solving this issue would provide a huge benefit to my organization.

[jmhe]

I have opened an enhancement bug for this: Bug 37462 – Support "Send To->Mail Recipients" on windows

You may sign up an account at our bugzilla site and CC yourself to the bug, so that you get notified when the bug is fixed.

Originally Posted by soxfan

Just so you know, up to and including the latest version of the Zimbra Desktop it does not support the "File --> Send To --> Mail Recipient" function, even though it can be set as the default email application. The lack of this functionality with the ZWC, Toaster, Desktop, etc. is one of my biggest knocks on the Zimbra clients as a whole. This is one time I hope someone comes back with "You're wrong! It can be done.", because I truly hope I have overlooked something. Solving this issue would provide a huge benefit to my organization.

[soxfan]

I have opened an enhancement bug for this: Bug 37462 – Support "Send To->Mail Recipients" on windows

Thanks, just voted for the bug. Hopefully this is an easier fix/enhancement on the Desktop side of things than on the Web Client side, where bug 12845 for similar functionality has been open since December of 2006 without any resolution.

[mrgupotl]

This functionality is a deal-breaker for my company - we will not convert without it. Please save me from having to install Microsoft Exchange!