Thunderbird 3 Release Candidate is a preview release of the next major
version of Thunderbird and it is being made for testing purposes only.This release does not represent the final product. So do not use Thunderbird 3 Release Candidate in a production
environment.
New in Thunderbird 3
Thunderbird 3 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1.5 platform
including some major re-architecting to provide improved performance,
stability, web compatibility, and code simplification and sustainability.
There are over 100 changes in this release, many laying the groundwork
for future changes. Some notable changes include:
New Search with Advanced Filtering Tools
- New Search with Advanced Filtering Tools
Search
results now include advanced filtering tools. You have the option to
filter your results by sender, tag, attachments, people, folder, and
mailing list. You can also filter your email using the timeline tool. - New Global Search Field with Autocomplete
When
typing in the Global Search field, Thunderbird autocompletes against
your address book. You have the option of searching everywhere or
filtering against different parts of the email such as by subject or by
sender.
User Experience Improvements
- New Mail Account Setup Wizard
The
new Mail Account Setup Wizard matches against a database of email
settings from popular mail providers so that you will only need to
provide your name, email, and password to set up new mail accounts. - Redesigned Mail Toolbar
The
Mail Toolbar is redesigned to include the new Global Search bar.
Buttons such as reply, forward, delete, junk are part of each email
message. You can add those buttons back to the main toolbar by
customizing the toolbar. - Tabbed Email
MessagesDouble-clicking
or hitting enter on a mail message will now open that message in a New
Tab window. Middle-clicking on messages or folders will open them in a
Tab in the background. When quitting Thunderbird, visible tabs will be
saved and will be restored when you open Thunderbird the next time.
There is also a new Tab menu on the Tab toolbar to help you switch
between Tabs. - Smart Folders
The
folder pane offers a Smart Folders mode which combines special
mailboxes, like Inbox, from multiple accounts. Smart Folders is now on
by default. - New Message Summary
ViewSelecting multiple messages will give you a summary view of the emails you have selected.
- Column Headings
The column headings that are displayed and the order in which they are displayed can now be set on a per-folder basis.
- Message Archive
You can now file messages from your Inbox or other folders into the new Archive folder system.
- Activity Manager
The Activity Manager records all the interactions between Thunderbird and your email provider in one place.
- New Add-ons Manager
The
new Add-ons Manager (Tools > Add-ons) can now be used to find,
download, and install Thunderbird Add-ons which includes Extensions,
Themes, and Plugins. Note that few Add-ons are compatible with this
beta at the time of release, as Add-on developers need to upgrade them. - Improved Address Book
If
someone is in your address book, it is indicated by a new star icon
which you can click to edit contact details inline. If they are not in
your address book, you can add them with one click of the icon. A new
birthday field allows you to keep track of your friends’ birthdays. You
can also add a photo for contacts in your address book. - Improved Gmail Integration
Better
recognition and integration of Gmail’s special folders such as Sent and
Trash including non-English versions of Gmail. Thunderbird also uses
All Mail as the Archives folder. - For Windows Vista users, Thunderbird 3 is now integrated with Vista search results. On first start, Thunderbird will prompt
to install its indexing system into Windows Vista and you can choose to see Thunderbird email and news
messages in Windows search results.
- For Mac users, Thunderbird 3 is now integrated with Spotlight, can import from Mail.app,
read your OS X address book, and use Growl for new mail alerts.
Performance Improvements
- IMAP Folder Synchronization
Thunderbird
will download IMAP messages by default in the background to allow for
faster message loading and better offline operation. This feature can
be enabled on an individual folder basis via Folder properties, or for
all folders in an account via Account Settings / ‘Synchronize &
Storage’.
New features in Thunderbird 3 that require feedback include:
- New Search Tools
- Tabbed Email
- Message Archiving
- New Mail Account Setup Wizard
- Improvements for Developers
To Download visit on home page http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/early_releases/downloads/