Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 19:23:54 +0000
From: Richi Jennings <richi@hp.com>
Subject: OpenMail at Linux World Q&A



OpenMail at Linux World: Q&A
----------------------------

Q:	What is OpenMail?
A: OpenMail is Hewlett-Packard's UNIX enterprise messaging and
collaboration solution, based on Internet and ITU standards. It has an
installed base of 10 million seats. OpenMail is designed for large
enterprises (and the heterogeneous environments often found in those
large enterprises). It's used by many world-class businesses as the core
of their communications infrastructure. More information can be found at
www.hp.com/go/openmail.

Q:	Why is HP exhibiting OpenMail at Linux World?
A:	We are demonstrating a Linux version (aka "a Linux port") of OpenMail
6.0 to gauge reaction and seek feedback. We are close to announcing a
new Linux messaging/collaboration product, based on OpenMail technology. 

Q:	Is this a product announcement?
A:	Not yet. However, we are aggressively moving forward in defining the
roadmap for HP's Linux offering in the messaging and collaboration
space. We feel it's important to allow the Linux community's feedback to
guide us.

Q:	What do you think the Linux community will tell you?
A:	We think that many Linux server customers need the type of proven,
enterprise capabilities that today's OpenMail customers enjoy. A Linux
messaging/collaboration product based on the OpenMail 6.0 technology
would give the Linux community a compelling alternative to "generic"
Internet e-mail servers. In addition to robust Internet standards
support, a Linux edition of OpenMail would include OpenMail 6.0's new 
Web client, plus support for Microsoft Outlook, and other
"clients-of-choice".

Q:	"Clients-of choice"? What's that?
A:	We designed OpenMail to meet our customers' needs for many different
desktop clients. OpenMail's "clients-of-choice" technology provides
high-fidelity communication between diverse desktops. It means that
customers do not require complex gateways. OpenMail customers can "plug
and play" with popular desktop software products such as Outlook and
Lotus cc:Mail. OpenMail also tightly integrates with desktop software
that supports Internet messaging standards, such as ESMTP, IMAP4, POP3,
LDAP, MDNs and DSNs.

Q:	But any "generic" IMAP server can talk to Outlook, can't it?
A:	Yes and no: there are several flavors of Outlook.  The full,
"corporate" Outlook clients use a set of APIs known as MAPI. Only
OpenMail can connect corporate Outlook to a UNIX server with this level
of functionality, thanks to OpenMail's unique Outlook integration
technology. Developed in collaboration with Microsoft, it enables rich
features such as wide-area shared calendars, public folders and address
book integration. Also, OpenMail's Outlook integration inherits
OpenMail's key benefits: robustness, scalability, flexibility and low
cost of ownership.

 
Q:	Is there any other way for end-users to connect to an OpenMail
server?
A:	OpenMail's new, functionally rich Web-based technology provides its
customers with exciting new possibilities for flexible operation. This
was recently demonstrated at the France '98 World Cup soccer tournament,
where one single small OpenMail server was successfully used to provide
communications for thousands of journalists and officials across the
France '98 wide-area intranet.

Q:	Is your target market ISPs or enterprises?
A:	Both. OpenMail's classic market has been enterprise, or "business"
messaging and collaboration. However, service providers that are
interested in providing higher functionality services than just
"generic" Internet e-mail find OpenMail very attractive. Linux has
always been an important platform for ISPs. HP's OpenMail organization
has the charter to add value to HP's "Smart Internet Messaging" ISP
solutions.

Q:	So OpenMail is very scalable then?
A:	Yes, the new version of OpenMail (6.0) is designed to support
thousands and thousands of simultaneous business users on a large UNIX
server. Note: different types of users do different amounts of work,
imposing different loads on servers. Of course, sweeping scalability
statements usually fail to take account of users' vastly different
networks and usage patterns.

Q:	On which operating systems is OpenMail available today?
A:	OpenMail is targeted at the major business UNIX operating systems:
HP-UX, AIX and Solaris.

Q:	How is your existing OpenMail business?
A:	Very healthy, thanks! We beat our sales estimates in the last six
months by a large margin, and we're just celebrating ten million
licenses sold.

Q:	So will you be opening up the source code to OpenMail?
A:	No.

Q:	You say you're "looking for feedback" about a possible Linux OpenMail
product, so how can people get their feedback to you?
A:	We have knowledgeable technical OpenMail staff here at Linux World
for people to talk to, or they can send e-mail to linux@pwd.hp.com.

Q:	Who's the OpenMail editorial contact?
A:	Richi Jennings at HP: richi@hp.com or +44 1344 365870