Help Keep Thunderbird Alive

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Funding, Structure, and “Who Gets the Money?”

  • Thunderbird is developed by MZLA Technologies, a for‑profit wholly owned by the Mozilla Foundation, separate from Mozilla Corporation (Firefox).
  • MZLA leadership says Thunderbird gets no search/Google money; it is funded by user donations and soon a paid “Thundermail” email service.
  • Some posters are confused or skeptical about a for‑profit soliciting donations; others explain US tax law makes funding FOSS via 501(c)(3) difficult.
  • Several people request clearer on-page disclosure: current income, spending breakdown, and guarantees donations are ring‑fenced to Thunderbird.

Reactions to the Donation Campaign and UX

  • Many find the full-screen donation prompt inside the app intrusive; one claim of “back button hijack” on the web page is disputed by others.
  • Some call this a dark pattern inconsistent with Mozilla’s self‑image; others say a once‑or‑twice‑yearly dismissible banner is reasonable for a free app.
  • Stripe usage, mandatory email, small-donation fees, and minimum amounts also draw criticism.

Quality of Thunderbird: Praise vs. Frustration

  • Long‑time users report Thunderbird as stable, cross‑platform, and “just works” for IMAP/POP, Gmail, and RSS; many donate for that reason.
  • Others say development is slow and misdirected: UI overhaul since ~2023 considered bloated, “web‑alike,” and less customizable; extension APIs repeatedly broken; some long‑standing bugs (search, filters, calendar, contacts, junk mail, profile portability) cited as unresolved.
  • A few describe severe calendar/contacts performance issues and folder/UX regressions; they hold back upgrades or are planning to leave.
  • Disagreement over whether Thunderbird is “feature complete”; some want better search, sieve, text editor, JMAP, per‑folder settings, and saner keyboard shortcuts.

Alternatives and Competition

  • Suggested alternatives: Evolution, KMail, Geary, Claws Mail, Seamonkey, Betterbird, The Bat!, AERC, em Client, Apple Mail, Gmail/Fastmail web UIs, Proton Mail.
  • Many note no other client matches Thunderbird’s cross‑platform, all‑in‑one feature set; several use Thunderbird solely because of Exchange/OAuth support or lack of better options.

Mozilla, Governance, and Future Plans

  • Strong criticism of Mozilla Foundation: high executive pay, perceived “side quests” (activism, AI, DEI, branding) vs. core engineering, and historical neglect of Thunderbird.
  • MZLA’s CEO outlines roadmap: Exchange/Graph support, later JMAP; improved calendar UX; Android (via K‑9) and native iOS clients; Thundermail hosted in Germany on Stalwart, with encryption and custom domains.
  • Some are excited about Thundermail as a Gmail/Outlook alternative; others worry about US jurisdiction or say they’d only switch from Gmail, not from privacy‑focused providers like Proton/Fastmail.