As a SUMO volunteer since 2022, I have seen frequent complaints, curses, and insults regarding the decision to make threading the default, and many have switched to Betterbird for that one reason. For twenty years, Thunderbird lived happily with UNthreading as the default, yet this change was made in Bugzilla by ONE person with little discussion (https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1764842 ).
Further, despite the hype of Supernova and Nebula, users routinely post criticism that the interface is too complex, and that the direction seems focused on features few requested. The choice of menus and how they function is especially confusing to new users, implying that the user interface is now well understood during design discussions. Consider:
- the decision from version 78 to remove the menu bar from view. Yes, that makes the screen neater, but REMOVES key decision elements for the user.
- the folder pane header is removed from one menu, but must be reactivated from another. When the header is absent, users don't know it even exists.
- likewise the menu to select table or card view. It is in the message list header which, if hidden from within that menu, must be reactivated from another place. Again, when absent, the user is unaware of the option.
- the hamburger menu is assumed to be the only menu needed by the user, but some important options are elsewhere, on the hidden menu bar.
- the addressbook, a commonly-needed item, is hidden from default setup except in the Spaces toolbar, a rarely referenced item, and frequently found to be hidden.
From these and others, users upgrading from older versions (anything prior to 102), express frustration at a complexity not present in older versions. So, my recommendation is that all changes (not bug fixes) should be subject to a committee review, with some user representation, and having no person with authority to override the resulting decision. I do respect the need to change, and I admire innovation, and replacing old code is important -- but please don't make changes without considering how the user interacts. That seems to be lost. Thank you for listening.
david
