Comments on: Gmail well behind Zimbra in offline accessibility

In the competition between Google and Yahoo, Google may well own search, but its e-mail is a distant second to the Zimbra, the open-source e-mail innovator acquired by Yahoo.

[cuwickliffe]

Zimbra is still a desktop client, which makes the Gmail deal actually different. As far as I'm concerned Zimbra is no better than a POP3 or IMAP client, although is keeps the original site design.

[txgnu]

So true. Another example: they have remained completely deaf to users requesting that they add a to-do list / task list feature to Calendar. Check out the numerous threads on http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Calendar-Help. This will be reason enough to ditch them at some point.

[thedecline9]

Not exactly Calendar, but there are tasks within Gmail:

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-in-labs-tasks.html

[couldnotunregister]

The article is extremely vague, especially as to just what it means to "take Google offline". The Apples and Oranges (PC and Mac?) comparison to Zimbra seems a matter of the author's personal bias. All in all, not a "News" story at all.

[Seaspray0]

You scared me, Matt. When you said "takes gmail offline", I envisioned the service going down for good. Bad Matt! Bad, Bad Matt!

[forrestcupp]

I agree. On my Google page, this article was called "Google takes gmail offline..." That's kind of deceiving. I thought I was losing my Gmail.

[Gilgamesh23]

Off-line mail is so freakin 90's! It just limits where you're able to get to old messages and stuff. Keep your mail on-line and accessible. Off-line mail is a thing of the past!

[odubtaig]

Good luck with your single point of failure there, bub.

[wvlith]

I do not understand this story. You can use Pop or IMAP with GMail. What is the problem????

[jenniferljl]

Dude. Ya gotta do better than that. I understand word limits on article size, but you can sacrifice the bit about yawning in favor of explaining WHAT YOU MEAN!

[Eideard]

No doubt the six people who use Zimbra will be patting themselves on the back.

[Get_Bent]

Plus the staff and students at over 300 universities worldwide (Cal Poly, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Texas A&M, University of Bern - Switzerland, et. al.) that use Zimbra.

[commenter46]

The idea is to create a single user interface, whether you are connected to the internet or not. Yes, outlook can pull Gmail messages in, but the user interface is totally different. With gmail's offline support, I can be on a plane and still see my messages with the signature "Conversation Flow"....and even write emails that will be sent as soon as I land. Being a fan of Gmail and all of its little subtleties, Offline Gmail is a Winner.

As for Zimbra having offline support first, it only counts if people know about it. I had no idea what the heck Zimbra was until I read this article....and I sure won't be switching over to it now.

[Blaise1]

Thank you for your help. I also use Gmail and like it, but more and more I am thinking of returning to Yahoo, as you can see all your mails and the content of the one you are pointing out. Plus, you can open various tabs and switch as you want just like with Outlook.

Also, Gmail (although I still like it) does not allow you to search by topics and or names, unless you have used labels, which I do not use most of the time (as it is too time consuming).

[BatterseaPS]

"Plus, you can open various tabs and switch as you want just like with Outlook.

Also, Gmail (although I still like it) does not allow you to search by topics and or names, unless you have used labels, which I do not use most of the time (as it is too time consuming)."

1. You can open various tabs with Gmail. In fact, you can make Quick Links to individual messages, to labels, or to complex searches.

2. Gmail does allow you to search by anything: subject, sender, receiver, body -- anything.

3. Labels are not time consuming if you use keyboard shortcuts, especially macros: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/14189

So I believe you are wrong on all counts.

[Blaise1]

Same here, first I got scared with the OFFLINE thing, and then I though do I really need this feature? The answer is "no" and I wasted time to sign on to write this.

Can we please move to more constructive and informative IT-articles and debates.

Thank you CNET news for your cooperation.

[thomasbrenneke]

I'd be interested to know if the author has ever deployed a Zimbra stack, or experienced the enhancements yahoo has added or detracted from the product?

These comparison's aren't adequate, Zimbra is a proprietary stack of bundled open source software with horrendous web interface skins, some now sporting the not so gorgeous yahoo logo.

Gmail is a mail component to a much larger array of useful tools and web services, now being made available via offline methods.

I agree with the other comments in that this was extremely lacking in quality.

[sobes79]

Were you yawning when apple released their MP3 player (aka iPod), ~5 years after creative's 'nomad'?

[clanchadwick]

Um, I think that offline mode is good for if you are on a laptop that is offline and you want to write a mail that you intend to send when you get internet access back.

But I will NEVER download anything Yahoo related because it ALWAYS comes packaged with crapware that you have to watch out for. I love my gmail. If my computer dies, my contacts, mail and all my google docs live on. I'm sure Yahoo would love to provide the same service, along with dancing emoticons popping up randomly on my desktop.

[Blaise1]

But, I think that it is exactly the same with Hotmail, Yahoo, and the lot. You can keep all your data, even if your PC/MAC dies/ This is not a Gmail feature. It is a on-line Internet Account feature. Correct?

[clanchadwick]

Yes, they all do it.... but I would not use Yahoo's service for the reasons I mentioned.

[jowewo]

Zimba can cost over $500 a year. Gmail is free. As for the finality of the two services/products, they are different.

Can we please compare oranges with oranges?

Google offers FREE IMAP/POP email client, calendar sharing, creation and documents sharing, audio/video chat, etc. This is not necessarily for everyone but it is what most people/organizations need...

[Blaise1]

What is IMAP?

Thank you and sorry for my ignorance.

[bonesbautista]

Um, Zimbra hooks up to Yahoo accounts offering offline service, Zimbra's webmail interface is Yahoo Mail's interface, Yahoo offers calendar sharing, ya got me on the document sharing thing, and what's Yahoo Messenger - A/V chat, maybe?

Not a Yahoo lover here, I use Google Premier Accounts for my small business, never use doc sharing because nobody I know uses it or cares to. Just calling a spade a spade.

[jadedknut]

"What is IMAP?"

This is where Google will not let you down Blaise. Did you know they have an excellent search engine?

[loose_screw]

I use gmail as my primary email account, and Yahoo as several secondary email accounts. The spam filters on Yahoo are horrendous. I get daily emails in my inbox about online degrees, sexual enhancement drugs, etc. It's a rare day that I get a spam message in my gmail inbox, and I use that email far more than the Yahoo ones!

I also use 4 different computers, and do not wish to be tied down to a desktop client. As others have mentioned, Gmail allows me to forward my emails and also use POP/IMAP access.

Zimbra looks interesting, but I can see it as more of an Outlook/Exchange replacement for work email rather than my personal accounts.

[drpr]

Asay, your article appears to have a hidden agenda: championing a large company (Yahoo), that supports the efforts of open source software developers. You have held the view for a number of years that open source software is the ethical way to go, and that companies who partner with open source developers have higher principles than companies who go solely for profit. Forgive me, but I can't help but wonder if you are trying to pass off an article that chides Google for not being the "higher principled" company you thought it would be, as an article that simply reviews the superiority of one email system over another. This would explain the raised eyebrows of your readers; they know something is afoot.


I have no problem with your support of open source development, but you cannot convince me to switch to an obscure application like Zimbra based on the reasoning in your article. Had you exhorted us to support open source software development because it's ahead of the curve or because it stands on a stronger ethical foundation, I would have found that argument more convincing.

I direct your readers to http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9771082-7.html?tag=recentPosts to read of your views about open source software and of companies that support open source developers.

[mcschaffner]

We use Kerio Mailserver, which works offline and online and has great connectivity to mobile devices, including Blackberry's and iPhones. Our company uses a hosted Kerio, the company we use is InfTek Hosting, they have great service and prices. You can find them at www.inftekhosting.com.

[JMac1967]

We use Inftek as well... service and support is awesome. Hosted Kerio is a dream come true for our business! We keep all contacts, calendars, mail, and even public folders in sync on Macs and PCs

We also recommend them highly: http://www.inftekhosting.com

[jackdaniels08]

I love my Gmail. I have Yahoo mail too but Yahoo's layout sucks! Too busy and complicated. And the SPAM on Yahoo mail is ridiculously overwhelming. I only use it when i have to, mostly as a junk account.

[skier55d]

Misleading, non-informative article... hardly qualitative of professional journalism.

Besides slight confusion using "offline" to describe the change, the author obviously has a personal axe to grind for his own favorite e-mail program/service. 'Zimbra' has nothing to do with the news regarding Google's expansion of G-Mail; it probably shouldn't be mentioned in the article, god forbid the headline. The comparison between the two services is baseless and serves no purpose in improving the usefulness/quality of this article.

[sfbirger]

The Google solution runs on a browser. Zimbra consolidates your email onto a desktop application. One is a browser enhancement and the other is a slimmed down version of Outlook with Yahoo! interface and account access. Or am I missing the point?

Let's wait and see how seamless the transition is from online Gmail to offline Gmail. If users are simply asked to click a link to see an offline version of their Gmail when they have to disconnect and board their airplane, I would consider that a major usability improvement over other browser-based email services.