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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 15-Feb-18 7:32 AM, Eyal Rozenberg
wrote:<br>
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<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:be45e73b-cd78-c1f6-f2fc-24e44f3db2e1@technion.ac.il">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">@RKentJames: With due respect - I think your "straw man" meta-argument
is invalid.
On 2/14/18 6:32 PM, R Kent James wrote:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">This thread has used terms like "chasing mobile", "focus on mobile",
other have said "prioritizing mobile". These are all straw man
arguments. There is no proposal to "focus on mobile". Instead ...
...
My
point on mobile is this: a robust Email solution (not just a client, but
a whole solution that a company might seriously consider adopting) needs
to have an answer to all of the environments that are reasonably
expected for access. That includes not only multiple protocols, but also
multiple platforms - including desktop, mobile, and web access.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">
Thunderbird is a mail client for desktop computers. It is not a "robust
email solution".
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But it should be. Thunderbird should be a viable alternative to
outlook, it should not be the poor cousin to postbox where features
are concerned, but it is. Thunderbird should also incorporate some
CRM functions or hooks that external CRM products can work with.
The days of a stand alone mail client that does not integrate into
anyone else's productivity suit are about done.<br>
<br>
From a support perspective Thunderbird is the go to mail app for
many small businesses but folk run into a wall at a certain point.
They want word style templates, mail merge and mapi to "just work"
they EXPECT phone/Tablet support and the non existence of a macro
process leaves the Micrisift trained power used flabbergasted. I
think however that we should also consider that Desktop sales are
shrinking. Our non business users are getting old. The young are
using phones and tablets. They are happy with the sub standard
performance that environment brings. Candy crush and snapchat do
not demand more. Who do you see the users of Thunderbird will be in
10 years? What is our target market to be. I see it as small to
medium business.<br>
<br>
I feel that a mobile platform may come about via the adoption of web
style technologies in Thunderbird's core, almost by accident. It
also might never eventuate. However keeping the idea in mind when
developing new features will have very little cost and may allow us
to tap into a growing consumer base instead of a shrinking one. I
would personally prefer a Thunderbird on my phone instead of a
Samsung or Google app that comes from folk I really do not trust.
But I do see our immediate focus staying on desktop environments. It
is the "bread and butter" of Thunderbird and has so much technical
debt that looking to other platforms until we get it under control
is just silly.<br>
<br>
Matt<br>
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