Mozilla released recently releasing the new version of your email client Thunderbird 102, version which as news, the Thunderbird team announces a new address book, in addition to that it is also compatible with vCard specifications, among other things.
For those who do not know about Thunderbird should know that this is a free email client from Mozilla Foundation, which is easy to configure and customizable, and has many features. This client also access XML files, Feeds (Atom and RSS), it blocks images, it has a built-in antispam filter and a mechanism that prevents scams through messages.
Best of all, with themes you can modify the appearance of the Thunderbird interface. Themes can change the icons on the toolbar or modify all the elements of the program's interface.
On the release of the new version, Mozilla comments the following:
Thunderbird 102 is here! On behalf of the entire Thunderbird team, I'm pleased to announce the availability of our annual major release. Thunderbird 102 is packed with much-requested features, and we think you'll love them.
It features updated icons, colored folders, and quality of life updates like the redesigned message header. Introduces a completely new address book to bring you closer than ever to the people you communicate with. Plus, helpful new tools to help you manage your data, navigate the app faster, and increase your productivity. We'll even bring Matrix to the party!
Main news in Thunderbird 102
With the release of this new version of Thunderbird 102 the biggest change this time is the address book updated, now it has a cleaner layout and more field options. It's still interoperable with the vCard format, so importing and exporting contacts from other apps is easy. As before, it will also show contacts from any synced accounts, such as Gmail.
For Mozilla, this new address book represents the first of many steps in a modernized new direction for Thunderbird's UX/UI. Address book redesigneda offers a clear visual design and several new fields of information to help the user better understand who they are communicating with, the foundation says.
Along with the new address book, we also have the Spaces toolbar which now provides quick and easy access to the most important apps within the app. According to the project maintainers, with just one click you can navigate between Mail, Address Book, Calendar, Tasks, Chat and installed plugins.
In addition to this, it is also mentioned that if the user feels like tweaking Thunderbird to your personal preferences, there is also a button for settings, in addition to which users with the pure keyboard you can use Alt-1 to Alt-5 to launch them directly without moving your mouse or finger near the bar. In fact, you can hide the Spaces toolbar and still use the shortcuts to launch the tools.
Alt-F1 – Mail
Alt-F2 — Address Book
Alt-F3 — Calendar
Alt-F4 — Tasks
Alt-F5—Chat
It is also noted that Thunderbird 102, now it would be very easy to import and export accounts and data to the mail client. Previously this required installing and using plugins, but is now built in by default.
Finally, we also have in this latest version of Thunderbird support for the Matrix decentralized chat protocol. Matrix provides secure messaging, VOIP and data transfer features and is rapidly expanding its feature set. Even if some are happy that chat has been added to the mail client, one wonders how many people or organizations use Matrix on a daily basis.
Last but not least, also improvements in OpenPGP are highlighted, of which highlights include the option to permanently decrypt OpenPGP messages, public key caching, an option to update key properties from a key server, and that Key Assistant is enabled by default.
If you are interested in being able learn more about it, you can check the details in the following link.