Re: [libreoffice-users] Thunderbird potential as the official/default email-client for LO? Re: [board-discuss] BoD decision from 2015-10-05

On 26/02/2016 23:30, Tim Lloyd wrote:

>  * 2 sets of developers - that should be fun :)

It would be no more complicated that the Apache Software Foundation, or,
for that matter, The Mozilla Foundation.

>  * Does TDF actually want to do this?

Pretty much since OOo dropped (^1) the built-in email client, there has
been a small group of people advocating for OOo, and then LibO & AOo to
either include an email client, or provide better integration with
existing email clients.

>  * Is there any value in TDF writing its own mail client?

From my POV, for TDF to write a new email client would be a waste of
effort. OTOH, adopting an orphaned email client might be appropriate.

A couple of issues with TDF adoption of Thunderbird are:

* What will TDF policy on breaking extensions be?
I have no idea if it was TB, or the extensions that were upgraded on
Monday, but the three extensions I rely on the most are now completely
broken.
Firefox has a habit of breaking extensions at every upgrade. (I'm
ignoring the issue that most of the useful Firefox extensions will be
abandoned by the developer, because the road map eliminates the API that
utilized to provide the functionality that they offer).

For a corporate environment, breaking extensions when the software
updates is an absolute no-no. Especially when the extensions are
mission-critical.
For the consumer environment, breaking extensions is highly undesirable,
and extremely annoying behaviour;

* How compatible is the existing Thunderbird/Mozilla Foundation culture,
with the existing LibO/TDF culture?

One of the initial, and to an extent, ongoing issues with Apache
OpenOffice, is that the Apache Foundation culture was not compatible
with the OOo culture. It isn't just that the focus of other Apache
software is for the enterprise/big data market, and not the consumer
market.

* What does "better integration between LibO & TB" mean?
I'm pretty sure that what I understand by that phrase is not what the
people who use it understand it to mean.

* What is the most appropriate long term goal for Thunderbird:
-» To be a quasi-Outlook clone (^2);
-» To be a quasi-Pidgeon clone *^3);
-» To be both a quasi-Outlook clone and a quasi-Pidgeon clone;
-» To remain a basic news-reader/email client;

Can TDF provide the required support for attaining that goal?

* What is the road map for Thunderbird?
Does it stay a newsreader/email only client, or does include Chat, IRC,
IM, VOIP, VP, etc, to become an all-purpose communication agent?

I've seen proposed roadmaps for both propositions:
-» Email/news reader only;
-» All purpose communication agent;

^1: In as much as it was more than 15 years ago, that the email client
was allegedly removed from OOo, I am assuming that no remnants of it
remain.

^2: I don't use Outlook, so I have no idea what features Outlook
currently offers --- other than reliable retrieving email under all
conditions --- that Thunderbird does not currently support;

^3: I'm looking at the IM, VP, VOIP, Fax, etc extensions for TB that are
currently available. I have no idea if any of them either currently, or
formerly functioned as advertised.

jonathon

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