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Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

phoronix.com

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Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#201

Comments here seem to suggest that Nextcloud isn't worth it. Later today I'm supposed to talk with some folks at IT looking for an in-house file-sharing/collaboration tool that Dropbox/GoogleDrive is (or was, because after GoogleDrive price hikes our institution ditched them). I was going to suggest Nextcloud as a possible option to investigate...

It'll depend on your requirements. Keep in mind that Nextcloud is the largest on-prem collab platform out there, so more users means more complaints... It is used in huge enterprise and government installations so it can definitely work, but it needs a decent setup. For a small company, use the Nextcloud AIO container I would say. For a big one, get Nextcloud Enterprise (starts at 100 seats) to make sure you get any…

I have only been using NextCloud personally with a single user but every instance I set up, there are basic problems like apps freezing, (and GH issue seems to have stalled some 6 months or so ago) and non polished interface really puts me off but since there aren't a better alternative, I use it.

Seafile is a close call if it gets more attention to remove rough edges and a bit more feature but interface looks more polished.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#202
post #6

I'm glad the post states that Roundcube will stay an independent product. Roundcube is on a whole other level in terms of stability and robustness compared to Nextcloud. I'm also glad that the current Nextcloud client will be replaced, because it's not very good right now.

I really tried to make Nextcloud work for me but it was too much. I‘ll pay the enshittified Dropbox premium soon. Some bugs I encountered in a few hours of testing and trying to make it work. The Mac auto-update installs an incompatible version to my OS; the website offers only the new incompatible and an old version that also doesn’t work (OS can not scan the app). The solution is to find a suitable version from a h…

There are services that host those for you, as an alternative to self hosting. I've been using hosted Seafile for a while and very happy with it.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#203
post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it PHP based. I worry about anything written in that turd of a language.

I guess you still think about PHP when it was version 3 or 4... we're at version 8.3 now and it's definitely not the same thing. Both for language and performance.

I remember looking at some new features and was so hopeful the language would get better but they had some super cargo culty take on something borrowed from another language that completely missed the point. It's a horribly done me too language where the developers don't fully understand what they are "me too"ing.

7.0 had some issues so bad it's almost impossible to find anymore. Seems like they tried to erase it from the internet. The language itself is an attack vector.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#204
post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it PHP based. I worry about anything written in that turd of a language.

But so is Roundcube. OT: please (re)read the HN Guidelines. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

You saying I'm flamebaiting? I doubt anyone is going to be offended by PHP being trash, especially anyone that has spent any serious time working with it.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#205
post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it PHP based. I worry about anything written in that turd of a language.

But so is Roundcube. OT: please (re)read the HN Guidelines. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Then I wouldn't use Roundcube either.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#206
post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A self-hosted personal server very much needs to be kept up to date. This isn't a "state-level actor" issue; any vulnerabilities in software like this, especially in software that someone might not update in a timely fashion, will get scanned for automatically and exploited when found. In theory , the portions that are only accessible with authentication are less security sensitive if you have only a small set of tru…

Hmm. I was imagining a personal server. If I were hosting a webmail client personally, I wouldn't expose it to inbound connections from the Internet at all, preferring to keep such a thing inside my LAN and via VPN only. Clearly I overassumed though, because you're right, when it could be that one would have such a thing accessible to a small team of people who don't use a VPN.

You could also just stick it behind a reverse proxy with basic HTTP Authentication; that means you have to keep Apache/nginx/caddy/whatever up to date but that part is easy and then nothing else can get to the actual application if you've done it right.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#207
post #8
post #7

Nice to hear. After several (abandoned) attempts and installing NC from scratch it seems to me that Nextcloud matures well. I like the focus on hub/groupware. Still some details from time to time which annoy me (and probably could be improved). But in general, Nextcloud is great! And using AIO (all-in-one docker image) it's really simple to install and maintain the server. -- So happy to have a good alternative to th…

Not sure which "focus on hub/groupware" you're talking about. Some groupware features are still horribly buggy and understaffed (e.g. the whole mess of co-existing methods of sharing files/folders with groups – Share vs. Group Folder vs. Collectives/Circles – or the crazy amount of WebDav and CalDav bugs that have been existing for many years), while "AI" (or some other buzzwordy technology) gets all the focus. As mu…

What can MS365 do that my self hosted RPi can't?

Hosting files, calendar, and contacts is the primary reason I installed Nextcloud. The other features are just gravy.

It's not the best written, due partly to being written in PHP, but I've not seen anything better out there that you can get for free and you don't have to trust a for-profit entity that's dabbling in AI and violates privacy on the regular.

It was frankly shocking to see such negativity about one of the only projects in that space that is achieving goals.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#208
post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But so is Roundcube. OT: please (re)read the HN Guidelines. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Then I wouldn't use Roundcube either.

What?

You said "i'm happy running it on my ...vps."

And now "Then I wouldn't use Roundcube either." So you're not running roundcube then?

Also, love how you said you loved roundcube because it works on "lightweight el cheapo VPS", and then backtracked once you found out it uses PHP.

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#209
post #76

I've been running Nextcloud for family collaboration purposes since before the fork from Owncloud. I've been pretty happy with it overall. My biggest gripe with it is the increasing schizophrenia of the UX devs. One thing I _loved_ about Nextcloud was that they paid a lot of attention to making it easy to navigate and use. The newer UX "enhancements" seem to be all about maximizing (useless) whitespace and making eve…

> Unfortunately, this had a UI "update" too and now practically nothing can be customized the way I prefer. If someone forks Roundcube and brings back the old theme, I will switch to it tomorrow. ?? The old skins (Classic and Larry) are still available as plugins via PHP composer, aren't they?

Isn't SnappyMail a fork of Roundcube?

Edit: nope, fork of Rainloop

Re: Roundcube open-source webmail software merges with Nextcloud

#210
post #76

I've been running Nextcloud for family collaboration purposes since before the fork from Owncloud. I've been pretty happy with it overall. My biggest gripe with it is the increasing schizophrenia of the UX devs. One thing I _loved_ about Nextcloud was that they paid a lot of attention to making it easy to navigate and use. The newer UX "enhancements" seem to be all about maximizing (useless) whitespace and making eve…

Love nextcloud in theory, but it is a tangled and ugly mess of a UI. It is slow and they spend time on features that only the devs seem to care about. Problem with free and open source software is that you have to follow the passion of the devs, which can sometimes optimize out of usefulness. Because of this, I think this is very bad news for roundcube.

I run around 15 Nextcloud instances. One is for 1500 odd people for whom safety is quite important - it delivers lots of docs to a lot of devices. Those users are moving pretty fast and rove in and out of some form of ethernet service with a lot of irregularity.

My home service has to deal with some huge users (wife, phone, camera) (dad, constant saving, vast numbers of docs).

Work instance - all of the above!

I very rarely deal with the web UI but when I do it simply works or when I look into /pictures etc: locks up but that is generally the browser giving up and not the app.

I migrated a post office with several domains from RC to Snappy Mail. RC seemed to have stalled a few years back. SM is rather nifty so I'll stick.

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