Lightning is a project from the Mozilla Foundation originally designed as an extension ("add-on") that adds calendar and scheduling functionality to the Mozilla Thunderbird mail client and SeaMonkey internet suite. It superseded the previous Mozilla Sunbird and the older Mozilla Calendar extension.[4] With version 38 of Thunderbird, the Lightning add-on was integrated and preloaded by default;[5] since version 78 of Thunderbird (released 2020), Lightning is part of Thunderbird and no longer an add-on extension. Lightning is compatible with iCalendar calendars.
 Lightning running on Thunderbird 115.11.0 | |
| Developer(s) | Mozilla Foundation / Mozilla Corporation |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 0.1 (March 2006) |
| Stable release | 6.2.6.1 (March 25, 2019[1]) [±] |
| Preview release | 6.8b3 (Beta) (March 8, 2019[2][3]) [±] |
| Written in | C++, XUL, XBL, JavaScript |
| Operating system | Linux, Windows, macOS, others |
| Available in | 50 languages |
| Type | Personal information manager |
| License | MPL 2.0 |
| Website | www |
History
editThe Lightning project was announced on December 22, 2004 in an effort to integrate Mozilla Sunbird into Mozilla Thunderbird.[6] Sun Microsystems contributed significantly to the Lightning Project to provide users with an alternative free and open-source choice to Microsoft Office by combining OpenOffice.org and Thunderbird with the Lightning Extension.[7] In addition to general bug-fixing, Sun focused on calendar views, team/collaboration features and support for the Sun Java System Calendar Server.[8]
Version 0.9 was the last planned release for Thunderbird 2. A calendar was originally to be fully integrated into Thunderbird 3, but those plans were changed due to concerns with the product's maturity and level of support.[9][10] Lightning 1.0b2 is compatible with Thunderbird 3.1, Lightning 1.0b5 is compatible with Thunderbird 5 and 6, and Lightning 1.0b7 is compatible with Thunderbird 7.[11][12]
Lightning 1.0 was released to the public on November 7, 2011. It was released alongside Thunderbird 8.0. Following that, every Thunderbird release has been accompanied by a compatible Lightning point release. Lightning finally started shipping with Thunderbird with version 4.0, on Thunderbird 38.0.1 released in 2015.[5][13] With the 2020 release of Thunderbird 78, Lightning is now a permanent part of the program.[14]
See also
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References
edit- ^ "Calendar Versions - Mozilla | MDN". Mozilla.org. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ "Lightning :: Versions :: Add-ons for Thunderbird". Mozilla.org. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ "Calendar Versions - Mozilla | MDN". Mozilla.org. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
- ^ Lightning Project Launched to Provide Calendar Features for Mozilla Thunderbird- MozillaZine - MozillaZine article announcing the Lightning project and its aims.
- ^ a b "There is no Lightning 4.0 | Mozilla Calendar Project Blog". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ "Mozilla's Lightning to strike Outlook?". CNET. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ "Calendar Weblog". Archived from the original on 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2007-10-09.
- ^ Interview On Mozilla Lightning and OpenOffice.org
- ^ "Lightning 0.9 Release Notes". September 23, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ David Ascher (February 18, 2009). "Lightning-in-Thunderbird status update". Archived from the original on October 2, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Lightning 1.0 Beta 2 and Compatibility". June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Lightning :: Add-ons for Thunderbird". July 29, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- ^ "Thunderbird — Release Notes (38.0.1)". Thunderbird. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
- ^ Sipes, Ryan (2020-07-16). "What's New in Thunderbird 78". The Thunderbird Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
External links
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