A very interesting video about the Thunderbird Project successful donation process and how KDE can improve them by following their step.
A very interesting video about the Thunderbird Project successful donation process and how KDE can improve them by following their step.
ELI5 please, why would I use thunderbird over a web client? I have used a local email client in years but it seems everyone uses and loves thunderbird.
If you don’t have multiple email accounts, then probably a webmail is fine. If you have multiple accounts, and require some advanced email features, then a local client is often more efficient. Unfortunately, because the majority of people are fine with a webmail, those clients are not attracting much activity for development and Thunderbird itself almost died some ten years ago.
May I ask the opposite? Why use JavaScript client from the web instead of desktop ones?
Most operating systems, excluding Windows, are shipping with decent native and fast email client. They are automatically updated with the system, again excluding Windows, integrate with other apps (for ex. right-click and share with mail), can store messages offline just in case and are overall nicer to use.
The only use case I think of is when using someone’s else computer and you don’t want to remember to log out, because browsers have “incognito” mode.
Because then I can access the same client from anywhere, any platform without having to worry about learning the interface for several different clients.
Sounds like you’re making an a point from privacy, which I agree with and subscribe to. But I feel like there’s something in your point that is missed in that the email provider has the emails still. If I have a Gmail account then I doubt it matters if I use thunderbird or not. So that pushes me to use a more privacy focused email provider but if they are then their web client should also be privacy focused. So if total privacy is the focus then hosting your own email service would be what is needed. But if privacy isn’t the point then convenience is more important. And going off the other replies to my question, the only reason is if you have multiple accounts and want them to be accessible from one place.
I have 2 main email accounts, 1 that is family and friends focused and 1 that is privacy/purchases/etc focused and I actually like them to be separated so thunderbird doesn’t sound very useful for my case. Not sure if there’s something I’m missing here but if there is then I am willing to read and learn. Especially when it comes to privacy focused stuff.
No, it was not about privacy. From privacy standpoint there is no difference from email client running in browser or on desktop, both can have trackers and in both we need to trust the source. There are even selfhosted web email clients like RoundCube or Nextcloud Mail, that I use too but really rare.
Doesn’t windows ship with a native email client? I don’t use Windows but I remember an email app on it.
Multiple accounts that I need to check daily (works, personnal, business). It would take me way more time to check all of them on a browser. You can also search within all your account from TB. Also have access to my archives without internet access.
I pull all my email locally and only leave the last few weeks on the servers. I have all my email (going back 20 years) available locally and also backed up safe. If an email provider goes tits up, or is acquired, or starts misbehaving, I can have my mailboxes somewhere else within the hour and not lose anything.
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I should do that too at some point. I’m using Claws Mail not Thunderbird, which stores each message in its own file.
First step is to find an IMAP server that won’t complain that the format is not-quite-maildir, and also not balk that they’re read-only.
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Worst case scenario I’ll write my own. Can’t be too hard to put together a simple IMAP server that only works read-only to list folders and read messages.
I have email going all the way back to 2013 or so, and don’t like the idea of all that information sitting readily available for hacks, warrants, or automated scanning. I move mail older than two years into a local Thunderbird folder to limit what’s sitting online, while also letting me search for recent emails while out and about.
Aside from that, I like that I can still access emails while offline, see all my inboxes, contacts, and calendar in one place. Also, I’ve got enough “apps” that run in the browser.
Actually, sudden account closure without recourse (which Google does) is another reason to make sure I have local copies of email too.
I like it because I put all my RSS feeds there (podcasts, blogs, etc.), for RSS purposes it does everything I want and more than many of the dedicated RSS clients do. Then, if I can get my email there too, I don’t have to open my web browser all the time, which is more efficient.
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