Hands-On Report--Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.8 Email Client is Out

Thunderbird 1.5.0.8 is available for download via MacUpdate.com. It may be downloaded by the "Check for Updates" Help menu item within the application but if you have an Intel-based Mac and an early version of Thunderbird (1.5-1.5.0.2), it is better to use MacUpdate.com to ensure you get the Universal version and not the PowerPC version.

According to Mozilla, the changes from 1.5.0.7 to 1.7.0.8 are:

• Improvements to product stability.
  
  • Crashes: (1)
    • Fixed: 323531 - crash when deleting all attachments after detaching all of them from one mail
  • Address book: (1)
    • Fixed: 230580 - ldap_2 "user_directory"/"_nonascii_" preferences proliferating unnecessarily
  • Functionality: (1)
    • Fixed: 351685 - Total email count is set to 0 after compacting an Inbox
      
  • Networking: (1)
    • Fixed: 249240 - Password dialog for POP/IMAP server does not reprompt when password is changed externally.
      
  • UI improvements: (1)
    • Fixed: 332883 - Thunderbird freezes while searching in a folder with lots of messages ( search bar )
      
  • Miscellaneous fixes: (1)
    • Fixed: 352801 - 1.5.0.7 keeps asking for password
• Several security fixes.
  • MFSA 2006-67 Running Script can be recompiled
    
  • MFSA 2006-66 RSA signature forgery (variant)
    
  • MFSA 2006-65 Crashes with evidence of memory corruption (rv:1.8.0.8)

Thunderbird is the Mozilla Foundation's open source, stand-alone email client. We use it as a backup to Apple Mail and as the primary email client on non-Mac computers when we have to use them.

We downloaded Thunderbird 1.5.0.8 and instlled it without any issues. No problems were encountered in using it as our email client for a few hours. [Bill Fox & Dana Baggett]