Thunderbird 3 Beta 1
Preview Release

Released: December 9, 2008

Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 is now available for download. This milestone is focused on testing the core functionality of the new features and platform changes that will be included in Thunderbird 3. Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 includes new database technology that will make it possible to build fast new ways of navigating mail. For more background and for previews of experimental add-ons, visit this blog post.

New features and changes in this milestone that require feedback include:

  • Tab interface for Mail
  • Improvements to IMAP for faster message viewing
  • Improved message reader view
  • New Add-ons Manager
  • Improved Address Book interface
  • Improved import of mail from other Mail clients
  • Integration with Windows Vista search
  • Integration with Mac OS X Address Book

Downloading

Please read the release notes before downloading for more information about this release including known issues.

Testers can download Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 builds for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux in 38 different languages. Ongoing planning for Thunderbird 3 can be followed at the Thunderbird 3 wiki and on irc.mozilla.org in #maildev.

Note: Please do not link directly to the download site. Instead we strongly encourage you to link to this Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 milestone announcement so that everyone will know what this milestone is, what they should expect, and who should be downloading to participate in testing at this stage of development.