Chandler project: The open-source Outlook killer?

Blogger Robert Scoble says he's been hearing whispers of the Chandler project for years. He finally got a chance to see it. It is aimed at small group collaboration in a way that e-mail can't support. Scoble has posted a lengthy video on his blog if you want to see a demo for yourself.

Chandler is being developed by the Open Source Applications Foundation. OSAF describes it as

"a personal information manager designed for small group collaboration. Chandler consists of a Desktop application, a Server and the Chandler Hub Sharing Service.

They also describe it as a database for PIM data along with an Ajax Web UI that lets users manage the PIM data.

Calling Chandler an "Outlook killer" might be a little extreme, as Chandler, at this stage, doesn't seem nearly sturdy enough for business critical enterprise use. But it is another example of how creative open-source developers can be. Compare this to developers who work under the constraints of the corporate whip. (More features added to a product that already hosts hundreds of features that the typical user knows nothing about.) Hard to create the Next Big Thing if that thing will make your current cash-cow product obsolete.