14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla has released the first beta of the upcoming Thunderbird 7. If you've been using the beta channel so far, you should have been updated via the automatic updates system, but you can also use the download links below.
Thunderbird 7 Beta comes with several new features and fixes and should be coming out of beta in about four weeks.
The latest update to the beta channel is based on the Gecko 7 engine, used in Firefox 7 as well.
"A new Thunderbird Beta is now available and includes several fixes to the user interface, improvements to attachment handling, a new feature to print a summary of selected email conversations, and several platform fixes," the official announcement read.
The new Thunderbird now in the beta channel is an evolutionary release, to be expected with the rapid release cycle pushing a new version every six weeks.
There are several user interface tweaks, fixing some of the existing issues. Attachment management has been improved. The only completely new feature is the ability to print a summary of several email messages.
Of course, all of the fixes and improvements in the Gecko layout engine benefit Thunderbird users as well.
Mozilla's aim at deprecating version numbers, as far as users are concerned, affects Thunderbird as well. There's no mention of the version number anywhere in the announcement, only in some of the links.
Mozilla is also showcasing the new Thunderbird channels, which mirror Firefox's, Earlybird and Beta. The Earlybird channel is the equivalent of the Aurora channel for Firefox and is aimed at early adopters in particular.
It's the most unstable and the occasional hiccup is to be expected. Add-ons are updated to be compatible with releases in the Earlybird channel later in the release cycle, so there may be a period when you're left without your favorite add-on.
The Beta channel, by comparison, is significantly safer. Most add-ons should be updated by the time a Thunderbird version enters beta and new features should be complete.
Mozilla Thunderbird for Windows is available for download here. Mozilla Thunderbird for Mac is available for download here. Mozilla Thunderbird for Linux is available for download here.