Seeing is believing: Scalix

Julie Farris did me the honor of demo'ing the Scalix web client this morning. I've known about Scalix for years but, incredibly, really didn't know exactly what the company did. I knew it was a Linux-based email server, but didn't know that the company's web client meets and sometimes exceeds the sexy UI/functionality of Zimbra, Oddpost, etc.

Unlike other offerings, I really couldn't tell that I was in a browser, because they yank out the browser artifacts (most of them, anyway) so that there is no back button, address bar, etc. It's a very simple tweak, but important for making fat-client lovers like me feel comfortable. I also really liked the windowing system (very similar to CanyonBridge's offering, which I think is fantastic).

I guess this is ample reason to attend OSBC (you knew a self-congratulatory statement was coming, didn't you? :-). It's nice to talk about what open source can do, but OSBC is becoming the DEMO of open source applications and middleware. At this one, we'll be showing off 12 leading open source products/projects with the entire crowd (between keynotes) looking on. I'm hopeful that through public demos like this, my ignorance (and others') can be dispelled.

Up until I actually saw Julie demo Scalix, I didn't think much about the company, because (empiricist that I am) I couldn't see/feel/touch the software. Now that I've seen what it can do, I'm pushing Alfresco to actively consider it as an option for our email upgrade. I'm guessing that many of us are like this with open source - we like it in theory, but often don't have concrete examples of killer software to point to. I'm hoping that OSBC will become a forum for demonstrating that open source truly has arrived and is in some cases clearly superior to proprietary software.

Thanks, Julie!