Evolution Data Server is an open source and completely free software project, a command-line application that has been designed from the ground up to act as a common database for other programs that deal with personal information.
It is distributed as a standalone package, but it is a very important component of the Evolution application, which provides integrated mail, address book and calendaring functionality to users of the GNOME desktop environment.
A unified backend
The main functionality of the Evolution Data Server program is to provide a unified backend for all applications that work with information related to tasks, calendar and contacts. Initially developed to be used only with Evolution, the software can now be integrated with other applications.
A common database
The software has been designed from the offset to act as a common database providing desktop-wide information about calendars, accounts and contacts. Various applets and applications use the evolution-data-server package to integrate with Evolution. For example, the Calendar applet of the GNOME Panel can list tasks and appointments and Pidgin can synchronize your buddies with your Evolution contacts.
Installing Evolution Data Server
The Evolution Data Server package is usually installed by default in several distributions of Linux that use a graphical desktop environment which uses GNOME components. For example, Ubuntu’s Unity interface uses the GNOME Online Accounts program to provide their users with support for connecting multiple accounts. GNOME Online Accounts cannot be used without the Evolution Data Server package. It can also be installed manually using the universal source tarball.
What is Evolution?
Evolution is a powerful email, calendar and groupware client that is usually shipped with the GNOME desktop environment, providing Linux users with a state-of-the-art email application that features desktop integration, advanced email searching, web calendars, user-defined filters, vFolders, support for multiple accounts, Palm device support, multiple calendar views, customized reminders, iCalendar support, LDAP compatibility, to-do list, and much more.
