New Update Mozilla Thunderbird (updates and discussion)

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Thunderbird 91.4.1 email client released with security fixes​

The security fixes have not been published yet on the official Security Advisories for Thunderbird website. You may want to check there later to find out if the information has been published.

The release notes are available and you may access them here. The new version fixes several attachment, account setup and saving issues in the email client.
  • Thunderbird would display save dialogs for certain types of attachments, such as ICS attachments, instead of opening them.
  • The saving of attachments failed for IMAP accounts if usernames contained special characters.
  • Temporary files that Thunderbird creates for attachment forwards contained the wrong extension sometimes.
  • Outlook displayed S/MIME signatures as invalid.
  • On Mac OS, URL input boxes on content tabs displayed a search glass icon erroneously.
  • Message bars did not use high contrast theme colors.
  • Thunderbird could hang if messages with autocrypt headers were loaded.
  • The account manager cut off server hostnames.
  • Passwords with non-ASCII characters were not supported during account setup.
  • Account setup would sometimes not retain values.
  • Folder selection of virtual folders was not retained when a folder contained non-ASCII characters.
  • Message headers were not included for saved HTML or EML messages.
  • The private web page field was not included when a contact was exported to a vCard.
  • Disable All Addons in Troubleshooting mode would not disable addons after a restart.
  • The FileLink's provider icon was not always displayed for FileLink attachments.
  • Loading would still be displayed as an icon when a FileLink upload failed.
  • Long event names for multiday events would not wrap.
  • Various unspecified theme and UX improvements.
 

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Thunderbird Version 91.5.0, first offered to channel users on January 11, 2022

Fixed:​

  • RSS keyword labels without a configured color were illegible
  • Thunderbird "about:" dialog did not identify third-party repackaged distributions such as Flatpaks
  • Various security fixes
 

silversurfer

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The two non-security issues that were fixed address a display issue for RSS keyword labels and missing information on Thunderbird's about dialog page.

The security advisories page for Thunderbird 91.5 lists 14 security issues, many of which come from the code that Thunderbird shares with the Firefox web browser.
 

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"Thunderbird Version 91.5.1, first offered to channel users on January 24, 2022"

Fixed​

  • JS LDAP implementation did not support self-signed SSL certificates
  • After saving a draft and subsequently sending a FileLink email, the original file was removed from disk
  • Chat OTR encryption did not work
  • OTR verification bar was not removed after completing verification
  • Various theme improvements
 

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Version 91.6.0, first offered to channel users on February 8, 2022
New
  • Thunderbird will now offer to send large forwarded attachments via FileLink
Fixed
  • Partially signed unencrypted messages displayed an incorrect "partially encrypted" notification
  • Attachments filenames were not sanitized before saving to disk
  • In the attachment bar, the "Import OpenPGP Key" item displayed for public keys displayed an error and did not import the key
  • "Open with" attachment dialog did not have a selected radio button option
  • Various security fixes
 

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Version 91.6.1, first offered to channel users on February 15, 2022

Changed
  • Thunderbird generated views of meeting invitations are now expanded by default
Fixed
  • Emails were not downloading at startup under some conditions
  • Port numbers were not shown in "Confirm Security Exception" dialog for CalDAV connections
  • Various security fixes
 

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Thunderbird Version 91.6.2, first offered to channel users on March 5, 2022

Fixed:
  • Temporary files from opened attachments were saved with world-readable permission
  • Various security fixes
 

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Thunderbird Version 91.7.0 (first offered to channel users on March 8, 2022)

Changed
  • Thunderbird will use the first occurrence of headers that should only appear once
Fixed
  • Auto-complete incorrectly changed a pasted email address to the primary address of a contact
  • Attachments with filename extensions that were not registered in MIME types could not be opened
  • Copy/Cut/Paste actions not working in Thunderbird Preferences
  • Improved screen reader support of displayed message headers
  • Various security fixes
 

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" Thunderbird Version 91.8.0, first offered to channel users on April 5, 2022. "
CHANGED
  • Google accounts using password authentication will be migrated to OAuth2. See KB Article.
FIXED
  • OpenPGP ECC keys created by Thunderbird could not be imported into GnuPG
  • Exporting multiple public PGP keys from Thunderbird was not possible
  • Replying to a newsgroup message erroneously displayed a "No-reply" popup warning
  • Opening mid: URLs on macOS failed
  • Address books stored in older formats were loaded as SQLite files, causing a crash
  • Replicated LDAP directories were lost after switching Thunderbird to "Offline"`mode
  • Importing webcals from the commandline failed if the URI ended with an .ics file extension
  • Various security fixes


 

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Version 91.8.1, first offered to channel users on April 18, 2022

FIXED
  • CLIENTID extension to SMTP was not supported by smtp-js
  • Additional SMTP errors now propagated to user
  • OpenPGP was not able to use some previously supported key types
  • OpenPGP Key Manager did not always display correct information after importing additional IDs
  • Duplicate new mail notifications could be displayed when server-side filters were in use
  • Cancelling an SMTP password entry resulted in multiple failure dialogs being displayed
 

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Thunderbird product and business development manager Ryan Lee Sipes confirmed on Twitter that a Thunderbird mobile app is coming soon. The product manager did not provide specifics, only that the mobile app is the second priority after fixing the user interface and user experience in Thunderbird.

In another tweet, Sipes refers to the release of an APK file specifically. APK files are for Android-based devices. While that does not exclude the creation of an application for Apple's iOS ecosystem, it seems likely that the Android app is the first to become available for users.

Additional information is not available at this point. It is unclear if the initial version of the app will be released in 2022 and what functionality it will include. It is almost certain that it will include a core set of features right from the get-go; this may include syncing between mobile and desktop clients, support for multiple email accounts, and an address book.

Some features may be on the to-do list, but it seems unlikely that the first mobile app version of Thunderbird supports all the features of the desktop client. It is also unclear if it will be based on Firefox mobile. If that is the case, it could support extensions.
 

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Version 91.9.0, first offered to channel users on May 3, 2022

CHANGED:
  • A warning is now displayed if an OpenPGP key has unsafe attributes that are ignored; See support article.
FIXED:
  • OpenPGP integration in Thunderbird 91.8.0 and 91.8.1 did not allow SHA-1 key signatures
  • macOS disk image graphics updated
  • CalDAV calendars were marked read-only on startup
  • Task creation field on macOS incorrectly displayed a search icon
  • Various security fixes
 

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The team that is developing the Thunderbird email client has been working on the next major release of Thunderbird for some time. One of the new features of Thunderbird 102 is an improved import tool for data.

Current versions of the email client support imports, but the process is not streamlined. Some imports require the use of extensions, others, including moving data from one Thunderbird installation to another, a copy and paste operation that requires knowledge of data paths and profiles.

The upcoming Thunderbird 102 changes that, at least for some data imports. The team highlighted the new import feature in a new blog post on the official site. The new feature was revealed in late March on Twitter by a development team member, but the blog post reveals new information about the planned functionality.

According to the blog post, Thunderbird 102 comes with a step-by-step wizard that walks users through the process of important data into the email client. The initial version in Thunderbird 102 supports the importing of data from Microsoft Outlook, SeaMonkey and other Thunderbird installations. Future plans to add support for other email services have not been revealed, but there is a possibility that Thunderbird may support additional data sources in future versions.
 

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Thunderbird is part of MZLA Technologies Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mozilla Foundation. The entire project receives its funding almost entirely from donations.

Donations rose from $700K in 2017 to now $2.7 million in 2021. In 2021 alone, donations rose by around $500k to the new all time high.

Improved engagement with donors and an updated What's New page with "an improved donation appeal" were the primary drivers for the increased donations in the year. The team plans to increase the engagement with the entire community in the future. Increased activity on social media sites such as Twitter is already noticeable.

Non-donation income makes up less than one percent of the overall revenue. Thunderbird receives payments when users sign up for the email provides Gandi and Mailfence. New revenue opportunities are explored, provided that they align with the mission and values according to the revenue presentation.

As far as spending is concerned, the bulk is spend as payment for employees. A total of 78.1% is spend on personnel. Professional services, including HR, tax services, and "agreements with other Mozilla entities, make up 10.5% of the spending. 5.5% are spend on general & administrative services, and 4.7% on donation transaction fees.

The Thunderbird project spend a total of $1,984 million in 2021, increasing money in the bank to $3.616 million.

The Thunderbird project has a total of 18 employees. The team wants to hire several engineers without spending more money than what is coming in.
 

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The open source email client Thunderbird will soon support multiple active spell checking dictionaries. Planned for Thunderbird 102, the feature enables users to have Thunderbird check for spelling mistakes using multiple dictionaries when composing messages.

thunderbird email spell checking



Thunderbird users who speak multiple languages may have had spell checking difficulties in the past. Current versions of the email client support one active language only at a time, and that meant that users either had to switch languages regularly or compose emails without spell checking.

Switching required the selection of Options > Check Spelling, or using the shortcut Ctrl-Shift-P, to open the spell checking window. The language menu listed all available spell checking languages, and the selection of a language switched the spell checker to that language.

Thunderbird includes a single language by default, but users may install new language dictionaries as extensions. The Dictionaries & Language Packs page on the official Thunderbird add-ons website lists all available options. Once a dictionary is installed, it becomes available under language in the spell checking window of the email client.

While the checking of multiple languages is the prime purpose of adding multi active dictionary support to Thunderbird, there are other use cases. Some users may want to add dictionaries with dialects to Thunderbird, or dictionaries that use a distinct vocabulary that may not be found in regular language dictionaries.

Whatever the reason, starting in Thunderbird 102, users of the email client will have the option to use them all at the same time when using the email client.
 

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Version 91.9.1, first offered to channel users on May 20, 2022


 
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silversurfer

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How to run Thunderbird Beta next to the Stable email client​

Interested users may download the latest Beta version from the official website. Thunderbird users have two options when it comes to installing the Beta version of the email program on their systems:
  1. Install the Beta of Thunderbird in a separate directory to run it next to the stable version of Thunderbird.
  2. Install the Beta client in the same program directory, to replace the stable version.
Most users may want to install the beta in a separate directory, especially if it is for testing. The Windows version of the installer will use a different directory automatically -- C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird Beta instead of C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird used by the stable edition -- and Linux and Mac users need to select a different folder for the installation to separate beta and stable versions.

thunderbird beta install
 

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silversurfer

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Thunderbird 102 released: lots of new features and improvements​

Thunderbird 102 is available as a direct upgrade for Thunderbird 91.x installations, but the update is not installed automatically on all devices right after release. The release will roll out gradually to the entire population, and it may take weeks before the automatic update kicks in.

If you like to get your hands on Thunderbird 102, then you have the following options to install it from scratch or upgrade an existing Thunderbird installation:
  • Force an upgrade to Thunderbird 102 in the client
  • Download Thunderbird 102 and install/upgrade using it.
The easier option, probably, is to run a manual check for updates in Thunderbird. Just select Help > About Thunderbird to do that. If you don't see the menu bar, press the Alt-key on the keyboard to display it. Thunderbird runs a check and should pick up the new version of the email client automatically.

If that does not work, or if you prefer to download the installer, you may do so on the official download page. Go there, find the right interface language and click on one of the download options to download the installer.
 

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