Thunderbird 60.9.1 and 68.2.2 have been released
The Thunderbird development team has released two updates for the two supported branches of the email client. Thunderbird 60.9.1 and Thunderbird 68.2.2 are now available; both releases fix issues in the email client but don't introduce new features to it.
Thunderbird is offered in two versions currently. Thunderbird 60.x is the classic version of the email client while Thunderbird 68.x is the new version that is based on new code and as a result not fully compatible with all extensions released previously for the email client.
The team released Thunderbird 68 in August 2019 but did not include automatic update options from Thunderbird 60.x to the new version unless the calendar extension Lightning was installed. Thunderbird users may download the installer from the official project website to upgrade manually, but automatic upgrades are prevented unless the extension is installed.
Some users noticed that the profile that they were using in Thunderbird previously was not loaded after they made the upgrade to the new version. The profile contains all configured email services, all emails, installed extensions, and any other user data such as information about changed preferences.
Thunderbird 68.2.2
Thunderbird 68.2.2 fixes the upgrade issue that occurred when a 64-bit version of Thunderbird was upgraded from version 60 to 68.
Then upgrading a 64bit version of Thunderbird version 60 to version 68, the existing profile wasn't recognized and a new profile was created.
Note: If your profile is still not recognized, select it by visiting about:profiles in the Troubleshooting Information.
The new version has two unresolved issues according to the release notes:
- Add-ons are updated automatically when Thunderbird 60 is upgraded to 68; this may disable some extensions even if compatible updates are available. Thunderbird users may open the Add-ons Manager to reinstall these if they are compatible with Thunderbird 68.
- LDAP lookup is not working when SSL is enabled. Workaround: Disable SSL or switch off option "Query OSCP responder servers" in the certificate settings in advanced options.
Thunderbird 60.9.1
Thunderbird 60.9.1 is an automatic upgrade for the 60.x branch of the email client. The new version fixes an issue with Google authentication (OAuth2) which is used to authenticate Google accounts to integrate them into the email client.
The version has two unresolved issues of its own according to the release notes. Both are long-standing issues and not new:
- Twitter is not working currently due to changes that Twitter made to the API.
- Windows network shares addressed via drive letters are addressed via UNC now.
Closing Words
Both updates are not really must-have updates unless you are affected by one of the issues that they resolve. If you noticed issues with Gmail accounts in Thunderbird you may want to upgrade as the new version may resolve those.
Now You: Which version of Thunderbird do you use currently, if any? (via Born)
Hello everyone. This is my first post on this site, motivated by a horrendous 24 hours when I updated Tbird. I had no knowledge of there being 2 versions of Tbird being developed in parallel. Nor did I realise that my profile could be damaged and could even disappear as a result of an update. Let me be clear: This is slightly less helpful than a brick through a window.
What follows is a tedious account of how a Scotsman who, a long time ago, wrote software in basic, has been completely deskilled by Tbird.
Does this matter? If the Tbird community wants Tbird to gain wider acceptance, IT MATTERS. End users are not IT experts. They need software that runs, updates seamlessly, is intuitive to use and is supported by a coherent source of help. When I tried umpteen permutations of a description of my problem, I was taken on mystery tours of irrelevant information that became more and more confusing and often contradictory.
I have previously donated to the Tbird team and was intending to do so annually. Until my profile vanished, I was delighted with the program and figured the people developing it deserve an income. Now, I am not sure what to do. Another profile disappearing act would force me abandon Tbird.
After the 60.x update – I had NO PROFILE and a warning that an update had changed my profile and it was no longer compatible. I could choose to exit or create a new profile. I have 6 email addresses, with emails going back 6 years and 200+ contacts in the address books, saved into several books that group contacts by categories.
Creating a new profile was not on. If I had to start all over again, I decided to try Outlook.
My first thought was to try Win10 restore. It made Tbird unable to start with a message “Could not find the xxxx fileâ€. Sorry ! I did not note the file name.
I searched the internet for advice. I found contradictory articles because some had been superseded and not deleted. I went through h**l. Tbird’s support website was hopelessly confusing. Eventually, I understood the way Tbird uses profiles. I found several on my PC. But I could not open any of them to check the contents. If I chose the wrong one to paste over the default would I destroy my lat profile? I saved all the profiles to a USB3 chip.
I store offline Tbird installers on my second internal HD. I installed V 60.3.0. No sign of my profile. It seemed to open with the default profile. It contained my emails but all my address books were empty – ZILCH – ALL ADDRESSES GONE. I found how to open Tbird with different profiles, but the other profiles all appeared to be empty.
I rebuilt the default profile by going through my emails and clicking on addresses then ‘add to address book’. I discovered by trial and error they were added to the personal address book and then I could transfer them to the appropriate books corresponding to the category of the contact. I discovered these transfers disappeared from the personal address book when I made a transfer. This feature made the time-consuming process more manageable.
Where am I now? Almost back to normal in version 60.3.0. Except that spell check won’t work because none of the dictionaries available to download are compatible and I have totally lost faith in Tbird. I have received a notification to urgently update to 60.9.1. to improve stability and security. When I click on view more information, the link does not respond.
Should I update? Would that allow spell check to work? If I update will I AGAIN lose my profile?
I have searched for information and this blog gave me the most coherent information I have found anywhere – but it does not answer the above 2 questions.
If you have read this far – thank you. I am trying to be helpful by making the above comments.
My conclusions: The Tbird development team had lost the plot. Running 2 incompatible versions in parallel is crazy. Choose your best horse and put the old nag out to pasture. Sort out the support / help resources available to end users. All useful help should be on the official website. Only release some features to clients who pay a modest annual subscription. Free is great but honest reward for honest toil is better. To make Tbird ‘professional quality’ will need money.
Yours; Haggismuncher
@owl: There’s a difference between the Ghacks message that TB will only auto-update to 68 if you have the Lightning extension installed, and the official message that you quote which indicates that if you have the Lightning extension installed and you upgrade to TB 68, Lightning will also be updated (which makes total sense). I can’t find any official references to Lightning being a prerequisite for TB auto-updating.
@Jim,
I have been using Thunderbird for many years, but I have never installed the topic’s “Lightning”.
By the way, the calendar function is centrally managed using the desktop app “Schedule Watcherâ€.
Schedule Watcher | sako’s software
http://sakosoft.g2.xrea.com/sw57.htm
In fact my 60.9.0 has been updated to 60.9.1
And now it is “60.9.1†even now.
I posted on “Forums.mozillazine.jp” in Japan on Posted: November 14, 2019, but not at all reached objection.
ç¾åœ¨ã€Thunderbird ã§ã¯ã€Œ68.xã€ã¨ã€Œ60.xã€ã®ç•°ãªã‚‹ï¼’ã¤ã®ã€Œãƒ–ランãƒã€ãŒé–‹è¨ã•ã‚Œã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
At present, Thunderbird has two branches, “68.x†and “60.xâ€. | Forums.mozillazine.jp
https://forums.mozillazine.jp/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=17800
From these results,
We (Forums.mozillazine.jp) cannot prove the mistake of “Ghacks messageâ€.
In other words, the official message text (grammar) might be a strange. maybe a little human error.　The United States, where Mozilla is located, has a multinational culture and diverse languages …
“The team released Thunderbird 68 in August 2019 but did not include automatic update options from Thunderbird 60.x to the new version unless the calendar extension Lightning was installed.”
In other words v60 users will only get the v68 in-place upgrade option if they have the Lightning extension installed. This doesn’t sound right to me.
@Jim: v60 users will only get the v68 in-place upgrade option if they have the Lightning extension installed. This doesn’t sound right to me.
Thunderbird — Release Notes (60.9.1) | Mozilla
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/60.9.1/releasenotes/?uri=/thunderbird/releasenotes/&locale=ja&version=60.9.1&channel=release&os=WINNT&buildid=20191031083309
Version 60.9.1, first offered to channel users on November 5, 2019
There is clearly stated:
If you have installed Lightning, Thunderbird’s Calendar add-on, it will automatically be updated to match the new version of Thunderbird.
By the way, “channel users” is a version that users who need it get from a dedicated download site.
However, existing 60.x users without addon “Lightning†installed, It will be automatically applied to “60.9.1” (in fact my 60.9.0 has been updated to 60.9.1) .
Though, the future is unknown as there is no official announcement at this time.
the new version of Thunderbird = Thunderbird 68.x
Now You: Which version of Thunderbird do you use currently, if any?
I am using each of the 64-bit specification together.
However, the new version is for testing purposes only and the actual use is obsessed with the “classic versionâ€.
However, the new version is for test, its practical use has been obsessed with “classic version”.
This is because Theme “TT DeepDark†and add-ons “Manually sort folders 1.2.1†etc are my favorites.
The new version certainly has improved performance, but it has limited customization, and some extensions have poor performance, spoiling the appeal of the new version.
Unless these drawbacks are resolved, the classic version of the branch “should be continued”.
You can get releases here –
https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/releases/
Just manually download and install the one you want.
Thanks to this article, I learned that they’re still updating the 60.x branch of Thunderbird, and I successfully downgraded from 68.2.2 to 60.9.1. Using the Mac’s unix command-line, I was able to re-link Tbird 60.9.1 to the same profile I was using before. (I hadn’t even known that Thunderbird has a Profile Manager, similar to the Firefox Profile Manager.)
My reason for the downgrade was to resurrect some of the extensions that 68.x broke. However, this was only partially successful. “Edit email subject” and “Dorando keyconfig” now work again… but this update strangely _broke_ a couple of extensions too. My extensions that are no longer working are: “Send Later”, “Send Later Button”, “Menu Filter”, and “Manually sort folders”. I really miss these!
One thing I’m very confused about: how do I get future security updates to the 60.x branch, but _not_ let Thunderbird update to the 68.x or later branch? What I have checked now, in the Preferences, is the middle option: “Check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them”. This seems very general — likely to just offer me a 68.x update like last time. Does anybody know how to achieve more specific control over updates? Thanks.
Hello Jonas,
All the extensions you mentioned are marked for later versions than 60.x. Try manually downloading older versions.
As per news from Thuderbird team the 60.x branch shouldn’t automatically update to 68.x.
That’s not entirely correct. For earlier 68 subversions this was true, but 68.2.2 release notes makes it clear: “Thunderbird version 68.2.2 provides an automatic update from Thunderbird version 60”.
(replying to DuMuT6p’s assertion that the 60.x branch shouldn’t automatically update to 68.x)
Yes, thanks. Since I posted that, I’ve discovered that, in general, the extension versions that work in 68.x are different than the versions that work in 60.x. I also discovered that I have to manually delete the deactivated (wrong) versions and restart Tbird, before installing the right versions; then they’ll run. (Somehow I thought I could have two different versions of the same extension installed simultaneously, as long as one of them was deactivated, but that turned out to be wrong.)
Now I’m having a different, totally weird issue. On all the Add-Ons pages, both the kind that lists multiple extensions, and the kind that gives detailed information about one extension… there’s no longer an install button (“+ Add to Thunderbird”) or anything like that. There’s only a “Download” button! Not only that, but it downloads both the .xpi file and a decompressed version of it (which shows up as a folder) to my archives folder! I discovered that I can throw out the downloaded folder, and install the extension by dragging the .xpi file into T-bird’s Add-Ons Manager window… at which point it asks if I want to install it.
I have no idea why the interface changed so strangely. My guess is that something got corrupted when I upgraded to 68.2.2, used that for a while, and then downgraded back to 60.9.1 … both using the same profile (accessed via the Mac’s command-line to T-bird’s Profile Manager). Or maybe the devel team just didn’t test the Mac version of 60.9.1 thoroughly. (There probably aren’t that many Mac users of T-bird.) Anyway it’s kind of weird now, but at least it’s all working.
the lost profile was a curious case. a rare thing to happen. i will not forget this for a while. thanks to this blog i was able to get it back
Version 68 is causing issues downloading IMAP email from Frontier’s Yahoo mail server when TB starts up.
Works when clicking the Get Messages button.
Open a bug report on Bugzilla.
I just wish they’d follow Evolution and support Exchange Server…
I regret upgrading to TB 68 from 60.x as it killed several useful extensions in the process.
Just download 60 and reinstall.
Keep a copy of the offline installer for the future.
https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/thunderbird/releases/
I want to use Thunderbird as my default mail app, but one thing stops me, sadly. I wish they’d introduce the option to keep Thunderbird running in the background, minimized to tray with integrated notifications on Windows without having to rely on extensions that often stop working after a while.
I’m secretly hoping that someone will reply to my comment telling me “Noob! They already added this option”.
@Sam, seems shintoplasm got it wrong. Tray support is in beta, and will ship more broadly in version 78.
Try
https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/minimizetotray-reanimated/
for TB60 or if you are on Windows try
https://github.com/benbuck/rbtray
which should work for most programs in general.
Noob! It’s Mozilla; they never will!
/Sorry :P
@ShintoPlasm:
Well, Thunderbird isn’t a Mozilla thing anymore, but it doesn’t look like they’re in a hurry to implement this nonetheless.
You gave me hope for a split second lol.
Stil waiting on portable.
You mean this? https://portableapps.com/apps/internet/thunderbird_portable
No I mean for 68. Looks like they are testing 70 something now wtf?!? TBPortable may be dead.