ThunderCast #4: Will The Real moz://a Please Stand Up?

09/13/23 • 55 min

The Thunderbird team is back from the Mozilla All-Hands event, and we're overwhelmed in the most positive way. In addition to the happy vibes we're all feeling from meeting most of our colleagues in person for the first time, we have a lot of takeaways to share. in this episode Ryan, Jason, and Alex talk about how Mozilla is building AI tools for the good of humanity, and how our perception of AI has changed dramatically. Plus, the problem with the "hey Mozilla, just build a browser" argument.

Episode #4 is light on actual Thunderbird talk, and more focused on Mozilla as an organization, the current state of the internet, and the future of AI. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed discussing it!

Have a question or comment for us? Just email [email protected]!

(00:00) - Intro
(00:28) - The All-Hands Hangover
(03:10) - The Thunderbird Team IRL!
(09:42) - moz://a beyond the products
(13:36) - Tackling AI & web issues
(19:24) - The "just build a browser" argument
(21:46) - Alex changes his mind about AI
(23:38) - Building AI tools for good
(33:09) - Fighting for the soul of the internet
(40:11) - Thunderbird and AI?
(47:16) - Warm fuzzy feelings
(52:51) - Outro

★ Support this podcast ★

Have a question or comment for us? Just email [email protected]!

(00:00) - Intro
(00:28) - The All-Hands Hangover
(03:10) - The Thunderbird Team IRL!
(09:42) - moz://a beyond the products
(13:36) - Tackling AI & web issues
(19:24) - The "just build a browser" argument
(21:46) - Alex changes his mind about AI
(23:38) - Building AI tools for good
(33:09) - Fighting for the soul of the internet
(40:11) - Thunderbird and AI?
(47:16) - Warm fuzzy feelings
(52:51) - Outro

★ Support this podcast ★

Previous Episode

ThunderCast #3: Behind The Scenes of Supernova

Hello Thunderbird family, and welcome back to a long-overdue episode of the ThunderCast! Ryan, Alex, and Jason get together to talk about the new features and improvements in Thunderbird 115 "Supernova." But they also share WHY those features were developed, and what's being worked on right now. Plus, Ryan shares some huge news about the future of the Thunderbird Project! It's a casual, unscripted, and informative behind-the-scenes conversation.

USEFUL LINKS:

What's New In 115 (Use Micah's awesome slider!)
Why We're Rebuilding Thunderbird
Thunderbird on Mastodon
Thunderbird on Twitter
Thunderbird on LinkedIn

★ Support this podcast ★

(00:00) - Intro
(04:11) - The pulse of our users
(11:16) - Moving to monthly releases
(14:24) - Why the name “Supernova?”
(15:39) - Explaining the new Thunderbird logo
(23:22) - What’s New in Thunderbird 115?
(32:09) - Explaining the Unified Toolbar
(40:08) - Why the new icons matter
(44:11) - You are my Density
(53:52) - Jason gushes about the App Menu
(01:01:01) - Finally! Sortable folder modes
(01:05:17) - Ryan gushes about Cards view
(01:08:37) - Championing customization
(01:10:37) - The infamous mockup
(01:12:00) - Addressing the address book
(01:17:03) - Iterating to perfection
(01:19:32) - Jason’s 2 hats
(01:24:33) - The ThunderVerse!

Next Episode

ThunderCast #5: Remote Work 101

The Thunderbird team is a remote-first, globally distributed group, so it made perfect sense to devote an episode to Remote Work! Join Heather, Chris, and Jason for some useful tips and tricks to make your daily remote work more enjoyable and more productive. We also include tips from ThunderCast listeners Pedro and Mike, who emailed us at [email protected]. (You can do the same if something's on your mind.)

Plus: An inside look at the upcoming Thunderbird Send service, some fascinating origin stories, and geeky Raspberry Pi solutions for weather and BBQ.

Software & Articles We Mentioned: