Mozilla is busy improving its email client software after relaunching the Thunderbird project in 2020 with the formation of a new MZLA subsidiary. Now, the organization has unveiled some of the most anticipated changes in the coming months.
Mozilla says last year was for Thunderbird"Wonderful"of the year. However, the best is yet to come. "Supernova"The (Supernova) upgrade (Thunderbird 115) was the most important milestone of the last year, which introduced a new ** library (again based on the Firefox project) to further modernize one of the most popular (open source) email clients.
Despite the controversy surrounding Supernova's redesigned interface, the MZLA developers are still working to add more flexibility, reliability, and customizable options to Thunderbird. As Mozilla says, this email client is designed to meet different needs and workflows. The new logo, designed by Jon Hicks, the designer of Firefox and Thunderbird's original logo, symbolizes the revitalization of the project.
One of the major modifications currently being made by Thunderbird developers is support for Microsoft Exchange, a popular mail server and calendar platform specifically designed to run on the Windows Server operating system. Mozilla acknowledges Thunderbird users"Expectation"This feature, and has done a few in this regard"Exploratory work"。
The Thunderbird library can now use the Rust programming language, which seems to be a prerequisite for improving the existing architecture and introducing Exchange support. Mozilla warns that native support for the Exchange protocol is one"Complex topic", but at least it is now officially included in the planned roadmap.
According to Bugzilla's related bug tracking thread, Mozilla plans"Fully supported"Microsoft Exchange, including user authentication, email, calendar, and contacts. Thunderbird's goal is to support Exchange through the Exchange Web Services (EWS) protocol, which is an alternative to the standard Microsoft MAPI protocol.
EWS is an obsolete feature that will be abandoned by Exchange Online on October 1, 2026. However, the developers believe that the protocol is still the best way to support both Exchange Online and on-premise custom Exchange Server installations. Microsoft has considered a new graphics API for cloud access, and:"Possibly"Reconsider in the future.
In addition to implementing Exchange support, the Thunderbird team will focus on strengthening communication with the community and rolling out previously released features such as Sync and Account Center. In addition, marketing efforts will be ramped up with new tutorials, guides, and other content focused on productivity.