As discussed during the Scalix/Zimbra presentation last month and re-iterated in this article... Web Browser based email/calendar makes the move to Linux desktop so much easier.

From the article:
But what you really want to hear is how Scalix might promote a smooth migration path to Linux. Von Kurnatowski says, "If you replace Exchange 5.5 with Scalix, what happens is, number one for your users, nothing changes immediately. So they can keep their Outlook -- that's part of our investment protection.

"Then in the next step, on your Windows desktop, replace Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), with OpenOffice, thereby reducing your licensing costs for office software to nil.

"Now at the same time, replace Outlook with Scalix Web Access." He says the Web-based email client -- which runs in Firefox, so is available equally for Linux or Windows -- has a look and feel that's very close to Outlook, thereby eliminating any training costs.

"You're still running Windows, but now you've just replaced Microsoft Office with OpenOffice, plus you've got rid of Outlook -- and you're on a Web client.

"So then the next step, you just kind of throw out the operating system and put Linux in, and users are not going to see much difference because they keep their applications."

He pauses dramatically and then adds, "That's the kind of story that Scalix is really after. That's the Scalix story. I think it's extremely powerful."