Quantcast
 

Thunderbird 3 Beta 2

Version: 3.0 beta 2

Downloads Count: 3,115

License Type: Free

Price: Free

Date Added: Feb 28, 2009

Operating Systems: Windows 98, Macintosh, Linux, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008

Requirements: Pentium 233 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 52 MB hard drive space

File Size: 8061 KB

Author: Mozilla

Recommend
this download?

Most Popular in E-Mail

See more popular software»

 
Editorial Review of Thunderbird 3 Beta 2

Thunderbird 3 Beta 2, a preview release of the upcoming version 3 of the free mail program, will look entirely familiar to anyone using Mozilla's excellent Thunderbird 2. It showcases a few new features, such as archiving and a new activity manager, but most of the changes are under the hood.

The new Archive feature (inspired by Gmail) automatically moves a message to an archive folder when you hit "A" with a message open or select Message | Archive. The archives folder layout sorts messages by year, with subfolders for each month.

The other new addition, the Activity Manager, show all interactions between Thunderbird and your e-mail account server(s)--such as sending and receiving mail--in a new pop-up window. Thunderbird 2 doesn't do a good job at telling you what it's doing, and the Activity Manager should make things more clear.

These new additions are nice, but probably won't change much for your day-to-day emailing. And aside from some handy new buttons for functions such as Reply, Forward, and Archive, which show up in the header information bar next to the from: and to: info when you preview or open a message, you probably won't immediately notice most of the other changes. But there are a slew of bug fixes and tweaks in the new version, such as faster message loading for IMAP accounts. See the release notes for the full list of changes in this beta.

Current Thunderbird users may want wait for a more final version of the new bird before making the upgrade. Mozilla emphasizes that this beta isn't for everyday use, "but for developers and testers to give us early feedback." Despite the bug fixes, you'll almost certainly find new glitches and other issues. For example, Javascript is disabled for security reasons. And while you should be able to safely install the new version alongside version 2 on Windows and Macs (but not Linux), extensions from version 2 will likely not work.

Note: This download link will take you to the Thunderbird early releases download page, where you can choose a version for Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux in a variety of languages.

--Erik Larkin

People who downloaded this also downloaded:
Sponsored Links
 
You are browsing E-Mail

  •   4,771
    Jul 9, 2009
    Free

    This free application is a must-have for anyone who lives in Outlook.


     
  •   15,239
    Oct 10, 2008
    Free

    Check your inboxes on multiple Web-based mail sites.


     
  •   6,116
    Oct 10, 2008
    Free

    Keep track of all your POP and Web-based e-mail accounts with this tracking utility.


     
  •   2,374
    Mar 7, 2007
    Free

    Venerable e-mail client has unique features.

     
  •   794
    Feb 24, 2006
    Shareware

    Outlook Express Backup Expert is an award winning email backup tool. It backup and restore messages, accounts, rules, block sender, address book, stationery & preferences for Outlook Express. It has multilanguage support and schedule feature.


     
  •   250
    Jan 24, 2009
    Trial

    Fight spam and protect your privacy by creating disposable e-mail addresses.

     
  •   207
    Jan 13, 2006
    Shareware

    ZIP and/or UNZIP attachments in outcoming and icoming messages in MS Outlook

     
  •   651
    Oct 28, 2005
    Shareware

    The "Grand-daddy" of icon utilities!

     
  •   8,549
    Feb 18, 2003
    Shareware

    Banish diabolic Messenger Service ads with this invisible stalker.

     
  •   220
    Apr 27, 2007
    Free

    Quickly create and send personalized e-mails in Outlook with this add-in.

     

Featured APC Accessories For Your System
10% Off Entire Cart at Online Store

  • APC Back-UPS ES Safeguards your equipment from damaging surges and spikes that travel along your utility & data lines.
  • APC SurgeArrest Performance Highest level of protection for your professional computers, electronics and connected devices, as well as provides surge protection.
PC World Related Content

Add a Spell-Checker to Outlook Express

Tired of embarrassing spelling errors in your e-mail? Install a free spell-checker--or, better yet, upgrade to the checker-equipped Windows Live Mail.

MailBrowserBackup Restores Lost Chrome or Firefox Settings

Back up profiles of browsers, some e-mail software, and several Internet utilities.

Downloads FAQ

If you have questions about finding, downloading, or opening files in our library, you'll probably find the answers here.

Visit the Downloads FAQ »

Special Offer
special offer

SpeedUpMyPC 3

SpeedUpMyPC is the award winning utility software that ensures your PC is automatically optimized for maximum performance in just a few easy clicks."/>

More information

PC World Community

Most Recent Threads