@thwr said in Sharepoint-like application that doesn't cost a huge fortune?:
@Carnival-Boy said in Sharepoint-like application that doesn't cost a huge fortune?:
I think the biggest problem with Sharepoint Foundation, in terms of cost, is the database requirements i.e. it will only run with SQL Server.
SQL Server Express is free, but is pretty limited and doesn't really seem intended for production environments. In particular the fact that databases are limited to 10GB, which seems pretty tiny for a typical Sharepoint site. So you quickly end up needing SQL Server Standard edition, which is pretty expensive. If you don't have SQL Server already, you probably need to budget for that at the outset, even if you're only planning on using Sharepoint Foundation.
I'd like Microsoft to provide something in between Express and Standard, but I'm not allowed to criticise Microsoft on ML so I'll say no more 🙂
Don't want to defile an old thread, but I need to add a few things.
First off, comparing Sharepoint to OwnCloud, while beeing a great tool, is like comparing
a warp-capable spaceship to a paperdart. SharePoint is a collaboration platform where you build your own applications on top while OwnCloud is basically a filesharing platform with a few addons.
There are quite a few factors which are driving the costs for SharePoint:
Windows Server CALs (few known users / devices) or Windows Server for Internet Sites ("CAL" flatrate, mucho dinero)
SQL Server, Standard or higher edition and CALs (UserCAL's for SQL server are very expensive. Use this for a few known users) or Core edition (Flatrate, can be more or less "cheap". I'm using this one)
If going past SP Foundation:
a) SharePoint CAL, Standard should suffice in most cases
b) SharePoint for Internet Sites if public facing with anonymous access
c) You will most probably need a farm, at least one frontend and one backend server.
ForeFront UAG/TMG and CAL (used to be the only "supported" reverse proxy). Not sold anymore, no successor available, Windows Server publishing role is used today
So SharePoint Standard / Enterprise on a public facing site with anonymous access can burn through your budget like Oracle and SAP. SharePoint for a known user base can be OK from a licensing point of view. Today, SharePoint on Office365 is way cheaper than having something on premise I guess.
SharePoint has a lot to offer and I haven't found anything FOSS that comes even close myself yet. Alfresco is the only one that at least is a very little bit like SharePoint, but nothing I would call a replacement.
So what is SharePoint actually? Simply said, anything you want it to be. It's an application platform with multiple frontends, the well known website is just one of them.
I think Drupal + Alfresco can get really close. I've built some really cool stuff with Drupal by itself, and with the pseudo Alfresco integration you can have, it will let you do some really nice things.