Exchange ActiveSync for desktop applications

[jimbostyx]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on Exchange ActiveSync for desktop applications. For example, a Thunderbird plugin that allowed you to receive mail from an Exchange server over ActiveSync. Has this been done? Is it feasible?

[skummer]

Theoretically that would be possible. The question is, is this very useful?

In general the most mailservers (especially all mailservers which Z-Push has backend for) have interfaces to be accessed by Thunderbird directly (POP3/IMAP).

So, connecting Thunderbird via AS and Z-Push would be a
Thunderbird -> AS -> Z-Push -> IMAP connect, while you could easily do
Thunderbird -> IMAP directly.

Even the standard Exchange server has an IMAP Gateway which could be accessed directly.

Cheers, Sebastian

[alrea]

That is true. However is see one interest : to pass through a gateway or a proxy that filters the IMAP protocol (and to synchronize contacts and further things)

Adrien.

[skummer]

Yeah, sure. That could be a reason to do this.

The problem with contacts/appointments is, that there are a lot of different standards and software for it. Thunderbird for example has no appointment support at all and contacts are supported as simple addressbook. So, the question is, what software to support? Well, there is Sunbird, but the used protocol is not very practicable for large calendars.
Nevertheless: Z-Push supports currently all possible objects only with the Zarafa connector. And I think for Zarafa users that's not very interesting.

So, AFAIK there is no such application (desktop AS) and I think it will not be developed..

Cheers, Sebastian

[stephensolberg]

Just wondering if it could be taken a little further still... for example, using Address Book on a Mac. That can connect to and Exchange server, although I'm not sure what protocol it uses though.

Just a thought there too.