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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 08-07-12 16:22 , Ben Bucksch wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:4FF9EBE8.6030803@beonex.com" type="cite">I
can't understand this decision.
<br>
<br>
1. Mail/news has always been part of Mozilla, since Netscape 2
<br>
</blockquote>
So, following that logic, you think Mozilla should put all the
Firefox resources behind SeaMonkey? ;)<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4FF9EBE8.6030803@beonex.com" type="cite">2.
Email is the most important internet usage and protocol, after the
web. More importantly, Email is a standard while Facebook and G+
are a proprietary silos.
<br>
3. A desktop email client is completely fitting the Mozilla
manifesto.
<br>
</blockquote>
Possibly, but it's not a good fit for the <a
href="http://www.mozilla.org/about/mission.html">mission</a>. ("
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;
charset=ISO-8859-1">
… to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the web.")
<blockquote cite="mid:4FF9EBE8.6030803@beonex.com" type="cite">4. 20
million people (more than Sweden and Finland combined) are
depending on Thunderbird for their email. Many of them spend many
hours every day with it, it's the second most important
application after the browser. These people are critically
depending on Thunderbird for their work.
<br>
</blockquote>
And Mozilla isn't going to stop supporting it. I'ld bet that none
of those people are depending on any unimplemented innovations
(almost by definition ;).<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4FF9EBE8.6030803@beonex.com" type="cite">5. We
need a desktop client to innovate in email. We (e.g. me, by
posting patches) cannot innovate on webmail, because we don't run
the servers - even if we would make webmail software, still the
operator would have the last word. It's a clear step back.
<br>
</blockquote>
Sure, but why does Mozilla need to be the ones to innovate in email?<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4FF9EBE8.6030803@beonex.com" type="cite">If we
didn't have Thunderbird, we'd need to invent it, or something like
it. It makes no sense to axe it, without direct replacement.
<br>
<br>
We *need* a competitive desktop email client.
<br>
</blockquote>
I agree, but I don't think that means that Mozilla needs to be the
one who provides it.<br>
<br>
(Also, Mozilla isn't axing it, they're not just pushing innovations
down the community's throat. If people want to innovate, I'll be
more than happy to help them get their ideas in, as will the rest of
the Thunderbird team!)<br>
<br>
Later,<br>
Blake.<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Blake Winton Thunderbird User Experience Lead
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:bwinton@mozilla.com">bwinton@mozilla.com</a></pre>
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