Email client
Nate Drake takes a sneak peek at the upcoming Thunderbird and finds it still comfortably ruling the roost.
The Mozilla Foundation has been teasing the issue of a new version for months and has now released a beta of the much anticipated Thunderbird 115,code-named Supernova.
If you want to test-pilot it, make sure you acknowledge all the usual warnings about beta programs before proceeding to the website.
On first run, we used the wizard to create a new email address with privacy-conscious email provider Mailfence. We then signed up for several tech-themed newsletters. The emails from these arrived in our webmail almost immediately but we had to restart Thunderbird to see them in our inbox.
The new and improved user interface is much sleeker. The jumbo Get Messages button has been superseded by a mini cloud icon. You can also now click + New Message instead of Write to compose an email.
Folderol and functions
Supernova also sports a new folder preview pane. You can read a blow-by-blow description of how this is light years ahead of the traditional UI on the Mozilla blog (https://blog.thunderbird.net/2023/02/thunderbird 115-supernova-preview-the-new-folder-pane/). In a nutshell, though, it provides more room between icons to prevent “cognitive overload”. This is achieved through the default density setting (Relaxed), though Mozilla assures us that you can change this back to the classic Unified look if you prefer. The folder context menu also now includes Move To and Copy To options.
While we’re talking overhauls, Mozilla is also keen to point out the perks of the new folder pane header, which previously contained the Get Messages and Write buttons. You can use the integrated ‘meatball’ menu to show additional information such as the total number of emails or size of folders.
The meatball menu also contains a Folder Modes section. You can use this to switch to the traditional Unified view. Most importantly, users also now have the option to show tags in the folder pane.
The compact look has also translated to the Filter section. You can still disp
