Thunderbird Email Engine to Be the Default in Ubuntu 11.10
In his recent comments to Network World, Mark Shuttleworth provided a number of clues as to what will be in the next major version of Ubuntu: version 11.10. While many people are still getting used to Ubuntu 11.04, Natty Narwhal, it's worth paying attention to the significant changes that are coming in 11.10. In the interview, Shuttleworth made clear that in future versions of Ubuntu, Google Chrome could even replace Firefox as the browser running by default. If you thought that betrayed any Google favoritism on Shuttleworth's part, or anti-Mozilla leanings. think again. Mozilla's Thunderbird 5 is the default mail client in Ubuntu 11.10.
"Canonical will unleash for testing the second Alpha version of the Ubuntu 11.10 operating system, and you guys will have the pleasure of testing the new Mozilla Thunderbird 5.0 mail client…Mozilla Thunderbird 5.0 brings nice features, such as migration assistant, mail account setup wizard, one-click Address Book, activity manager, quick filter toolbar, tabs, message archive, Add-ons manager (just like the one in Firefox 5), smart folders, robust privacy, and phishing protection."
If you spend most of your time in Ubuntu, and do your email on the platform, working with Thunderbird 5.0 will probably be good news. While previous versions had glitches and some performance problems, Thunderbird 5.0 is streamlined, fast and easy to use.
It won't be a surprise to see Shuttleworth's comments about the Chrome browser come true as well. Many Ubuntu users already browse via the Chromium open source core, and Google is delivering on its promise to make a better browser. All in all, it sounds like Ubuntu 11.10 is going to have a better set of default applications than ever.
For more on Thunderbird, see our coverage here.