The Mozilla Thunderbird electronic mail software is having a resurgence proper now, with growth ramping up and an expanded crew behind the undertaking. Mozilla has now confirmed how Thunderbird will likely be ported to Android.
Thunderbird is nearly 20 years outdated, and duplicating all its options in a completely new codebase on a brand new platform would possible take a number of years, at a minimal. That’s why the Thunderbird crew is taking a distinct strategy: adopting Ok-9 Mail for Android. Ok-9 can also be an open-source undertaking (named after the robotic canine from Physician Who), and it’s in all probability essentially the most feature-packed electronic mail app on Android that doesn’t require exterior servers or proprietary companies.
Christian Ketterer (also called ‘cketti’), the maintainer of Ok-9, has already joined the Thunderbird workers. Mozilla mentioned in its announcement, “Thunderbird will commit monetary and growth assets to bettering Ok-9 Mail, including new options, and person interface enhancements.” The objective is for Ok-9 Mail to be rebranded as Thunderbird for Android, as soon as sufficient progress has been made.
Mozilla’s present roadmap for Ok-9 consists of improved folder administration, the identical account auto-configuration as Thunderbird on desktop, message filters, and a few stage of synchronization between desktop and cellular utilizing Firefox Sync. Thunderbird’s non-email options (calendars, duties, feeds, and so forth.) received’t be within the cellular app, not less than initially — the crew is “nonetheless debating how greatest to attain that.”
Since Ok-9 Mail will slowly change into Thunderbird for Android over the subsequent a number of months, you may technically get Thunderbird on Android proper now by putting in Ok-9. Nevertheless, Mozilla is warning those that the interface “will in all probability change a couple of occasions” as growth progresses.
Thunderbird additionally plans to supply an app for iPhone and iPad, however there’s nonetheless no (public) plan for that but. Ok-9 Mail will not be accessible for iPhone and iPad, so Mozilla will both have to begin from scratch for Apple’s platforms, or purchase/fork one other cellular app to rebrand.
Supply: Thunderbird
