Thunderbird vs. Outlook 2007
If you are planning a move from Outlook 2007, or if you just want to “soup-up” your open-source Mozilla Thunderbird product, I’ll share some tips, some links and some add-ons that I found particularly useful during my own MS to open-source migration.
Get Thunderbird
Mozilla’s Thunderbird is an opensource email handling program available for free download from the Mozilla site: Download Thunderbird 1.5
Download Lightning
This calendar plugin for Thunderbird isn’t feature-rich, but it’s a nice, solid option to have your calendar and email program in a single place and it mods nicely with most Thunderbird themes. It’s based on the stand-alone Sunbird program. Get yours: Download Lightning for Thunderbird.
Make it pretty:
I’ve downloaded several themes to test and these are the best I’ve found so far.
For the simple lover, or those who want minimum look-and-feel changes from Outlook:
VistaMail – as described, it’s a Windows look-alike theme. Thankfully you can change the progress icon from the windows to the standard version.
Modern Modiki - this is the one I’m using right now because it’s simple and clean, but I’m probably going to switch around a bit more soon, once I get settled in with the TB layout.
Some Like it Dark:
BlackJapan – nice simple black mod that has a matching FireFox theme.
PitchDark – dark mod — just a bit too dark for my tastes (and I like the darker themes, as a rule). I wish I could find one to match my FireFox RedShift Theme.
Something a little different
Walnut - This wooden-look skin is not one I downloaded this time, but this is the one I used for ages when I originally had Thunderbird a couple years ago.
GlowyGreen (also available in other colors) – a Malachite or Green Marble inspired dark, artsy skin.
You can pick up other themes and extensions by visiting the Mozilla Thunderbird site, but these are the ones I consider “essential” or particularly cool. I’ll probably give the security/email encryption program Enigmail a test drive once things settle in and I have everything else working.
Whhyyyy, would you downgrade to thunderbird if you already own outlook 2007.. hellooooo
T - April 21, 2007 8:33 pm
Well, I exchanged my Outlook 2007 for Thunderbird for three reasons. First, Outlook 2007 takes FOREVER to launch. Second, it’s Microsoft (‘Nuff said on that point) and Third… I’m moving to Linux. I have a huge objection to the direction MS is taking with Vista and I’ve decided I’ll not follow them down that dark path.
Angela-Parker - April 21, 2007 9:40 pm
Angela-Parker, go for it and move to linux
Tad - September 19, 2007 7:07 am
I’m trying to decide which to use. I use Outlook for my calendar and contacts, so it would make sense to stick with it for emails? Unless there are things that I can do with thunderbird that are impossible with Outlook 2007?
Andreas Andrews - January 25, 2008 1:15 pm
Andreas – If you have a system you like, and it’s working for you — STICK WITH IT. (If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!)
I’m anti-windows and am working diligently to remove all windows machines from my life.
If, however, I liked Windows, I’d probably stick with Outlook. I enjoyed it (other than the excruciatingly extended launch time and the difficulty of backup). Having everything all in one place is nice — if you can launch first thing in the morning and not have to reboot during the day and wait for a large program to boot.
I like how quickly and completely I can backup my Thunderbird, but I quit using the calendar plugin after I wrote this post and am now exploring an online solution for that.
Angela Parker - January 25, 2008 8:02 pm
Thunderbird seems to be 10x better with IMAP, faster better integration. Plugins are mostly free. With outlook I could not find a plugin I liked to delete duplicate messages and they were all high$$, with Thunderbird I found a plugin that just works with a right click. I have only been using it for this morning and I love it so far.
JC - June 26, 2008 10:56 am
I have been using the Outlook 2007 trial–just because I’ve used Outlook for so long–because I just LOVE the way my emails look with html signatures for each of my accounts.
I love gmail EXCEPT: no HTML Signatures, and no insertion of pictures…they are attached instead.
However, I’ve had Thunderbird on my computer for awhile, and I can insert pictures into the emails, and I can make HTML signatures.
I use both Zoho Apps and Google Apps, and in my very small 3-person company (with few, if any “security issues”) I am moving almost exclusively to Web 2.0.
I do have MS Office 2007 products (Excel, Word, PP).
The Outlook has nice features–but I am thinking that I don’t need Outlook 2007; especially just because of the email feature.
I’ll keep you posted…my Outlook 2007 trial ends soon; and I am almost sure that (with hands shaking…) that I will NOT purchase and use open source for my personal and business use.
waterprise2 - July 8, 2008 11:50 am
Whoever said downgrade just made a huge mistake. Big enough to say you’re dealing with the devil Bill Gates so as a loyal LinuxMint user I call bs to that statement make the switch and for all you windows junkies get a life
LinuxFreak - January 8, 2009 12:36 am
Outlook is all shiny and colorful and nice.
Yet when it comes to handling big inboxes, once your inbox grows to several gigabytes… I dont know.
Most serious business users would rather use something reliable then something unreliable, slow, buggy and that often suffers from data corruption, even if the software looks like something the flinstones would use.
So when asking tb vs ol, you gotta consider this situation. I cant answer the question and pick a winner, i have never seen how Thunderbird handles multiple gigabytes inboxes and hundreds of rules.
rolf - February 13, 2009 10:23 am
Outlook might look prettier and in fact it’s got many useful features, but, as it has already mentioned, it just takes forever to lunch and despite all the updates and stuff, it’s still so slow.
Behnam - August 13, 2009 7:11 pm
Yes I agree. Outlook does looks nicer. Anyway thunderbird can change theme too.
GlynnisBaby - September 14, 2009 3:03 am
I just switched to TB a few days ago and have loved it so far. Until I needed to find an email chain from a month ago. I like how in Outlook you can do a “find all related messages” for one specific email.
Does anyone know of something I can add to TB to make it do that? Maybe an add-on?
CC
Christie - November 11, 2009 8:46 pm