Mozilla Pulling the Plug on Thunderbird Development

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
Mozilla is set to make an announcement on Monday that it will no longer be putting any resources into the development of Thunderbird, according to a report from TechCrunch. The company will shift its resources to other projects, possibly concentrating on its ongoing Kilimanjaro project.

"We have come to the conclusion that continued innovation on Thunderbird is not the best use of our resources given our ambitious organizational goals.”
Click to expand...
 
Damn, really? So I'll basically have no choice but to use Outlook on Windows? Ugh.
 
Kinda surprising they kept it alive this long since web-based mail clients are good enough (phones and business/enterprise mail servers excluded). A dedicated e-mail client program seems like a throwback to the dark ages when we used to dial up an ISP and tie up phone lines.
 
From the article:
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. This will mean an eventual shift in how we staff Thunderbird at Mozilla Corporation
Click to expand...

Looks like they're going to keep it up, but not trying to add many more features to me. Which is fine for people who like Thunderbird the way it is, who just want bug fixes.
 
Yeah, I got tired of firefox having updates 3 times a day (yeah exaggeration.. but only slightly), I don't want things constantly updated with new features, just work.. it's an email client FFS.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Kinda surprising they kept it alive this long since web-based mail clients are good enough (phones and business/enterprise mail servers excluded). A dedicated e-mail client program seems like a throwback to the dark ages when we used to dial up an ISP and tie up phone lines.
Click to expand...

I'd rather go back to dial-up than use a web-based client at home. On the road, if my laptop isn't with me, web-based suffices.

I do agree that, for most light users, web-based is fine.

"We want to focus on updating Firefox 6 times a day" Go for it, I use IE.
Going to stop constantly upgrading Thunderbird? Thanks!
 
Coming from someone that uses IE9 and Outlook: Who cares?
 
Damn - I like thunderbird.

I use only gmail accounts and thunderbird has always worked smoothly with Gmail. Haven't given outlook 2010 a try with Gmail. (we use it here at work and its okay I suppose) feels clunky though.
 
I've been using the free Windows Live Mail client to concatenate my various ISP / domain / webmail accounts via IMAP. It's lightweight and syncs across my home and mobile PCs if I feed my Live ID info to it.

For light usage, webmail is enough. But being able to instantly search/browse email history from all or specific accounts and prepare drafts while offline is important to me.
 
I may take a look at eM Clent or Spicebird or maybe even Zimbra Desktop for a possible email client. I have quite a few email accounts for various different purposes. I prefer to keep track of them all with a client program.
With all that mentioned, I wouldn't mind if they just keep doing bug fixes and security fixes. I could care less about "new features" which only cause further problems. Thunderbird is running pretty well right now and doesn't need any more "new features" to screw things up.
 
I really hope they at least provide bug fixes.. i don't want to go back to outlook.

Also, web-mail is a joke.
 
I've been using Thunderbird for years. I've tried Windows Live Mail client but Microsoft really wants people to use Outlook. Why? You cannot import Windows Live Mail accounts and e-mails to Outlook from WLM. You can only go from Outlook or Thunderbird TO Windows Live Mail, but you can't go forward. When I found that out, I immediately stopped using it.

I've tried Outlook 2007 and 2010. I stopped using it for one reason alone-- 300 to 500MB of RAM usage. I was like, "Wow. Just for an email client?" Thunderbird? 100 to 120MB of RAM. Outlook is a very good email client especially for work and school, or collaborative uses. But, some features are either cumbersome or too much for general email use. Oh, let's not forget its broken HTML-rendering. Since Outlook 2007 up to 2010, for some goddamn reason in Microsoft's decision department or somewhere, they thought it's great to use Word's HTML rendering engine and not a standards compliant one. Why, Microsoft? Why? Therefore, I dropped it even if I liked Outlook because of the RAM usage and the non-standards compliant HTML renderer.

If there is an email client on par with Thunderbird and/or with features of Outlook in one, then I'll switch off Thunderbird. If not, I'm sticking to it.
 
nOrVow said:
I really hope they at least provide bug fixes.. i don't want to go back to outlook.

Also, web-mail is a joke.
Click to expand...

What exactly does thunderbird or outlook do that gmail does not in the web client?
 
CacaSapo said:
I'd rather go back to dial-up than use a web-based client at home. On the road, if my laptop isn't with me, web-based suffices.

I do agree that, for most light users, web-based is fine.

"We want to focus on updating Firefox 6 times a day" Go for it, I use IE.
Going to stop constantly upgrading Thunderbird? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Web mail works for my at home e-mail since, for me, there's not many reasons to retain many old messages, search them, or organize. For work, a more powerful client is nice, but we stick with Outlook because it's familiar to our users and widely supported.
 
Email is a long mature technology. All I want is security fixes for the ESR version.

The rapid version numbers for Thunderbird are a joke anyway.

Changelog for Thunderbird 37: Updated version number to 37
 
Disposed said:
What exactly does thunderbird or outlook do that gmail does not in the web client?
Click to expand...

Well I don't have much experience with Gmail as i've used hotmail a very long time ago. But here's a few conveniences I like about Thunderbird;

- Centralized management for multiple e-mails, multiple folders for RSS feeds, and calender integration.

- it's easier for me to sort, manage, and archive my e-mails from account, and articles from each RSS feed that i have. Right now I have like 20 feeds I've subscribed to.

- Can you create multiple folders to categorize your feeds in Gmail? I do that in TB.

- Search for news blogs and e-mails are a breeze with TB.

- Since i monitor multiple accounts, i like to view them all at the same time. You can drag and drop with nested folders as well.

- I can tile events and tasks in a separate virtual desktop in Linux to refer to them as future reference. I do the same with calenders as well. I just love having shit in front of me.

- I still have access to my stuff offline.

- I love how everything is nested.. within one window.

I haven't used a web mail client in a long time so I'm sure some of these features are included but my last experience with Hotmail, you could do this or at least most of it which gave me a sour taste for web mail clients. I'm sure Gmail is better now, though.
 
Gmail's web-mail is better then thunderbird anyway.. I just have auto forwards setup with any other email I actually want to check to my main gmail.
 
This doesn't apply to everyone (or most people), and not saying Thunderbird sucks (in fact it is probably the best free e-mail client out there), but from my personal experience Thunderbird is incomplete and has some pretty nasty and critical bugs that get in the way of using some features of Thunderbird (such as Calendar). Used to use Thunderbird for a long time before switching to Live Mail (then used that for a long time before switching to Outlook 2010).

Outlook 2010 rules the battlefield if you can afford the Office suite.
 
EDIT: Windows Live Mail is pretty good, but the main problem is that it uses an e-mail format (for storing messages) that is proprietary and one that no other program (including Outlook) uses. In terms of migration, going from Windows Live Mail = PITA. Mozilla Thunderbird is a better program as far as migratability goes.
 
Cerulean said:
EDIT: Windows Live Mail is pretty good, but the main problem is that it uses an e-mail format (for storing messages) that is proprietary and one that no other program (including Outlook) uses. In terms of migration, going from Windows Live Mail = PITA. Mozilla Thunderbird is a better program as far as migratability goes.
Click to expand...

Yup, exactly. It's a very proprietary and very locked down client. You can only import into it but can't export emails out of it. So, if you want to migrate out of it, good luck.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Kinda surprising they kept it alive this long since web-based mail clients are good enough (phones and business/enterprise mail servers excluded). A dedicated e-mail client program seems like a throwback to the dark ages when we used to dial up an ISP and tie up phone lines.
Click to expand...

QFT
 
DustMite said:
I may take a look at eM Clent or Spicebird or maybe even Zimbra Desktop for a possible email client.
Click to expand...

Zimbra Desktop is awesome. I have a Zimbra, a Gmail and Google apps email account in one instance. Searching is damn fast, and we talk about many thousands of emails (my Gmail account itself has nearly 26k mails, still only 21% of the Gmail capacity :D; the Zimbra account has nearly 12k mails).
 
I'm a long time user of Thunderbird and have been reading the comments on Gizmodo, LifeHacker and other places. Seems like I'm seeing Zimbra Desktop come up a lot. Is this truly the next best replacement for Thunderbird with major support, a strong following, and quality development?
 
Disposed said:
What exactly does thunderbird or outlook do that gmail does not in the web client?
Click to expand...

I don't have the latest outlook so I can't speak for it... but for the outlook that I know, thunderbird has two very small necessities that outlook doesn't. A necessary 'paste without format' option and the ability to copy (as in copy/paste) emails from my contacts. I have a web program that I need to feed test emails into at work sometimes. And it would be nice to just copy their address.
 
octoberasian said:
I've tried Outlook 2007 and 2010. I stopped using it for one reason alone-- 300 to 500MB of RAM usage. I was like, "Wow. Just for an email client?" Thunderbird? 100 to 120MB of RAM.
Click to expand...

I've had Outlook running in the background all day... it's currently using 26 MB of RAM.

How did you get Outlook and Thunderbird over 100 MB of RAM usage? :eek:
 
i love my thunderbird, been using it for years. this sucks.
thunderbird & firefox combined with mozbackup is my 1 stop shop for backing-up my browser & email profiles.

hope TB remains supported in some fashion. thought of going back to MS' crapware makes me cringe and i can't use webmail as i have too many dissimilar accounts.
 
Unknown-One said:
I've had Outlook running in the background all day... it's currently using 26 MB of RAM.

How did you get Outlook and Thunderbird over 100 MB of RAM usage? :eek:
Click to expand...

I have absolutely no idea. I opened up Task Manager and there it was, over 100 MB of RAM usage.
 
SkribbelKat said:
o_O you again!
Click to expand...
Yes, it is I!
Troll_dance_by_ileeuu-d3dadex.gif
 
The idea of using a rigid email client is just bizarre to me.
 
octoberasian said:
I have absolutely no idea. I opened up Task Manager and there it was, over 100 MB of RAM usage.
Click to expand...

Must have been some kind of issues.

My PC that has been up for about 5 weeks now with outlook running 24/7 has 47mb of ram. My PC I just booted is 23.
 
nOrVow said:
Well I don't have much experience with Gmail as i've used hotmail a very long time ago. But here's a few conveniences I like about Thunderbird;

- Centralized management for multiple e-mails, multiple folders for RSS feeds, and calender integration.

- it's easier for me to sort, manage, and archive my e-mails from account, and articles from each RSS feed that i have. Right now I have like 20 feeds I've subscribed to.

- Can you create multiple folders to categorize your feeds in Gmail? I do that in TB.

- Search for news blogs and e-mails are a breeze with TB.

- Since i monitor multiple accounts, i like to view them all at the same time. You can drag and drop with nested folders as well.

- I can tile events and tasks in a separate virtual desktop in Linux to refer to them as future reference. I do the same with calenders as well. I just love having shit in front of me.

- I still have access to my stuff offline.

- I love how everything is nested.. within one window.

I haven't used a web mail client in a long time so I'm sure some of these features are included but my last experience with Hotmail, you could do this or at least most of it which gave me a sour taste for web mail clients. I'm sure Gmail is better now, though.
Click to expand...

All of that can be done within Gmail with the exception of offline mode. To manage multiple emails just autoforward to gmail. Google also has top notch RSS integration with google reader. Calendar integration is also kick ass.

I used to use thunderbird but after gmail and owning android phones its rather pointless to have a program do what Gmail does just fine and sometimes better.

The hate for webmail makes no sense unless you are avid anti google or are too anal to forward all emails to one inbox Gmail is better and simpler for just about everything you mentioned.
 
Wow this blows. I've always liked using a real client with imap. I like running my own system and having full control of my mail. All my emails are on my server in the basement and I use thunderbird to access them.

Guess I'll have to install a web based client like horde or squirrelmail on the server.
 
i dont post much, but this is terrible. i hope someone can take over in the community and keep it alive.
ive been using it as long as i can remember, wikki says nine years but i think i was using prereleases way before that.

anyway, its all i know, lol. i have every email account i own, many many many..... attached to it.

its been so long since ive had to set it up that im sure im going to have to find all the numbers again.

this sux!

anyone know a substitute?
 
>GSXR<mrbusa said:
i dont post much, but this is terrible. i hope someone can take over in the community and keep it alive.
ive been using it as long as i can remember, wikki says nine years but i think i was using prereleases way before that.

anyway, its all i know, lol. i have every email account i own, many many many..... attached to it.

its been so long since ive had to set it up that im sure im going to have to find all the numbers again.

this sux!

anyone know a substitute?
Click to expand...

You know had you actually clicked the link and read the article you would know thunderbird isnt going anywhere... :rolleyes:

Since you're too lazy heres the relevant part to you.

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.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top