Difference between revisions of "Penelope"

Revision as of 23:12, 11 September 2010

Eudora 8 is now... Eudora OSE. After much discussion and feedback, it became readily apparent that the original name would inevitably lead to confusion amongst the users – and that just wouldn’t do.

The last version of Eudora that was developed commercially for Mac was 6.2, and 7.1 for Windows. These versions are now quite old, and will not be updated. In the meantime, the world moves on, and with every new release of MacOS and Windows, there is an additional likelihood that these versions will no longer work reliably.

Eudora OSE is the Open Source Edition of one of the internet’s most pioneering and enduring applications. It is a re-imagining and re-implementation of classic Eudora features on top of the Mozilla Thunderbird codebase. It is more than just an extension, as certain functionality required changes to the core of the application. Some of these have been accepted into and become part of Thunderbird, while others are still awaiting acceptance.

Eudora OSE integrates so tightly with specific versions of the underlying code that it is highly recommended for users to install the entire application, rather than trying to run the extension on top of Thunderbird.

Eudora OSE does not have every feature and behavior of the commercial versions so it was misleading to call it “version 8”. The most important thing that Eudora OSE has is a future – because it’s built as part of a modern, ongoing codebase. So, while there may be reasons some of you prefer the old versions, you should be aware that someday they will break, and they will not be fixed. Now would be an excellent time to try Eudora OSE, and to consider switching to it; for your peace of mind if nothing else.

The codename for the Open Source Eudora project – as it was originally announced, and as it exists today – is Penelope. If you look in the Add-ons list or file a bug, or even look at the title of this page, that is the name you will see. It was intended to create a distinction between the classic Eudora program and the exciting new direction. But in the end, it caused too much confusion for people to sort out or remember what Penelope was or wasn’t, what Eudora 8 was or wasn’t, and/or where one ended and the other began.

The new name marks a new beginning. Simpler. Clearer. Eudora OSE is here.

Quick Links

• Documentation
• Development Roadmap
• Eudora Releases
• Penelope Extensions

Release Cycle

In order to maintain maximum compatibility across both codebases, it is our intention to match the release cycle of the Thunderbird project. That means that every time there's a new release of Thunderbird, a new release of Eudora/Penelope will follow shortly.

The current version of Eudora is always available on the Eudora Releases page. If you just want the latest Penelope extension without Eudora, you can get it on the Penelope Extensions page. Because the evolution of the Penelope code is tied to that of Thunderbird, it is recommended that you use a version of Penelope that comes with a Eudora OSE release to ensure maximum compatibility.

Bug Reports and Enhancement Requests

If you're experiencing problems with Penelope/Eudora, we want to hear about it. Before filing new bugs, it's always helpful to check and see if anyone else is having the same issue. Since Penelope and Thunderbird are intertwined, it can be difficult to know which part of the mail application is giving you grief. You can use these predefined searches to check for bugs in the Penelope Bugzilla Database, or in the Thunderbird Bugzilla Database.

If you've been using a classic, commercial version of Eudora (or even if you haven't) and would like to help prioritize the feature development of the new, open source version, your input would be most appreciated. It's important to keep in mind that the open source version of Eudora is a work in progress, and still in its infancy.

The feature set for the classic version of Eudora was refined over many years of active development (almost two decades' worth). The challenge now is to evaluate that rich suite of features and give some priority to recreating [the most relevant of] them for open source users. Progress is likely to be somewhat slower than on a commercial project where work is divided up amongst teams of developers who set to work like a school of piranha. One or two piranha gnawing away on a buffalo will eventually get through the whole thing, but it's a far less instantaneous process.

You can check the Penelope Bugzilla Enhancement Database to see what's on the drawing board and to file your own suggestions. If you would like to comment about how a particular feature is implemented, or about any other aspect of the feature, feel free to add a comment to the bug.

If you like a feature, but do not have anything specific to say about it, please avoid posting 'Me too!' or 'I agree' comments. Instead, please VOTE for the feature. (The voting option appears just above the 'Additional Comments' section when you are viewing a bug).

Note: in order to comment on, or vote for bugs, you will need to have a Bugzilla Account.

For Developers

If you are a developer and want to get involved, see the Penelope Developer Page for more information.

Keeping an Eye on the Goings On

Because Penelope is an ongoing project, there are a number of ways to watch and participate and users are encouraged to participate in the process to whatever exent they're inclined or able.

Implemented features will be described in the Documentation section.

Requested features and reported bugs can be viewed, voted on, or filed in the Penelope section of the Bugzilla database (as described above).

To discuss Penelope, see the Discussion tab above, the Penelope Section of the Eudora Forums or the unofficial newsgroup emailman.software.clients.eudora.penelope. The latter is accessible via web or newsreader.

• Core team members hang out in #penelope on irc.mozilla.org. For basic information on getting started with IRC, see the Penelope IRC page.

• The Penelope Section of the Eudora Forums provides a forum for discussing ideas, making suggestions, etc.

Team Members

The core members of the Penelope project are currently:

• Steve Dorner, QUALCOMM®, original author of Eudora for Macintosh
• Jeff Beckley, QUALCOMM, original co-author of Eudora for Windows
• Dale Wiggins, QUALCOMM, longtime Eudora developer
• Matt Dudziak, QUALCOMM, longtime Eudora project manager
• Mark Charlebois, QUALCOMM, Linux developer and Thunderbird user
• Geoffrey Wenger, QUALCOMM, longtime Eudora developer

QUALCOMM Involvement

Eudora has been a QUALCOMM product for many years. QUALCOMM continues to have a keen interest in the users of Eudora, and is being kind enough to donate the time of the above staff members to the Penelope project.

Qualcomm is committed to both preserving the Eudora user experience and to maintaining maximum compatibility, for both developers and users, with Thunderbird. It is our goal to build a single development community around Thunderbird and Eudora, so that both mailers advance faster than they have previously.

Trademarks

QUALCOMM and Eudora are registered trademarks of QUALCOMM Incorporated.