Introduction
Thunderbird is a lightweight mail/news/RSS client, based on the Mozilla suite. It supports different mail accounts (POP, IMAP, Gmail), has an integrated learning Spam filter, and offers easy organization of mails with tagging and virtual folders. Also, more features can be added by installing extensions.
Key Features
- Tabbed E-mail - load emails in separate tabs so you can quickly jump between them.
- Quick Filter Toolbar - filter messages by New Messages, Tags, Contacts, Keywords, etc.
- Message Archiving - remove messages from your inbox without deleting them.
- Themes and Personas - change the look and feel of Thunderbird in an instant.
- Add-ons Manager - Ratings, recommendations, descriptions and pictures of the add-ons.
- Smart Folders - manage multiple email accounts by combining folders.
- Chat - add twitter, facebook and more directly to Thunderbird.
Screenshot
- Thunderbird 3.0.6
Installation
To install Thunderbird, simply install the following package: thunderbird.
For a better integration in the Gnome environment, you may also wish to install the following package: thunderbird-gnome-support.
Hints and Tips
Migrating to Thunderbird
MigrateEvolutionToThunderbird explains how to migrate from Evolution to Thunderbird.
Disable word wrapping in outgoing messages
Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> General -> Config Editor
- Set the preference called "mail.wrap_long_lines" to false
- Also set "mailnews.wraplength" to 0
Disable HTML messages
Edit -> Account Settings -> Composition & Addressing
- Uncheck "Compose messages in HTML format"
Google calendar integration
Thunderbird 2.0 can both view and edit Google calendars.
Exchange compatibility
Reply above the quote
Thunderbird defaults to starting your reply below the quote. You can change this behaviour here:
Edit -> Account Settings -> Composition & Addressing
- Change "start my reply below the quote" to "start my reply above the quote"
Start on Startup in minimized mode
Go to -> System -> Preferences -> Startup Applications - and Add name:thunderbird command:thunderbird - Click Add
Install FireTray Plugin.
Restart Thunderbird, Go to Tools -> Add-ons -> FireTray - Preferences and check Start program minimized.
See Also
ThunderbirdLightning - Calendar extension for Thunderbird.
Evolution - Integrated mail, addressbook and calendaring functionality for the GNOME desktop.
ClawsMail - An email and news reader client based on GTK+.
HowTo share Thunerbird across platforms, perhaps including Windows & Ubuntu see the last comment made by me, Tom, in
the rest of the thread is helpful if you have lost data/emails and want to try to do some data-recovery or hack the system. This next link, 1st comment, is where the advice about sharing the profile through the gui-way 'first' appeared
The problem i had with sharing Thunderbird across Windows & Ubuntu was that i had not set the Windows drive to automount in the fstab and was very wary about doing so. Part of the reason for dual-booting on that machine was that WHEN Windows goes wrong there is still a usable Operating System. However this problem with not really sharing too easily meant the machine's user is now FORCED to use ubuntu for almost everything as Windows is increasingly far behind in many areas as it requires expensive or pirated software that is increasingly difficult to find for existing systems the machine uses 
External Links
Mozilla Messaging - Official Mozilla Messaging homepage.
replace-evolution-thunderbird-completely-ubuntu - tips for replacingdesktop integration of evolution with thunderbird