We're losing Thunderbird

[Aardvarkly]

I just read that Thunderbird will be withdrawing support for Windows 7 users. If this means it one day just won't work at all, what do you guys suggest I replace it with?

source: Thunderbird e-mail client will soon stop supporting older Windows and macOS releases | TechSpot

 

[michael diemer]

Proton Mail. Browser based so light on resources. Very secure. I would avoid desktop clients at this point. Light and secure is the way to go now.

 

[Aardvarkly]

Thanks. I will have a look.

 

[siliconbeaver]

Thanks,

saved a copy of TB v115 in case.

Browsers, Discord, TB, , , the list goes longer and longer on Windows 7 no support.

 

[Alejandro85]

As always, "support" means absolute nothing for the end user. Of course it won't just stop working, most likely updates will stop so new versions and features won't be available. And there is always a chance that these newer versions will just work under Win7 too. Unless Thunderbird purposely blocks it (very unlikely) it should continue working as always.

The real deal-breaker would be if mail servers stop supporting the protocols Thunderbird supports.

Proton Mail. Browser based so light on resources. Very secure. I would avoid desktop clients at this point. Light and secure is the way to go now.

ProtonMail is not a mail client, is a complete mail service. Switching to it not only means not having a local mail copy, but also that you dump your email address and use a new one. Not a real replacement for Thunderbird.

 

[michael diemer]

As always, "support" means absolute nothing for the end user. Of course it won't just stop working, most likely updates will stop so new versions and features won't be available. And there is always a chance that these newer versions will just work under Win7 too. Unless Thunderbird purposely blocks it (very unlikely) it should continue working as always.



The real deal-breaker would be if mail servers stop supporting the protocols Thunderbird supports.



ProtonMail is not a mail client, is a complete mail service. Switching to it not only means not having a local mail copy, but also that you dump your email address and use a new one. Not a real replacement for Thunderbird.

All great points, Alejandro. I'm more focused on security, and Proton Mail is very secure. At some point, it will become nearly impossible to keep things working on Windows 7. Browsers won't work, email clients won't work, etc. No one uses Windows 98 now, almost nobody uses XP or Vista. Those who do have to go through very complicated workarounds.

I have said it before, the best way to enjoy Windows 7 is to use it for things you really need it for. Gaming, music creation, etc. And use Linux for everyday web surfing, internet, etc. That way you can continue using Thunderbird safely and efficiently.

 

[maxseven]

I just read that Thunderbird will be withdrawing support for Windows 7 users. If this means it one day just won't work at all, what do you guys suggest I replace it with?
source: Thunderbird e-mail client will soon stop supporting older Windows and macOS releases | TechSpot

I will cross that bridge when I come to it, but not before. In the meantime, I'm still using v52.9.1 and it works fine for my some 15 different email accounts.

And FWIW recently I'd gotten email-after-email from Yahoo that the accounts I have with it were in some kind of jeopardy in re: "you might be using an outdated sign-in method" but the deadlines for those warnings came & went without issue.

 

[Aardvarkly]

As always, "support" means absolute nothing for the end user. Of course it won't just stop working, most likely updates will stop so new versions and features won't be available. And there is always a chance that these newer versions will just work under Win7 too. Unless Thunderbird purposely blocks it (very unlikely) it should continue working as always.
The real deal-breaker would be if mail servers stop supporting the protocols Thunderbird supports.
ProtonMail is not a mail client, is a complete mail service. Switching to it not only means not having a local mail copy, but also that you dump your email address and use a new one. Not a real replacement for Thunderbird.

I did set up a Proton account to try it out. That's when I discovered I couldn't use my existing email addresses. A deal breaker for me. I've had those old addresses for maybe 15 years and it would be a headache to mail every recipient to notify them.

My love affair with W7 will continue until it absolutely fails to fulfill my simple needs. I will hop to Linux at that point rather than leap blindfolded into the privacy battle that comes with later Windows versions.