We talked with Evolution developer JP Rosevear to learn more. The Evolution desktop suite is designed with a focus on using the desktop as a communication tool. The main components of Evolution are email, calendar, and address book. The components communicate with each other. For example, vcard-vcf formatted business cards can be easily saved from email messages into the address book.
LDAP connectivity is provided for interoperability with directory servers.
The calendar uses the itip format internally. The itip format is also used by the ical program, so ical calendar data can be easily entered into the Evolution calendar. The vCalendar format is also supported. Evolution includes tools for communicating with palmtops and can upload and download palmtop data. Evolution can also handle the job of archiving palmtop data.