6.0.0-git
2024-03-29

Diff for FAQ/Admin/General between 6 and 7

+ Horde Administrator's FAQ



++ General Information



[[toc]]



+++ I just want web mail. Why do I need Horde?

If you only need the functionality of one component, you can just install that component; however, all of the components rely on common code in the Horde package itself. Whether you install one component or all of them, you need to install Horde. So, if you just want to offer Web-basedweb-based email (by far, the(the most common use of Horde applications thus far) you'd need to install Horde and IMP.



+++ How much does Horde cost?

Horde, and all of Horde's components,The Horde applications are **free**, having been released under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html GNU Public License].[http://www.horde.org/licenses/ different open source licenses]. Those of you familiar with open-source software can stop reading now. For those of you who are used to paying for software, no, we're not kidding, it's really free. And not only is it no-cost, but it's yours to modify and redistribute, too; the only restriction is that you can't turn around and make it //not// free. So, you can download Horde and components and install them on as many computers as you want, and let as many users as you want use it, without having to pay a penny to anyone, and you can make changes to the way it looks or operates, either for local use or for redistribution.



The Horde framework itself is even free-er, being released under the [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lgpl.html Lesser GNU Public License]. This basically means that you can use the Horde framework in proprietary programs; if you are considering doing this, please [http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/lgpl.html read the license], and, ideally, [mailto:dev@lists.horde.org let us know].



+++ On what platforms does Horde run?

Horde is developed on Unix, with the Apache web server, so it //should// certainly work on any Unix that you can build Apache and PHP on. Being written in PHP means that it should work anywhere that PHP works, though, so if you're not on Unix, please give it a try and [mailto:dev@lists.horde.org let us know] how things turn out!



++++ Does Horde run on Windows 95 or NT/2K/XP?

Horde and all the Horde Components are known to work under Windows NT/2K/XP with Apache and PHP4 with acceptable performance. IMP and Turba, at least, are also believed to work on Windows NT/2K with IIS and PHP4.



+++ How can I get help with setting up Horde?

The best place to turn after reading the documentation is to the appropriate [http://www.horde.org/mail/ mailing list] for the component you're trying to install. Make sure you describe the problem clearly, including all error messages you might have received. Include the version of all the software you're using, including PHP, your web server, your database, any mail or LDAP servers you might be using, and, if the errors are occurring in use, what browser and OS are being used to access it.



Please //don't////do not// contact the developers or the FAQ maintainer directly. They usually don't have time to deal with individual installations of Horde andHorde and its components, being too busy developing and FAQ-maintaining. (Besides, they're probably on the mailing list anyhow.)



Finally, there is also [http://www.horde.org/consulting/ commercial support] available, with the opportunity to hire Horde developers to install and customize Horde and the Horde applications, or develop custom extensions and modules.



+++ Why is Horde so hard to install?

We don't make Horde installation a hard task intentionally, we always try to make it easier. One of the strength of Horde and its applications, is the independency from the underlying platform and used backends. The address book Turba for example currently supports 5 different kinds of address book storages, and you can choose from not less than 24 backends for Horde authentication. This makes it possible to integrate Horde in a lot of environments and existing infrastructures, but it also requires more complex configuration. It's a trade off between flexibility and complexity.



+++ Is there a mailing list for Horde and its components?

Not just //a// mailing list, but //many//. The [http://www.horde.org/mail/ Horde mailing lists], one for each component and then some, and the most active ones are also [http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/ archived and searchable].



Horde users are encouraged to join the //announce// list and the list specific to their module; those interested in getting their hands a little dirty might also wish to join the //horde// and //dev// lists. Those interested in knowing everything that's going on with Horde development might wish to join the machine-generated //cvs// and //bugs// list, which report changes in the CVS repository and in the bugs database.



+++ I found a bug in Horde. Who should I tell?

Before you do anything, take a moment to read this [http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html article on bug reporting], and keep its comments in mind when reporting Horde bugs.



Having read that, there are two places where a bug can be reported. If you're on the [http://www.horde.org/mail/ mailing list] for the component you think you've found a bug in, send a message to the mailing list, and be sure to keep an eye out for replies. You can also enter the bug into the [http://bugs.horde.org/ Horde bug database].database] which is sometimes the better choice, because your report doesn't get lost there, while the developers on the mailing list might not always have the time to look into your bug report immediately.



Be sure to describe exactly how to reproduce the bug (if you know!),know), and include all error messages that appeared. Also, specify the versions of Horde, the Horde component exhibiting the bug, and all supporting applications (web server, PHP, database, mail server, etc.). Of course, developers love when bugs come with patches attached; but if you can't write PHP, or can't track down the bug, make sure you let us know about it!