External IM support PLEASE!

[Mace]

I don't know if this has been requested before (even though I am sure it has) but are there any plans in the future to bring more features to the IM capabilities to Zimbra? I am currently using the OSS edition and noticed that the jabberd Zimbra uses is very limited.

Are there any plans to give Zimbra the ability to connect to other IMs (such as gtalk, aim, yahoo, etc)? Considering the fact that the goal is collaberation I believe it would be awesome to be able to keep all communication within the web interface Zimbra uses. It would give people an oppurtunity to pass along IM information to customers who do not have an account on the company Zimbra server and it would also make it so other programs would not have to be installed on a computer in order to connect to all the different types of IM services out there.

If anybody knows any way for me to add support for gtalk, aim, yahoo, msn, etc to the web interface IM program... I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,
Mace

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by Mace

I don't know if this has been requested before (even though I am sure it has) but are there any plans in the future to bring more features to the IM capabilities to Zimbra? I am currently using the OSS edition and noticed that the jabberd Zimbra uses is very limited.

Search bugzilla for any enhancement requests and file one if there isn't one in there, that's the correct place for RFEs.

[nrc]

You should vote for Bug 19398 Integration with external IM servers (XMPP proxy support).

If access to external Jabber servers were enabled you could possibly use OpenFire's IM Gateway plugin to access other IM services.

[troublemaker]

If you not obliged to use web-client only, you may do as I already did: use extrnal OpenFire and shut down internal one. Set up external OF to work with ZCS's LDAP.

[Mace]

Well. I kind of am obligated to use the web IM. The point of using Zimbra is to eliminate all external applications and use it for full office collaboration. I am trying to eliminate MS Office, External IM clients, External E-Mail clients as well as eliminating all Microsoft based OS licenses. This is incredibly possible with Zimbra once it reaches a point where all of these things get ironed out.

All I can do is use it and find bugs bit by bit and report them as well as ask for enhancements. The goal was to use all the features of Zimbra (E-Mail, Documents, Briefcase, Calendar, Tasks, and the Address book and GAL) in a real world environment without the need for any Microsoft based products. The plan was to use debian as desktops on extremely low powered machines (something like a via pico-atx based Artigo type of system) which can easily run a supported web browser.

The possibilities of Zimbra are exceptional, but there are just certain things holding it up. One of which is its limited Jabberd which doesn't allow for "Chat Rooms." I try my best to report bugs but obviously this is a huge project and the developers are working the best they can to correct user issues.

Seriously wish they would bring the IM "pin" button back. I think this would be especially necessary if they ever decide to add multiple user chats. Something like that seems like it would require the IM tab.

Regards.

[troublemaker]

Originally Posted by Mace

Well. I kind of am obligated to use the web IM. The point of using Zimbra is to eliminate all external applications and use it for full office collaboration.

Hmm...

All MS-free and multiplatform (except for Miranda IM, but it works fine with WINE under Ubuntu)

I am trying to eliminate MS Office

OpenOffice/StarOffice

External IM clients

alot of... Miranda IM, Pidgin and so on... But the beforementioned works with internal ZCS's IM or with OpenFire just perfect.

More, we HAVE created chatrooms on ZCS' IM with PSI and Miranda!

External E-Mail clients

ZCS' web-client have one defect, which makes it unusable in our organization.
Due the message size constrains, messages may arrive as "message/partial" - some separate messages to be combined into one.
External clients (Evolution, ThunderBird and so on) do rejoining of message parts, and ZCS web-client does not.

The possibilities of Zimbra are exceptional, but there are just certain things holding it up. One of which is its limited Jabberd which doesn't allow for "Chat Rooms."

I must add: "...when using IM-client in web-client". See above: chatromms created perfectly using external IM-clients.

I think that "universal all-in-one" combined appliance may not be the best choice AS CLIENT.

[Mace]

The entire point is to avoid using all these applications and only use a web browser. Obviously I can just use a bunch of open sourced applications... realistically speaking. If I didn't use the web client then I could just scrap Zimbra altogether and just use the severs and daemons they use to create my own completely service based system. The whole point is to eliminate as many running applications as possible and still be able to do office based work.

The real goal is to have a strong server which can support roughly 300 users. Replace all the workstation boxes with pico-atx based systems. Install Linux (or any open source OS that will give us a browser that works with Zimbra 100%).

Most of all. The largest goal is to eliminate the use of external applications altogether. I don't know how many system admins there are out there that have spent hours on the phone talking to incompetent users trying to walk them through setting up an e-mail client. You can't blame the users, they just simply don't know. A lot of them have never had a need to edit options.

There is one thing that is almost idiot proof though. Showing a user how to start a web browser, and having that web browser go to https://mail.yourcompany.com. No need to change anything. Just open a browser, go to a web site, and do all your work from that web site. Chat with co-workers instead of picking up a phone and calling them. Type documents. Share the documents. Etc Etc.

This is the whole point to a Collaboration suite isn't it? One place for multiple users to work on the same thing in a similar environment in order to produce an efficient atmosphere?

Open a browser. Go to an address. Do all your work right here. Simplicity helps. This is why to me the web client is the most appealing thing once it can be used in a practical situation.

[gnyce]

You just have to open up two ports on your Zimbra server, and add 1-2 DNS entries. PM me if you need some help, but I think I got it from somewhere on the forum. And by the way, I think it is not just Gtalk, but any Jabber/XMPP IM system (but could be wrong about that).

[Mace]

Which as far as i know is only gtalk as far as the larger services go.

[cpm]

I can use 'external' clients with zimbra just fine.

What I can't do, and want to do, and think I should be able to do, is
IM from gtalk to a zimbra user, or the other way around.

Since it seems the backend is a jabber implementation, I don't under
stand why this doesn't work.