PHP:or:Ruby Webmail program I can hack?

February 7, 2006 8:57 AM

I'm looking for some sort of Web-Based-Mail system that I can install on my server that I would be able to interface through PHP or Ruby.

Specifically, I'd like to build a little web-based application that I can use to catalog my day-to-day business communications. I'd record phone calls and faxes by hand, but have all of my email automagically loaded into the system by interfacing with this webmail program.

I am NOT looking for "just do it in outlook" responses, First, I don't trust MS Products' stability with my business data, Second, I'm planning on building on tools such as billing, budget, etc...

TIA!

posted by hatsix to Technology (6 answers total)

There is a whole category of products that do this. Its called Contact Relationship Management (CRM) and there are tons of opens source systems. I don't have much experience with them personally so I don't have any specific recommendations, but I do know from past experience that re-inventing the wheel is usually more difficult than it sounds.

But if you're looking for something really basic, just use the standard UNIX mailboxes with an IMAP server (Cyrus) and a webmail program that uses IMAP (like Squirrel or Hoard). That way, your mail stays in the standard ~/mail folder, can be accessed by your Ruby script, and you can still use Imap and webmail to manage it.
posted by gus at 9:16 AM on February 7, 2006

If you're looking for a GPL webmail application, you might consider using -- or, for that matter, cannibalizing -- IMP. It provides access to IMAP and POP3 accounts.
posted by scoria at 9:16 AM on February 7, 2006

That doesn't sound like web based mail, that sounds like a contact/customer management system. Have you looked for applications in that category over on freshmeat or sourceforge?
posted by phearlez at 9:16 AM on February 7, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks, it sounds like CRM is what I'm looking for, I'll check out SF.net to see what I can find...

Anyone have anything they recommend?
posted by hatsix at 11:01 AM on February 7, 2006

I've tweaked a version of SugarCRM for some of my own use. It's open source, written in PHP. Nice piece of software.
posted by hominid211 at 11:14 AM on February 7, 2006

RoundCube is tasty.
And pretty.
posted by disillusioned at 3:29 PM on February 7, 2006