Thunderbird email program
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Thread: Thunderbird email program

  1. #1
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    Thunderbird email program

    Does anyone here use it? I received a notice from Gmail earlier this week that I will soon need an email client that supports OAUTH2.0 to continue using gmail with my current email program The Bat. Annoyingly I'd have to pay to upgrade to a newer version that supports it. I'd rather save some cash.

    I've downloaded and installed Thunderbird to test out and after quite a bit of tinkering I finally have it working properly with my gmail and AOL email acct's. Took some time because for whatever reason my gmail POP settings aren't the standard ones that Thunderbird thinks I should be using so it took a while and some experimentation to get it to accept the same settings I use in The Bat (wouldn't work otherwise).

    Anyway the question.. Is Thunderbird reliable? Are there any plugins I should add for ease of use and productivity? I'd really like to get a different new email alert function.. one similar to the Bat which has a big red banner appear across my screen when new emails arrive... I can see that from the next room at a glance. I've had a look at available add-ons but can't see one that does anything similar.

    I'd also love to transfer all my saved emails (hundreds of them) to Thunderbird but The Bat uses its own proprietary file system so that doesn't look at all easy or even possible. I see a couple of pay-for programs that claim to do it but I don't trust them and again I'd rather avoid spending money on this project.

    I tried forwarding some to my own email address but they arrive as individual .eml files so they can't be used/seen as a standard email entry in my Thunderbird folders.

    TIA

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  2. #2
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    I've been using Thunderbird for years and still doing so.
    As far as I know the only new mail notification is an icon in a systray, but there is also a sound alert.

  3. #3
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    The issue I have had with Thunderbird is that if I leave my email on the server, so I can access if from other computers, I get duplicate copies of those emails into Thunderbird each time I check mail with Thunderbird. This should not happen, Thunderbird should only download the new emails after checking to see whether it already has copies of existing email messages.

    I am going to check into whether I can download my email with Thunderbird, and then export it in a format that I can import into my preferred email program, Calypso, or another email program.

  4. #4
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    I get duplicate copies of those emails into Thunderbird each time I check mail with Thunderbird.
    I recall you mentioning that before. I'm not having that problem. Once downloaded by TBird I don't get them a second time and I have them set up to remain on the server for a few days on gmail and aol.

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  5. #5
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  6. #6
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  7. #7
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    Thanks.. will have a look at those. I already saw the mailbox alert add-on but I'll need to examine it more closely to figure out how to make it do an easily dismiss-able alert banner or similar. I don't want sounds. I already have more than enough beeps, boops and buzzes going off around my place all the time LOL.

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  8. #8
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    Ok... I believe I've got that alert thing working. Made a red banner alert gif similar to the one that The Bat uses and it disappears when I click it.. that's what I like.

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  9. #9
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    Just discovered that I can drag/drop emails (as .eml files) in bulk from a folder in The Bat to a folder on my desktop and then drag/drop them directly into a folder in Thunderbird and they appear fully functional within TB. EasyPeasy.

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  10. #10
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    Does that work with emails that have attachments?

  11. #11
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    Yes it does. Just checked.

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  12. #12
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    I'm really liking Thunderbird so far. I've got it set up to look and act very much like The Bat and that's what I've wanted to do from the beginning. Only thing missing is auto backup of accounts/settings/etc but I still have my weekly TrueImage backups and if I need to I can back up Tbird's folder's manually.

    Fingers crossed it will continue to work with new gmail security requirements after end of May.

    https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6010255

    One thing that's still unclear to me is whether I'll need to activate two step activation on each account after that date to continue using Thunderbird. Thoughts? I'm also not entirely sure what that would mean.. Does Thunderbird, for eg, stay logged in even if I close then open the program and/or reboot my computer? Or will I need to get a SMS code sent to my phone every time I run the program or check emails from each acc't?

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  13. #13
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    I use this to backup Firefox and Thunderbird: https://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

  14. #14
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    Excellent. Thanks Broni.

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  15. #15
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