Spicebird Beta 0.4 Released!
We are happy to announce the release of the beta version of Spicebird - Synovel's free and open source collaboration suite. It simplifies communication for users by providing integrated access to the various tools of collaboration, like email, calendaring and instant messaging, in a single application. It provides easy access to various web services while retaining all the advantages of a desktop application.
The application is built on top of mozilla Thunderbird, Sunbird, Xmpp4moz and adds more features and integration. The extensibility of the mozilla platform makes adding new tools and customization of the suite easy. Spicebird has a long road ahead to become a comprehensive communications suite. We seek contributions from the community towards acheiving this in the form of ideas, suggestions, bug reports and source code.
In the current version of Spicebird (Beta 0.4), users can:
- Access email from their service provider using POP/IMAP protocols
- Manage schedule using calendar and tasks applications
- Subscribe to others' public calendars
- Read news/blogs using RSS subscriptions
- Manage contacts
- Chat with friends by using their gtalk or other Jabber accounts
I am running XP with outlook express and would like to switch to Spicebird but am having trouble importing my mail from outlook express. My address book imported fine but mail and settings refuse to work. the process starts and the progress bar shows up but only for a second or so than the box goes blank and stops responding. I like the program but would like to get my email transfered over. Any suggestions?
Thanks
This is a very good idea of a program. I really can't wait until the exchange plugin comes to be, so I can get rid of outlook at work.
Thanks for the hard work synovel and community!
I use thunderbird, sunbird. Can't wait to have spicebird taking over.
Just tested this little trick:
Copy the ".mozilla-thunderbird", rename it to ".spicebird" start spicebird and all my mail accounts were there, and a filled contacts list etc.
Did the same with sunbird and had my calendars there.
Of course, didn't have both at the same time. But it shows how easy it should be to import mail accounts, calendars.
Spicebird is what I've been waiting for for years.
I have all mozilla software installed and do not file the file "mozilla-thunderbird" you speak of.
Your suggestion sounds great, but I'm having difficulty duplicating it. Can you be a little more specific? I've been using Thunderbird for about a year now and would love to have everything in Spicebird. OS WinXP Pro - TIA
This program rocks!
Great GUI with the tabs.
Can't wait for a new release.
Great work!
I'm curious about the next version!
So stay tuned!
Best regards iflow, Austria
LOVE the fact that you have threaded discussions, and that I can choose to open the whole thread or collapse it to save space.
I just created a folder and wanted to move a lengthy discussion to that folder - and I discovered I have to move each email individually. That's great - very flexible. However, can you add an option (maybe on the right click menu) to move the entire discussion without having to move each email individually?
Thanks much - wonderful application! Using it more each day.
Downloaded spicebird the other day and am giving it a whirl. Very nice, clean interface, lots of potential.
I use airset.com to manage all my calendars and contacts - it synchronizes with Outlook, and can push my data to my cell phone (it will sync with some models, but not my Treo)...which is avery, very handy. But - it's contact management and list functionality leave a great deal to be desired. It's a very powerful, but 'clunky' if you will.
Now, if there's a way to share data back and forth....eh? I can import an iCal file to airset, so that's one way - but how about contacts? Will an export function be coming?
Or - will spicebird's data be portable at some point?
Waiting anxiously for the more robust project management/contact features.
Again, great app. Loving it so far.
Not another complement - but a functionality issue....
When I use the Agenda Applet on the home page, I don't get consistent results with displaying "to do's". Sometimes they show...sometimes they don't.
When I move the applet around...sometimes they stay, sometimes they don't.
Am I correct to assume this is a bug and it will be more stable in the near future?
I also wanted to complement you on the ease with which I could set up my gmail account with Spicebird. Took me less than 5 minutes to get it all up and running.
And - I set up a separate user (instance? partition?) for my husband. He needs a central place to manage all of his contacts, but never had the patience to use Outlook, etc. This might just do the trick for him....
Congratulations on an app that already looks like it will be kicking some behind in the market. For a beta 0.4 version, Spicebird looks fantastic and works well.
I'm looking forward to all the upcoming changes and upgrades that you're working on.
If Spicebird can handle MS Outlook meeting requests very easily (i.e without requiring additional extensions and requiring you to double-click on the meeting request and then accept it), I'm moving my staff onto Spicebird the moment you launch the final public version.
PS: Get the IM client to work with/replace MSN Messenger and you will win over even more users.
Regards,
Arie.
Now spicebird has import/export only from outlook/express and eudora.
The first thing required in spicebird is import/export from my thunderbird client.
It is very simple to import data from TB into your Spicebird. Just copy the files with your contacts and e-mails from the TB's profile into the Spicebird's profile.
looking great so far. i'm expecting a lot of the next releases!
but spicebird will never be an outlook-replacement unless it gets a better address book. just my opinion.
greetings
mirko
If it's based on Thunderbird code base. Please say so prominently.
Sorry, that was not intended. We do promimently mention Thunderbird in release notes, release announcement and also the video. The post seems to have got cropped after the first paragraph, will make the entire post visible on the homepage.
We tried to make sure we gave enough credits to Thunderbird, Sunbird and XMPP4Moz.
Thanks for pointing it out.
Spicebird EULA still says Mozilla Thunderbird.
http://www.spicebird.com/en-US/spicebird-EULA
The accompanying executable code version of Synovel Spicebird Desktop Client, related documentation and extensions (the "Product") is made available to you under the terms of this SYNOVEL SPICEBIRD DESKTOP CLIENT END-USER SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT (THE "AGREEMENT"). BY CLICKING THE "ACCEPT" BUTTON, OR BY INSTALLING OR USING THE SYNOVEL SPICEBIRD DESKTOP CLIENT, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT CLICK THE "ACCEPT" BUTTON, AND DO NOT INSTALL OR USE ANY PART OF THE SYNOVEL SPICEBIRD DESKTOP CLIENT.
DURING THE MOZILLA THUNDERBIRD INSTALLATION PROCESS, AND AT LATER TIMES, YOU MAY BE GIVEN THE OPTION OF INSTALLING ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS FROM THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE PROVIDERS. THE INSTALLATION AND USE OF THOSE THIRD-PARTY COMPONENTS MAY BE GOVERNED BY ADDITIONAL LICENSE AGREEMENTS.
Thanks, fixed that :)
we did take that from Thunderbird too - the bottom of the EULA gives the credit.
Hello, it is indeed a TBird spinoff, looking at resources used on PC. TBird combined with Lightning also is a hog. Can Spicebird in future development be slimmed down on the RAM resources usage? Brgds Mack
This is where Mozilla is moving towards. And I definitely expect some upstream fixes to Mozilla mail and calender code. And providing Exchange connector will make it enterprise ready. And this is where its really must-have for enterprises. All other existing solutions like evolution are almost dead.
Just sideline...How about working with MailCo and make it Big...:) Really big.
BEWARE OUTLOOK...YOU ARE DEAD
How about a easy port from Thunderbird.. settings, folders etc...
This is obviously a Thunderbird port. Please give credit to Thunderbird, Mozilla, and the great programmers who wrote them.
You say that this is an open source product, but where is the source? Why are you violating GPL by distributing the executable only?
Free software is not about taking other people's code and pretending that it's yours. It is about sharing your code with others. If you want to be taken seriously, please respect free software principles.
http://www.spicebird.com/en-US/get-source
i would like to have .deb!!!
now the program is installed on my pc, but i'm not able to import mails and account setting from swiftdove, but it's look very usefull.
Hi,
just download the compressed archive for linux computers, extract it to your harddrive ("/home/your-username/software" perhaps) and run Spicebird by double-clicking the file "spicebird" allowing it to be run in the following dialog.
That's it. No .deb needed at all.
just downloaded and will install. Screenshot of Summary view looks incredible...
Hope you keep it free!
Thanks,
brgds Mack
Great work! Spicebird is now available for download!
Keep up good work....
Let Outlook become obsolete!
Best of Luck to Spicebird....
Mandrake
If someone would test it portabel on Windows:
http://stadt-bremerhaven.de/2008/01/14/portable-spicebird-04-englisch/
When do you expect to add OS X to your supported platforms?
Al Billings
We do plan to add a spicebird build for OSX in the next versions.
Prasad
I've been using OpenOffice.org for a few years now because I refuse to pay Microsoft's rediculous prices for MS Office. The only problem is, no one, until now, has managed to make an all inclusive open source program that competes directly with Outlook. So far 0.4 has some obvious bugs and issues, but I'm looking forward to the succeeding versions. THANKS!!!
James
Fayetteville, NC USA
Here's three that fit the bill - 1 natively, and one with add ons, the other, well - we'll see what Mozilla does with it.
Definitely looking forward to what this has to offer... so much potential...
Admin
Consilium IT / Winopso
(site isn't finished, but this was easier than linking 3 locations)
now Eudora is thunderbird based too (penelope extension, which is mostly only changes on the interface), making those three, really two... (BTW, it was not acquired by mozilla, it's only TB based)
Evolution doesn't really "fit the bill" (at least for me) and thunderbird (plus lighting) have yet work to do...
spicebird is built upon TB+lighting but the new offerings are really interesting and I hope to see more progress on it too!... maybe it can become the PIM Sun have been looking for OOo all along :P...
Keep Going Guys ...
Looking forward to see more like Mobile & WIFI Support...
Greetings,
Uday Kishore
Hi,
I tried running this within IIIT to access my gmail account, but the connection is getting timed out. Not sure whether the issue is with POP access in IIIT intranet or proxy settings in spicebird.
Regards,
Phani
Going by what I knew about earlier setup in IIIT, IIIT does not allow nating POP or IMAP to outside. Hence you can't configure any mail client. If you believe that IIIT allows it, please see the Gmail help page on configuring IMAP/POP access in Thunderbird (which is the same in Spicebird). Gmail POP and IMAP works just fine in Spicebird.