A new version every three months or so, and a confusing assortment of release channels makes it less interesting to keep an overview over each channel. With four channels for Firefox and Google Chrome alone each, it would mean to spend more time monitoring the development to stay up to date.

Thunderbird recently joined the rapid release process as well, with the beta versions recently jumping a version to version 5.

Instead of using Firefox’s naming convention, which is stable, beta, aurora and nightly, the developers have decided to introduce a new set of channel names. The nightly versions of Thunderbird are called Shredder, the Aurora versions Earlybird and the beta versions Miramar. The latest nightly versions are already at version 7, while the latest stable releases are at version 3.

We have already looked at the features that Mozilla Messaging plans to introduce in Thunderbird 5. You can get the full overview here.

Among the changes are a new add-on manager that looks identical to the extensions manager of the Firefox web browser. Other new features include a revised account setup wizard that has been optimized once again, an optimized display of email attachments including attachment sizes, tab reordering and a new troubleshooting information page.

Interested users can download Thunderbird 5 Beta from the early releases page over at Mozilla Messaging. The beta version is available for all supported operating systems and languages. Nightly releases are currently only available at the official ftp server.

What’s your take on the rapid release process and the new names for the different Thunderbird channels? Let me know in the comments. (via)

Currently, only Firefox 4 beta users can install the new version of F1. A lot has changed in the new release, especially the user interface has been overhauled. The first version of F1 was displayed as a “horizontal layout stretching across the width of the browser” which worked fine for a first prototype but limited the ability of the team to add service specific features to the add-on.

The new version uses a vertical layout which “allowed more space for direct messaging UI” and made the “doorhanger UI [...] less intrusive”.

The developers have added LinkedIn as a new service so that it is now possible to use Mozilla F1 to send links to everyone, your connections or individual users via direct messages.

Capabilities with Facebook and Twitter have been expanded as well. It is now possible to send direct messages to any Twitter follower and share links directly to a group wall on Facebook.

Gmail, Google Apps and Yahoo Buzz are the other three services that are currently supported by Mozilla F1.

F1 Panel

Users share messages with Mozilla F1 by clicking on the F1 icon in the Firefox toolbar after installation. They are then able to selected one of the supported services from the menu before the sharing options are displayed.

It is possible that the developers plan to integrate Mozilla F1 into the upcoming Firefox 5 web browser which is currently slated for a mid-2011 release.

Mozilla F1 can be installed directly on the official project website over at Mozilla Messaging.

There is however no option to zoom in our out with the mouse which some users may find more comfortable than using the keyboard shortcut or accessing the zoom options via the menubar.

Thunderbird supports mouse zooming but it needs to be activated in the advanced configuration menu before it becomes available.

Users need to click on Tools > Options to open the general Thunderbird options. They then need to switch to the Advanced > General tab in the window to access the Config Editor of the email client.

This opens the about:config window. The easiest way to find the correct parameter is to enter it into the filter form at the top. Enter mousewheel.withcontrolkey.action in the filter form and hit enter. Only one parameter should be displayed in the listing now.

The default setting is set to scroll the document by a number of lines. Possible values are:

• 0 – Scroll by a number of lines
• 1 – Scroll document by one page
• 2 – Move back and forward in history
• 3 – Make text larger or smaller
• 4 – Scroll text by a number of pixels

A double-click on the parameter opens an edit form so that the value can be edited. Changing the value from 0 to 3 changes the behavior so that a combination of Ctrl and the mousewheel now zooms in or out.

Please note that there are additional parameters available that can be configured this way as well:

• mousewheel.withnokey.action
• mousewheel.withshiftkey.action
• mousewheel.withmetakey.action
• mousewheel.withaltkey.action
• mousewheel.withcontrolkey.action

To display all of them at once filter for the parameter mousewheel.with The only key that has a different functionality by default is the alt key which in combination with the mousewheel scrolls the document by one page.

Thunderbird users who prefer to use the Shift key instead of Control need to change the value of the mousewheel.withshiftkey.action parameter to 3 instead.

This also means that there is no official release log yet, only the beta release notes are available and they list several fixes to improve stability and security of the email client, as well as several fixes to the program’s user interface.

The security fixes alone should be reason enough for Thunderbird users to update the email client as soon as the new version gets released by the development team.

A quick look at Bugzilla lists a total of 84 different bugs that have been fixed in Thunderbird 3.1.7 including a total of 26 different critical issues and one blocker issue. Most issues listed are related to crashes in the email client.

Thunderbird users who do not want to wait until the new release has been officially announced can download the new version from the Mozilla ftp server, one of the worldwide mirror servers, or sites like Softpedia which usually carry only the English language version.

The update is already available for download. Users who already work with a version of Thunderbird can check for new updates by clicking on Help > Check for Updates in the email client’s interface. The new version is also available for download at the official Mozilla Messaging site, good for users who cannot update the client directly.

How is Thunderbird affected by the vulnerability anyway? If you remember, the email client has browser-like capabilities, and that’s where it becomes vulnerable. The user needs to open a website in Thunderbird that exploits the vulnerability. If the email client has not been upgraded the system could be compromised, and an attacker could get remote access to the local system.

Thunderbird users who do not use the browser-like features are safe, but should update anyway to eliminate the possibility of a successful attack.

Thunderbird users can check for the new version in the email client, by clicking on Help in the menu and then Check for Updates. Currently though no updates are found.

The other option is to visit the official Mozilla Messaging website which offers downloads of the latest release version of Thunderbird 3. Currently, version 3.1.4 is offered. This too will change in the coming hours.

So what’s new in Thunderbird 3.1.5? According to the release notes of the beta, Thunderbird 3.1.5 includes several stability and security fixes, as well as fixes to the user interface of the email software.

Bugzilla lists a total of 59 buts that have been resolved in this new version of Thunderbird. Eleven bugs have received a critical rating, the second highest severity rating available.

Thunderbird users who do not want to wait for the official release announcement can download the English version from Softpedia, or download any language version from the official Mozilla ftp server.

The homepage has already been changed to provide visitors with information about Thunderbird 3.1, the latest available version however is still Thunderbird 3.0.5 at the time of writing.

Thunderbird 3.1 comes with several new and improved features including a quick filter toolbar to search and sort through mail folders in realtime, faster search results thanks to improved message indexing, an improved migration assistant to aid Thunderbird 2 users who migrate to Thunderbird 3.1 and a saved files manger that displays all files that have been saved in that session.

thunderbird 3.1

Thunderbird 3.1 is available in 48 different langauges for Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems. Downloads will likely be enabled later today on the official website and the automatic update in the email client should recognize the new version in the next 48 hours.

Thunderbird users who cannot wait to get their hands on the latest iteration of the email software can download it from the official Mozilla ftp server or one of the community mirror sites.

Update: Downloads have been enabled on the official website, no need to download the client from mirror sites.

Bugzilla reports a total of 82 bugs that have been fixed in Thunderbird 3.0.4, among them 19 critical and 6 major bugs. Most of the critical bugs fix crash related issues in the email client, good news for users who have been experiencing crashes on a regular basis.

Thunderbird 3.0.4 fixes the following issue in Thunderbird 3.0.3:

* Several fixes to improve stability and security, see the Security Advisory.
* Several fixes to the user interface.

Thunderbird 3.0.4 is already offered for download at the Mozilla Messaging website. Users can either download the latest version of the email software from that website or update the version from within the email client if it is installed on their computer system.

Thunderbird 3.1 will be the next release of Thunderbird and the first alpha release marks a new milestone towards that goal. The Thunderbird developers ask interested users to test the new email client but also warn anyone from installing the email client in a productive environment as it is an alpha version that can contain bugs.

The most notable changes in Thunderbird 3.1 alpha are:

• upgrade of the layout engine to Gecko 1.9.2.
• Several improvements to IMAP.
• Several fixes for Smart Folders, message filters, and attachment handling.
• Several design improvements and corrections to the interface.
• Download Manager is now accessible as a menu item (Tools > Saved Files).
• Stability and memory improvements.

Bugzilla lists a total of 147 bug fixes and changes in Thunderbird 3.1 alpha of which 2 have been rated as blockers (highest rating) and 14 as critical. Several of the critical bugs fix issues when updating from Thunderbird 2 to Thunderbird 3. Others fix crashes and fix other issues.

Users who are interested in trying out Thunderbird 3.1 alpha can download the email client from the Mozilla Messaging website.

The developer’s have not published a changelog detailing the changes between the second release candidate and the final release. The short time between both releases suggests that not much has been changed since then.

Thunderbird users who are still running Thunderbird 2 and other interested users might want to read up on the new key features of the email client:

• Tabbed Email: Provides the ability view individual emails and folders in tabs, and web pages via add-ons in tabs so users can quickly jump between them, just as one manages web pages in Mozilla’s Firefox. Folder tabs are remembered, so Thunderbird starts up pre-configured and personalized to each user.
• Filtered Search: Designed with search in mind, the new search interface in Thunderbird 3 contains filtering and timeline tools to help users quickly and accurately pin-point the exact email by word matches, correspondents or even attachment types at the moment they need it, all based on analysis of the user’s own emails.
• Message Archive: Archiving mail moves email from the inbox into the new archive folder system, de-cluttering the inbox while at the same time enabling users to find email months or years from now.
• One-click Address Book: A very quick and easy way to add people to an address book, by simply clicking on the star icon in the messages received from new correspondents.
• New Mail Account Setup Wizard: Getting started with Thunderbird 3 is faster than ever with the new account set-up wizard that requires simple information, like email addresses and passwords to get going instead of a user’s IMAP, SMTP, SSL/TLS settings.
• Smart Folders: Combines individual mailboxes to help manage multiple email accounts in one spot. For example, by selecting the Inbox, users can view all the incoming emails from all their different accounts without having to go to each email account separately.
• Add-ons Manager: The new add-ons manager can help users find, download, and install hundreds of add-ons enabling them to customize Thunderbird 3 and add functionality or change the appearance.
• Better Integration with Gmail: Now integrates with international versions of Gmail and Gmail’s special folders such as sent and trash.
• Better Integration with Windows and Mac OS X: Updated look and feel, improved import tools, search integration, and address book support for Windows 7, Vista and Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
• Gecko 1.9.1 Engine: The same Web page rendering engine and graphics infrastructure used in Firefox, provides the latest Web Standards support and security enhancements.
• Automated Updates: Thunderbird’s update system notifies users when a security update is available and automates the download and installation process to keep users safe.

The release notes do contain known issues on the other hand which should be read before updating or installing the new version of Thunderbird.

The messages are then processed and categorized by Raindrop in personal and bulk categories with personal messages prioritized over the others. This concept is not only applied to email messages that the user receives (think a reply from a friend which would be sorted into the personal category versus the latest offerings of the airline you flew with in the past) but also Twitter, Facebook and everything else (not sure how this is going to be applied to RSS feeds though).

The Raindrop development team has created two design prototypes for the interface which are shown below.

Raindrop is currently not available publicly. The developers aim to release a version that can be downloaded and installed in the near future. You can read more about Raindrop at the introductory post over at the Mozilla Labs website.

The software could be useful for web users who not only receive lots of emails but participate heavily in multiple other web services and communities. What’s your take on Raindrop?

Although the Thunderbird 2.0.0.21 release notes page is already up it has not been fully updated with information regarding this release. It mentions security related fixes in this version of Thunderbird but the link points to a page that has not been updated yet. The download link on the release notes page is also pointing to Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 and not the current release.

Many users would probably want to update their email client immediately after reading that it contains patches for security issues. Several users reminded us last time we posted a link to a release of Firefox and Thunderbird that we should not do so. So, no link for now which is kinda stupid as everyone with half a brain will be able to find the Mozilla ftp site with the download link of Thunderbird 2.0.0.21.

Everyone else will have to sit tight with an insecure version of Thunderbird until the official distribution process has been completed and the update is officially announced.

Some add-ons might stop working after installing Thunderbird 2.0.0.21. You could try and change the allowed version number manually or wait for the software developer to update the add-on for the email client.

The beta release of the email client contains some of those new features already. Some of them are the long awaited improvements to IMAP for faster message viewing, improved email import from other email clients or the tab interface for emails.

The beta will install into a different directory in Windows and MAC OS X while the developers say that it may overwrite settings in Linux. They still recommend to backup the profile before installation to be on the safe side.

The release notes list several issues that are known in this release that might affect your system. You should check them out before installation to avoid complications.

One solution would be to downgrade Thunderbird 1.5.0.8 to a prior version which should fix this immediately. A better solution would be to download a nightly build of thunderbird and use that. The bug was fixed and all coming nightly builds should contain the bug fix as well. This nightly build for example contains the fix.

Thunderbird 1.5.0.9 which will contain the fix will most likely be released sometime in December which means the only way to fix this bug now is to either downgrade or install a nightly build.

You will have to do the following no matter if you downgrade or install a nightly build:

• Backup your Thunderbird profile folder which is located C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data\Thunderbird\Profiles\random.default
• Uninstall Thunderbird.
• Go to the Thunderbird profile folder and delete every msf file. Don’t worry,Thunderbird will rebuild them once you click on such a folder in Thunderbird.
• Install Thunderbird 1.5.0.7 or the nightly build

The missing mail should appear. Everything seems to have reverted back to normal for me using the above nightly build. Let me know if you encounter errors or if this method is not working for you.