14 DAY TRIAL // Mozilla Thunderbird continues to be one of the most popular email clients for the desktop, despite several years of struggle, but the parent company is now announcing a new approach that would streamline the development of new features and updates.
Thunderbird will be moved under a new subsidiary called MZLA Technologies Corporation, which is still part of Mozilla Foundation but is supposed to allow for new partnerships and donations that would further boost revenues and support the future of the app.
“Moving to MZLA Technologies Corporation will not only allow the Thunderbird project more flexibility and agility, but will also allow us to explore offering our users products and services that were not possible under the Mozilla Foundation. The move will allow the project to collect revenue through partnerships and non-charitable donations, which in turn can be used to cover the costs of new products and services,” Mozilla says.
Long-term commitment
Mozilla promises the focus of the app won’t change under the new subsidiary and the teams working on Thunderbird will remain the same in the future.
“Thunderbird’s focus isn’t going to change. We remain committed to creating amazing, open source technology focused on open standards, user privacy, and productive communication. The Thunderbird Council continues to steward the project, and the team guiding Thunderbird’s development remains the same,” the company notes.
On the other hand, moving Thunderbird to a new subsidiary also allows Mozilla to “hire more easily, act more swiftly, and pursue ideas that were previously not possible.” At first glance, this is an indication that Mozilla is very committed to the future of Thunderbird, but the company says that additional info would be shared at a later time.
Mozilla wanted to abandon the development of Thunderbird back in 2015, but the company later had a change of mind and moved the client to the Mozilla Foundation for extended support.