It’s certainly a valid one, so let’s spend some time answering it!
As Thunderbird’s Product Design manager, I have some good insights into what’s happening and where things are going. Consider this article (and the companion video below) the first painting in a more complete mural showing where Thunderbird is headed, and why some of the things we’re doing might seem counterintuitive.
Some of the talking points below might be divisive. They might touch a nerve. But we believe in being transparent and open about both our past and our future.
3 Objectives For The Next 3 Years
Before we really dig in, let’s start with the future. We believe it’s a bright one!
With this year’s release of Thunderbird 115 “Supernova,” we’re doing much more than just another yearly release. It’s a modernized overhaul of the software, both visually and technically. Thunderbird is undergoing a massive rework from the ground up to get rid of all the technical and interface debt accumulated over the past 10 years.
This is not an easy task, but it’s necessary to guarantee the sustainability of the project for the next 20 years.
Simply “adding stuff on top” of a crumbling architecture is not sustainable, and we can’t keep ignoring it.
Throughout the next 3 years, the Thunderbird project is aiming at these primary objectives:
- Make the code base cleaner and more reliable, rewrite ancient code, and remove technical debt.
- Rebuild the interface from scratch to create a consistent design system, as well as develop and maintain an adaptable and extremely customizable user interface.
- Switch to a monthly release schedule.
Inside those objectives, there are hundreds of very large steps that need to happen, and achieving everything will require a lot of time and resources.