Mozilla "Calling it Quits" on Thunderbird

[Bonesdad]

"We're not "stopping" Thunderbird, but proposing we adapt the Thunderbird release and governance model in a way that allows both ongoing security and stability maintenance, as well as community-driven innovation and development for the product. "

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57...ird-report-says/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title

 

[lxskllr]

That's fine. I don't care if it's an official Mozilla project or not. It may even get better if they don't have to get Mozilla's blessing to add features.

Surprised to find out that Mozilla's Thunderbird isn't dead yet? Well, have we've got news for you.

Do that few people really use it, where one wonders why it isn't dead? Thunderbird(or derivatives) are one of the first things I put on a new install. Email would be intolerable without a client.

 

[Bonesdad]

Do that few people really use it, where one wonders why it isn't dead? Thunderbird(or derivatives) are one of the first things I put on a new install. Email would be intolerable without a client.

I wondered the same thing about that comment. Been using Tbird for many years now, glad to see it won't be totally ditched. Several people have asked me why I don't just use online email, as long as there are client's, I will use them.

 

[ringtail]

That's fine. I don't care if it's an official Mozilla project or not. It may even get better if they don't have to get Mozilla's blessing to add features.



Do that few people really use it, where one wonders why it isn't dead? Thunderbird(or derivatives) are one of the first things I put on a new install. Email would be intolerable without a client.

Don't need your "add features,"
other than progressively making TBird + its excellent Lightning add-on gradually, ever-more Outlook"-like.

 

[Paperlantern]

I stopped using clients in like 2001, got tired of having to worry about transferring message database files from one install to another, etc. I use primarily gmail, and their interface is fine. My wife loves thunderbird however and was surprised at this article. To each their own, and for her sake I hope it improves.

 

[xSauronx]

I stopped using clients in like 2001, got tired of having to worry about transferring message database files from one install to another, etc. I use primarily gmail, and their interface is fine. My wife loves thunderbird however and was surprised at this article. To each their own, and for her sake I hope it improves.

im the same way. the company i work for uses local exchange and outlook and...while it keeps me from having to backup messages, i still dont like the outlook client and prefer my gmail.

 

[Subyman]

I couldn't manage all my accounts without a client. I like to store my emails for offline access as well. I've been using thunderbird for years. I know many other people that do as well. I don't know why the article writer thought that no one uses them anymore.

 

[ockky]

maybe we need to throw up a poll "do you use email clients?"

 

[Jeff7]

*sigh*
Nuts.
My mom's finally acclimated to Thunderbird after using Eudora for years.
(Eudora didn't like Win7 64-bit on her new system. Going to Win7 from WinXP was in itself a sufficiently difficult switch, especially with Win7's utterly and terribly awful interface for its Search functionality.)


Oh well, I guess just because they're ending support doesn't mean it's going to just stop working.

 

[tweakboy]

Just grabbed a Thunderbird 14 beta that came out 2 days ago.

If its over, why they keep coding and releasing and eventually will release a 14 Final .

So after that your saying no more Bird updates ? best app along with Lighning calander this is bs thread,, nothings happening..

 

[rh71]

offline is for the birds

 

[pyonir]

For a second there I thought we were going to have to put lxskllr on suicide watch.

 

[lxskllr]

For a second there I thought we were going to have to put lxskllr on suicide watch.

:^D

Nah. That's the nice thing about libre software. You aren't dependent on any company to ensure its future. Even if Mozilla completely abandoned it, it would keep going through community effort.

Interestingly, email was the issue that first drove the point of libre software home for me . I had issues with a proprietary client, and switched to Thunderbird so I could control my computing. I started seeking out, and preferring libre software on Windows, and now I run GNU/Linux virtually 100% of the time. It's a good feeling not being a slave to the corporations, and dependent on someone else to maintain my work preferences. If something happens to a software package I like, I can change it myself, or pay someone else to. The possibilities are wide open, and it gives a feeling of security and liberation :^)

 

[IlllI]

wish there was some webmail provider that had the look and feel or tb

 

[masteryoda34]

Thunderbird seems to be the only good option if you want to use PGP signing/encryption with Gmail. (via the Enigmail plugin)

 

[Chiefcrowe]

Interesting news.. i hope that means FF will improve even more.

Hopefully this drives thunderbird to be even better, i guess we'll see

 

[mikeymikec]

I stopped using clients in like 2001, got tired of having to worry about transferring message database files from one install to another, etc. I use primarily gmail, and their interface is fine. My wife loves thunderbird however and was surprised at this article. To each their own, and for her sake I hope it improves.

Transferring Thunderbird from my wife's old PC build to the new involved one step - copy the files to the right place.

If an alteration in data locations had taken place, I would have done a find and replace in prefs.js, so two steps.

It's one of the things I love about Thunderbird.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I've never seen the point in using a mail client, I actually like the Gmail web interface better than any of the clients I have tried and offline access is completely pointless these days.

 

[mikeymikec]

@ Puddle Jumper

I personally wouldn't trust another company with the long-term storage of my data. Not even a backup (in case you ask, I host my own mail).

Also, IMO Google (as well as quite a few other companies) has far too much interest in personal data for me to trust them with it.

I think if/when I get a smartphone I'll do quite a bit of research in what data is gathered in daily phone usage and what can be done to avoid the harvesting of data.

 

[dighn]

I've never seen the point in using a mail client, I actually like the Gmail web interface better than any of the clients I have tried and offline access is completely pointless these days.

personally I've always preferred native apps to web apps. while web apps have come a long way, native apps still have the edge in responsiveness, usability and features. e.g. it's just easier and faster to sort, preview and manage e-mail in thunderbird than in gmail. then there's better multiple account management, import/export, OS integration (OS X Mail) etc.

like the poster above, I also don't trust google with my data. tech companies change very quickly. will gmail still be something I want to use in 10 years? I'd rather keep a local copy of the data in a format that's relatively easy to migrate.

 

[Bonesdad]

personally I've always preferred native apps to web apps. while web apps have come a long way, native apps still have the edge in responsiveness, usability and features. e.g. it's just easier and faster to sort, preview and manage e-mail in thunderbird than in gmail. then there's better multiple account management, import/export, OS integration (OS X Mail) etc.

like the poster above, I also don't trust google with my data. tech companies change very quickly. will gmail still be something I want to use in 10 years? I'd rather keep a local copy of the data in a format that's relatively easy to migrate.

this, exactly, for me too. while I don't think google is necessarily the enemy, I know enough not to put all my eggs in one basket. learned that a long time ago.

 

[manko]

I switched from Outlook to Thunderbird ages ago and never looked back. I only use web mail to prune the spam before checking mail in Thunderbird. Thunderbird is like an old filing cabinet and easy to search and find important records from years back (things like accounts, warranties, services, etc.). It's easy to backup and move to new machines and I wouldn't want that much information sitting online for years in a web mailbox.

I haven't found any web mail interface that comes close for long term organization. Most web mail interfaces seem like a (slow) chat client with a few extra features.

Anyway, I hope Thunderbird or a fork stays around and viable in the future. I don't need new features (I only use a fraction of them now), but it would be nice to have bug fixes, security patches and forward compatibility with any future mail protocols.

 

[Red Squirrel]

When I first heard this I thought it was being discontinued, but it's nice to know it will keep going. Really the move makes sense. How often does an email client really need updating, short of possible 0 day exploits that are found? Especially with open source where lot of people go through the code and will catch issues before it goes live.

I like having full control of my own email and have it hosted on site, thus I host it all on my home server. I use imap to access it, and Thunderbird does a great job at that. The fact that it's cross platform is a bonus as it means I can set it up on multiple computers/installs/VMs and all access the same email database.

It's also incredibly fast at managing large amounts of mail. I tend to let my spam folder go in the >50k range and I can browse through it like a walk in the park, select large chunks, or the entire thing, delete, and everything is fast. Try doing that in outlook.

 

[mikeymikec]

I kind of agree with Red Squirrel, though until someone comes up with some great ideas for expanding an e-mail client, I can't say that there isn't much room for expansion, so the announcement (such as it is, AFAIK Mozilla stopped employing TB developers some time ago anyway).

Great ideas != "make it more like Outlook"

Discontinuing Sunbird and packing it all into Lightning really annoyed me. I'm still using Sunbird.

 

[Anubis]

I switched from Outlook to Thunderbird ages ago and never looked back. I only use web mail to prune the spam before checking mail in Thunderbird. Thunderbird is like an old filing cabinet and easy to search and find important records from years back (things like accounts, warranties, services, etc.). It's easy to backup and move to new machines and I wouldn't want that much information sitting online for years in a web mailbox.

I haven't found any web mail interface that comes close for long term organization. Most web mail interfaces seem like a (slow) chat client with a few extra features.

Anyway, I hope Thunderbird or a fork stays around and viable in the future. I don't need new features (I only use a fraction of them now), but it would be nice to have bug fixes, security patches and forward compatibility with any future mail protocols.

When I first heard this I thought it was being discontinued, but it's nice to know it will keep going. Really the move makes sense. How often does an email client really need updating, short of possible 0 day exploits that are found? Especially with open source where lot of people go through the code and will catch issues before it goes live.

I like having full control of my own email and have it hosted on site, thus I host it all on my home server. I use imap to access it, and Thunderbird does a great job at that. The fact that it's cross platform is a bonus as it means I can set it up on multiple computers/installs/VMs and all access the same email database.

It's also incredibly fast at managing large amounts of mail. I tend to let my spam folder go in the >50k range and I can browse through it like a walk in the park, select large chunks, or the entire thing, delete, and everything is fast. Try doing that in outlook.

both these posts apply to me, for managing man accounts TB is amazing, and outlook is a slow POS even when paired with an exchange mail server

i have TB checking 4 email accnts, and it works flawlessly, 2 of the acnts dont have a web interface because i cant be bothered to set it up (my own domains) the other 2 do but its infinitly better and easier to have them all checked at once vs logging into different websites. I beleive you can have gmail check other acounts for you. but seeing as the only reason i have a gmail acnt is because i was forced to get one for my android phone and i hate the interface i wont go that route.

actually id go back to outlook before i went to web only interfaces

also mozbackup makes backing up/restoring TB a 1 click operation