I really hope this doesn't impact the client too significantly. A substantial part of why I use Thunderbird is to keep out of these "ecosystems".
this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
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I'm sure Mozilla will run a heathy and sustainable project straight into the ground.
That's what they do
Mozilla doesn't run Thunderbird
Well... The Mozilla Corporation doesn't. But both the Corporation and MZLA (which makes Thunderbird) are owned by the Mozilla Foundation.
But yeah, the different org does probably matter.
Not yet
I think the purpose is to find a source of revenue so that they don't have to ruin their product. There's a lot of potential good here, in addition to the unfortunately undeniable potential bad.
Sounds like good news. I just hope they won't put some bullshit in the TOS saying they can scan your emails to train their AI.
Would be great if they create a real competition to proton mail
Uh oh. The reason gmail is profitable is because they see all your emails and sell your profile to others.
I dont want Mozilla doing that.
In the article it says they will have no ads and no data mining. The user will pay for the service.
Oh, bother.
A big step forward for Mozilla on the "mail" side. Diversification of income. Advertising in the browser was not to everyone's liking, but you have to make money somehow. On the private mail service with the transfer of large files in the form of cryptocontainer... They'll make a normal one the clients for Android and iOS... Link to Mozilla Account... This is the right way, one of them. And see integration with various approaches to trusted AI (trusted exactly, without transferring user data to the cloud). That's the right way, too. A very appropriate response to tectonic changes in the external environment.
They’re looking for a sustainable revenue stream because the Google subsidy is bound to dry up.
Article says revenue from this won't fund firefox.
if they manage to make it an actual good product and also not host it in the US, they might even be able to pull it off
They are thinking of having the user choose the juridiction. So far their testing is hosted in the EU apparently.
I'd need to be able to choose a non-US server too. And even then, all the major tech firms breached EU laws by later transferring data back to the US. But if I had to trust an American company Mozilla would be among the better choices.
Isn't Mozilla a US company?
Somehow I don't see them leaving the place where they do business
Just be Proton without the support for fascism. Easy.
fascism
Huh? What did I miss
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Thunderbird and Firefox are developed by separate companies (both under the Mozilla Foundation). Thunderbird is funded through donations. Firefox is funded through (among other sources, such as Pocket and advertisements) the Google search deal. As far as I know it's not legally feasible (or even possible) for the Firefox money to go to Thunderbird or vice versa.
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Thunderbird is funded by donations and operates under the MZLA banner.
These articles today are doing a disservice to the Thunderbird team who work independently of Mozilla afaik.
Independently of the Mozilla team, yes.
However, my understanding is that, if Thunderbird were to become ~~hugely~~ profitable, the Mozilla Foundation would benefit financially, though indirectly.
The organizational structure:
- Mozilla Foundation = parent organization
- MZLA Technologies Corporation (which owns Thunderbird) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation
- Mozilla Corporation (which produces Firefox) is also a subsidiary of the Foundation
When Thunderbird moved to MZLA Technologies Corporation in January 2020, this was specifically done to allow Thunderbird to "collect revenue through partnerships and non-charitable donations".
As a wholly owned subsidiary, any profits generated by MZLA would ultimately flow back to its parent organization, the Mozilla Foundation.
In the end, that revenue would probably go to all the smart investments we've seen the Mozilla Foundation make over the previous years. 🙄
You're right, but I think "hugely profitable" is probably optimistic - I'd expect something to the level of Proton or Fastmail. Fine, but not a big money maker like Firefox is.
Sure, applies to getting to any level of profitability.
Few know how things are structured. Or more importantly, how it could be restructured later.
These articles purport to be written by journalists though. Fact checking is meant to be a staple of the job description.
Just for argument’s sake, it’s easier to change the behavior of one mismanaged foundation than the broken news cycles
Thunderbird is not a Mozilla project. It is independent of Mozilla including it's financing and has been for several years now.
My understanding is MZLA was set up so Thunderbird could accept donations and manage it's own finances independently of Mozilla. There have been no allegations anywhere that MZLA has been mismanaged.
few people know that or will understand it; it’s been tarnished by the foundation.
If I were managing thunderbird, I would do a rebrand because I am not the first or last person to make that mistake ; there are tens of millions of me
The journalists who published these articles had an opportunity to educate their readers by not spreading misinformation and by not misrepresenting Thunderbird's relationship to Mozilla.
The issue here isn't the disdain anyone has for Mozilla (although that might be yours). The issue is the misrepresentation of Thunderbird as a Mozilla project by news media.
I am influenced by both and control none, bobbing along the waves of misinformation and mismanagement like a cork in the ocean .
As written in the article
Moz doesn't contribute financially to Thunderbird's development, according to Sipes, and whatever revenue the Thunderbird team generates will go straight into furthering its work.
Thunderbird really needs to be a totally separate thing
Mozilla is the new Google at this point. Google set the bar in hell so everyone else can get away with a lot.
Ah yes the move from software developer to service provider. Smells like en(shit)tification.
Lets hope they do this right unlike everyone else.
Smells like en(shit)tification.
What are the parenthesis here for? Without it would be "smells like entification"??
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when they said they would look for a way to monetize firefox i was worried, but this is actually great if they make a good service.
I agree. I would love to see a competitor to gmail/office365 that respects privacy
Mozilla: "what is this you speak of"
If there's one thing I'm sure of, the font and buttons will be 10 sizes too big and not configurable.
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Always felt like this needed to happen for long time now. I guess now better than never. Got to figure out a business model. Reselling Mullvad as Firefox VPN was a start. I feel like everything that Proton does, Firefox should be doing but with a Linux file manager application
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