* TB is named after an infectious disease. This means switching program is more effort as you have to learn a new interface. In mail programs however, the program provides the interface. * Browsers have a lightweight interface - most of the interface is in the web page itself. On the other hand, Mozilla's mail/TB lack several Outlook Express features. For example, Mozilla/FB lacks very few IE features that anyone cares about.
* TB is not as universally good a mail client as Mozilla is a universally good browser. If you switch to another mail program on your own (rather than everyone switching), you'll lose those features. * Company users may have extra features (such as integrated calendar and group scheduling) that they require in their corporate email system, such as Outlook. Using a 0.3 web browser is a lot less risky than using a 0.3 mail program. If a web page doesn't load who cares? If a mail program trashes my mailstore I really, really do care. Here are some reasons why people aren't as willing to switch to TB as they are FB: If it was a case of switching from Mozilla mail to Thunderbird then more people would switch, but generally people aren't using either. I think most Mozilla users don't use Mozilla for mail, but use another program such as Outlook or Outlook Express (or indeed those webmail options). The Beta version of Thunderbird only brings small incremental fixes and improvements.I don't think anywhere near that many people use webmail, especially more technically-advanced folk who tend to be Mozilla users. This beat version is primarily a bug fixing release and many of the problems that have been found in early versions of the email client have now been fixed.Īfter Mozilla's recent announcement that Thunderbird is entering its "extended support phase", which basically means it'll only be officially maintained with minor bug fixes and security updates going forward. It is important to note that while the Earlybird alpha can be installed alongside an existing copy of Thunderbird, installing the beta will overwrite any stable version that is already installed.
#Mozilla thunderbird stable release software#
The problem with alpha software is that it can often be unstable, but by opting to work with the beta version of Thunderbird, you get the best of both worlds a sneak peak at what is to come in future versions, but nothing so experimental that it is unreliable. At any one time there are three different versions of Thunderbird available – the stable release, the beta version of the following release (this version of the application), and the alpha preview of the subsequent version called Earlybird.įor day to day use, it is recommended that most people stick with the stable release that is made available in the standard release channels, while those who like to live right on the cutting edge and experience all the latest feature may like to take a look at the Earlybird alpha. Just as Firefox has been moved onto an accelerated release schedule, so Mozilla has increase the speed at which updates are released for its email client, Thunderbird.