United States, California, Lake Elsinore, Co-op Web Hosting, 3000+ users

- Country: USA
- State/City: California, Lake Elsinore
- Company: Co-op Web Hosting
- Web Site: Co-opWebhosting.com
- Backend (MySQL or OpenLDAP): MySql
- Total Users: 3000+
- Comment:

Mission timeline - 2 weeks to migration day of 250+ hosted web sites, re-DNS 1,000 domain names, several thousand email accounts seemlessly to clientele.
Final migration issue - deployment of a new email system

I spent a week working with each of these seperate email packages in a effort to make them work as a team. I tried literally dozens of "perfect this, how to do, and I did this and it worked" procedures posted on the net. All failed due to old versions, missing steps, "we will assume you already have this installed" ????. I kept seeing posts for iRedMail from China. A full email system ready to go in less than 2 minute. Yeah, Right, Sure... I have first hand experience with these packages. It must be some scam, no way can it be true.

I decided the only way to get the solution I wanted was to do it myself. Each package was easy. 2 or 3 still ok. The more packages you bring in and the finer you tune, you start getting a massive whining bunch of idiots that will not cooperate. I completed a install for pop, imap, spam, virus, webmail, with manual admin. Ok, Better than what we have, not what I wanted or what my clients deserve. I want what iRedMail claims they provide. Week 1 is gone, not enough time and stressing. So whatever, I will try it. What can it do? Not work? kill the server? Made backup image and I did not know at that time iRedMail was intented for new OS installs and not for active production boxes especially custom setups so this turned out to be a valuable test that I should have thought about a little more before clicking install.

Data flashed by very fast, my heart sank and I told one of my techs I think I made a mistake and and we are about to have a server crash. Then it stopped and prompted for a couple entries. Amazing. Totally amazing. Incredible, Actually installed in less than 2 minutes.

Impossible. No way. I have spent days installing and following procedures and configs, and compiling. And in 2 minutes some free package does a complete installation ready to go? ran test account. I don't believe it. Its totally for real. A few little minor issues to resolve but who cares. It works and it works right and it was that easy.

I have great respect for IRedMail. They have done a fantastic package. Yes there will be little issues to resolve but so minor compared to the acomplishement they have done. Merging of many Open Source programs into one package that will produce a complete email system in minutes. This is huge, This could make some money. There is so much demand for even getting close to this. Why do they provide it as open source?  You need to understand what open source is about. Its about teamwork. People working together to produce something that is of real value. Software for years takes our money, many times so unfairly we feel burned as we have no choice. The open source community operates on passion, drive and the intensity of what they do and barely survive on donations and producing awesome results for free to the world. The combined efforts of many from beta testers to whiners of I can't get this to work and complainers of I want it to do this, and so on filter into the heads of a couple developers and produce awesome software packages and only ask for a donation if you feel such is worthy.

I tell you this. iRedMail deserves your donations whether you use there package or not. It is so important to the community of sys admins to end users and to maintain balances in power of commercial exploitation. If not for Open Source we would all be paying very heavily for any software we need and we would not have the luxury of requesting features, you would take what you get and pay what they want. I deal with a lot of open source and not all are worthy of support and when you come across a winner that is giving to everyone from the admin to the end user their hard work for free, you need to take a good look at youself and think about all of the software you have used and benefited from for free and stop for a minute and give something back to continue the flow. Donate a fraction of what you have saved. Just donate to help save in the future. Its just the right thing to do.

iRedMail has earned its place in the open source community with honor and as an old wornout codehead I humbly thank them and offer my services and abilities to the team if needed, and right now I am off to make a small donation to them in the name of open source. This is one team that deserves it.

Richard Steward
Co-op Web Hosting