Mozilla Thunderbird Adoption Climbs, Thunderbird 38 In May

[teresaejunior]

Encrypt emails? The SSL connection does it, not me. It's built into every single browser out there.

The SSL connection encrypts the email from your computer into the mail server only. Encrypting it with a tool like GPG is the only way to make sure nobody besides you and the receiver will read it. I use Gmail, and the SSL connection avoids folks on the network from reading it, but Google can read it and pass it along to the NSA.

[CrystalGamma]

Smartphones and tablets are an afterthought. I do use them, but it's like walking compared to a racing car. Mobile internet is also extremely expensive where I live, so if there's no free wifi around, they're useless. My #1 platform is still the PC and will remain to be. Encrypt emails? The SSL connection does it, not me. It's built into every single browser out there.

Let's say you travel to a friend and want to access your email on their computer. Do you install a client or just fire up a browser in private mode? I do the second one. We don't just install programs on others' computers, and cleaning up would be a mess as well. Same goes for work/school computers. Probably you don't even have permission to install anything, but you can run a browser.

I'm pretty sure end-to-end-encryption was meant, which SSL eMails have and will never provide. Likewise, if you want any kind of security, you shouldn't trust foreign ("work/school") computers with your credentials.

[rgloor]

Thunderbird - missing open CardDAV support for Contacts

I use Thunderbird on my HomeOffice PC (Linux), on my Notebook (Linux) as well as on some customer locations (Windows), where I have an own user user account on their system.

I really enjoy the their multiplatform capability, their constance interface across the different platforms, and the great user interface.

The one thing I am presently missing most is the support for CardDAV.

Because the Contact Database is very important for an eMail client.
So I would like to have a stable and solid synchronization with CardDAV cloud services like ownCloud.

[TumultuousUnicorn]

I use Thunderbird too, simply because I can use many accounts in one interface.

[MrRtd]

For anyone with more than one email account, Thunderbird in my opinion is essential for convenience and efficiency.

[hubick]

I don't see a lot of other good options for offline RSS reading on Linux (ie, while on vacation). I wish it could sync my feeds from Feedly.

[AJSB]

I have boat loaded of email addresses, TB is fundamental...and the idea that Web clients encrypt via SSL the emails, LOL, joke of the year

[mendieta]

There's a need for online clients? Don't you have a smartphone or tablet? How do you encrypt mails? Can't think of a single way I could get rid of mail clients.

It's funny, because, I would make the opposite argument: because I already use multiple devices, and all of them work with the cloud, including (in my case) using Google's servers for storage and admin of my emails and calendar events, all I need is thin clients in each device, to visualize, rather than permanently store in the device. In short, everyone in my household, but me, use gmail, which means the web interface in computers, and the official client in Android. And in some cases, they do source email from different services, but they consolidate in gmail.

Me? I'm a sentimental old man. I have emails in my Linux account that go back to 1995 (and so does my home folder). So, I went from using the basic *nix 'mail' client, into pine at some point, then I moved to KMail. But, a couple years ago, KDE decided to move into KMail2 or something among these lines. Emails would take about 2 minutes to load (because of interaction with nepomuk, akonadi or both, I don't quite remember). So, I moved to Thunderbird. The migration took a bit of elbow grease. But a couple hours later I was migrated, and I never looked back. In practice, I only open Thunderbird now and then to download all my email to the harddrive, and only a few times a year I use it to actually type, or check an email.

[oliver]

Smartphones and tablets are an afterthought. I do use them, but it's like walking compared to a racing car. Mobile internet is also extremely expensive where I live, so if there's no free wifi around, they're useless. My #1 platform is still the PC and will remain to be. Encrypt emails? The SSL connection does it, not me. It's built into every single browser out there.

Let's say you travel to a friend and want to access your email on their computer. Do you install a client or just fire up a browser in private mode? I do the second one. We don't just install programs on others' computers, and cleaning up would be a mess as well. Same goes for work/school computers. Probably you don't even have permission to install anything, but you can run a browser.

You do realize you can have both, right?

Though while I use my own mailserver (+owncloud server) and use roundcube as a webclient, but this can equally work for, say gmail.

Webmail when you have no device with your own stuff, phone with k9 as my mobile client, thunderbird on my desktop and maybe evolution on my laptop? All working on the same mailbox, the same calendar, the same addressbook.

1990 called and wants their webmail back

Additionally, the whole 'mail clients where usefull in the dialup times'? Really? pop3 might be long gone, but you should really learn about imap. Even gmail supports it.

[GreatEmerald]

The boost to Thunderbird usage is probably due to Windows XP EOL. At least in my household.

Personally I use GMail's online client, since I don't need anything more fancy. I have two accounts, and just forward one to my GMail. No big deal.

My parents, on the other hand, have business email accounts, and even though the provider does have an online frontend, it's pretty bad compared to GMail and such. Plus they need email notifications. Earlier they used Outlook Express, but due to WinXP EOL I migrated them to Thunderbird, which is similar enough but free software.