Linux users have pondered: “Wouldn’t it be nice to just grab Zimbra software via repositories?”
There was just so much positive feedback over Zimbra Desktop Beta 3 (with over 900 new members to the forums last month!) we thought that Ubuntu 32-bit users should be able to grab it easily. (64-bit support is coming soon)
This brings Zimbra Desktop’s easy setup against ZCS, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, AOL and any other IMAP/POP accounts to the huge Ubuntu community - letting them take mail, contacts, calendars, tasks, documents, and briefcase items offline and sync whatever actions they may take when they’re reconnected.
To install:
sudo synaptic (As you’re read this it’s being added to Applications > Add/Remove.)
Enable the third party packages in settings > repositories.
Reload, search for “Zimbra”, and away you go. (same as a sudo apt-get install zdesktop)

Once downloaded, start via Applications > Internet:

Many thanks to the Canonical Team for showcasing us on their frontpage: ubuntu.com/news/zimbra-desktop
Not using Ubuntu? It’s cross-platform for other Linux variants, as well as Windows and Mac - grab it here.
You may ask: “What about the entirety of the Zimbra Collaboration Suite Server in Ubuntu or other repositories?” We can’t say one way or the other at this point - but think of this as a harmonious step.
Find help for Zimbra Desktop over in the Community Forums, ask us a question below, or fill out the Ubuntu registration/feedback on it: ubuntu.com/register/zimbra/


on August 8th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Great! Thanks!
on August 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Interesting, the package does’t actually install the software? Closer interaction with Canonical, Ubuntu and other Linux distributions is warmly welcomed anyway; it’s all about integration
on August 10th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
This works on Ubuntu, but not Kubuntu… I cannot for the like of me figure out why it installs and runs on one and not the other.
D.
on August 12th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Awesome..
I have been waiting for this for quite some time.
Thanks to you guys…
Ubuntu rocks with Zimbra..
I am gonna ditch Evolution and Thunderbird for this.
on August 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am
I was initially excited about this but then observed:
* It just bundles the installer, it doesn’t actually constitute a proper package. Why would Ubuntu accept this when it doesn’t really follow their packaging deadlines
* It wouldn’t even install properly as the post-package install attempt to run the installer ran it as root, contrary to the wiki instructions ‘On Mac OS and Linux, do not run installer as the “root” user. ‘
* It seems that you need to run the installer for each user, thereby wasting lots of space and resources
I love Zimbra desktop as a concept and think that it’s fantastic that the Zimbra people produce it; it just seems to me that the above challenges being solved would be a good logical next step, and I’m sure if they were prioritised would be fairly easily done - this isn’t as difficult as producing Zimbra or Zimbra desktop in the first place!
on September 1st, 2008 at 6:38 pm
http://bugzilla.zimbra.com/show_bug.cgi?id=27299 (system-packageable Zimbra Desktop)