Thunderbird/FundingAppeal2014/Script: Difference between revisions

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** Mozilla values
** Mozilla values


Thunderbird is part of Mozilla, a non-profit organization that also makes Firefox. Mozilla is dedicated to ensuring a free internet by providing products that support open protocols that protect privacy, security, and user choice. Thunderbird, as the dominant open-source email program, is an important part of that. Most other email clients are commercial, so that either you pay for the product, or someone else is paying for access to you.  
Thunderbird is proud to be part of Mozilla, a non-profit organization that also makes Firefox. Mozilla is dedicated to ensuring a free internet by providing products that support open protocols that protect privacy, security, and user choice. Thunderbird, as the dominant open-source email program, is an important part of that.


* Threat to open communications
* Threat to open communications
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** Firefox now provides only minimal subsidy to Thunderbird
** Firefox now provides only minimal subsidy to Thunderbird


Freedom is not free, somebody has to pay the bills. Several years ago, Thunderbird had a significant paid staff, subsidized by Firefox. But Firefox needs to focus on its own issues, so now we volunteers are responsible for supporting and improving Thunderbird. Thunderbird is really important to millions of people, but it is hard for a small group of volunteers to provide the quality, features, and reliability that our users expect. We believe that a small team of dedicated staff is needed to respond to urgent issues, and move Thunderbird forward.
Freedom is not free, somebody has to pay the bills. Several years ago, Thunderbird had a significant paid staff, subsidized by Firefox. But Firefox needs to focus on its own issues, so now we volunteers are responsible for supporting and improving Thunderbird. Thunderbird is really important to millions of people, but it is hard for a small group of volunteers to provide the quality, features, and reliability that our users expect. We believe we need a small team of dedicated staff to respond to urgent issues, and move Thunderbird forward.


* Where Thunderbird came from
* Where Thunderbird came from
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We've already received a lot of input from users on where Thunderbird could be better. We would really like to move those things forward. There are too many old bugs that need fixing. Our Address Book needs to reliably sync with modern Cloud-based contact systems.  
We've already received a lot of input from users on where Thunderbird could be better. We would really like to move those things forward. There are too many old bugs that need fixing. Our Address Book needs to reliably sync with modern Cloud-based contact systems.  
* Why Thunderbird requires continual effort just to stay secure and reliable
** Can we give a count of security fixes last year, maybe including a list of issues that users may have heard of?
Much of the code for Thunderbird is the same code that Firefox uses. That means that security efforts to keep Firefox safe, also keep Thunderbird safe. But it also means that the hundreds of developers that are improving Firefox sometimes cause issues in Thunderbird that our small team of developers needs to fix. Add to that changes in email providers, and changes to operating systems. Just keeping Thunderbird current and secure takes a lot of effort.


* Importance of getting user input
* Importance of getting user input
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It's very easy for developers to focus on things that are of interest to them, and sometimes that means that the user voice is lost. We are determined to change that and try to understand our users, and respond to their input, so that any funds contributed by users go toward addressing issues that are important to them. Here are two immediate ways that we will be doing this. First, Thunderbird users who respond to this appeal will be asked to give us input on what issues are most important to them. Second, we've created an Executive Council to oversee Thunderbird direction, and included several people on that council whose primary interaction has been with users, either in support or bug reports. We're open to other ways to hear from our users, so if you have any ideas or comments please contact us.
It's very easy for developers to focus on things that are of interest to them, and sometimes that means that the user voice is lost. We are determined to change that and try to understand our users, and respond to their input, so that any funds contributed by users go toward addressing issues that are important to them. Here are two immediate ways that we will be doing this. First, Thunderbird users who respond to this appeal will be asked to give us input on what issues are most important to them. Second, we've created an Executive Council to oversee Thunderbird direction, and included several people on that council whose primary interaction has been with users, either in support or bug reports. We're open to other ways to hear from our users, so if you have any ideas or comments please contact us.
* Why Thunderbird requires continual effort just to stay secure and reliable
** Can we give a count of security fixes last year, maybe including a list of issues that users may have heard of?
Much of the code for Thunderbird is the same code that Firefox uses. That means that security efforts to keep Firefox safe, also keep Thunderbird safe. But it also means that the hundreds of developers that are improving Firefox sometimes cause issues in Thunderbird that our small team of developers needs to fix. Add to that changes in email providers, and changes to operating systems. Just keeping Thunderbird current and secure takes a lot of effort.




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I'm Kent James, also known as rkent, from Redmond, Washington, and I want to see a better Thunderbird. I work mostly in C++ backend issues in Thunderbird, fixing bugs and crashes, and reviewing code. I also do the ExQuilla addon that adds Microsoft Exchange server support to Thunderbird. I'm trying to do my part to make Thunderbird better, will you do yours?
I'm Kent James, also known as rkent, from Redmond, Washington, and I want to see a better Thunderbird. I work mostly in C++ backend issues in Thunderbird, fixing bugs and crashes, and reviewing code. I also do the ExQuilla addon that adds Microsoft Exchange server support to Thunderbird. I'm trying to do my part to make Thunderbird better, will you do yours?
* Call to action
Most other email clients are commercial, so that either you pay for the product, or someone else is paying for access to you. We don't charge for our product, or sell your privacy to others, but we will have bills to pay, and need a few staff to move forward. Can you help us by making a small contribution to keep Thunderbird free, relevant, and vibrant?
Rkent
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