Integrate Google Chat with Mozilla Thunderbird.

[Conehead1978]

The new Mozilla Thunderbird for Windows has a tab for Google Talk, but it appears unsupported. How about providing a tab for Google Chat instead?

[kintrupf]

Not needed! Why bloat an E-MAIL client with chat?

[arkhi]

I guess this proposal would be great as an add‑on for those who rely on Google services.

Implementing this as a default might be a reason not to use Thunderbird for others.

[ralvez]

I'm not sure the values of a company like Google (spy everywhere) align well with the privacy goals of Thunderbird.
I feel that such integration would compromise the security of Thunderbird.

[fung0]

Why would anyone want their email app to do other things? Maybe it should be a spreadsheet? Or a gaming platform? A web browser and AI emotional counselor? I don't think so.

Sadly, we've never seen email done right. Today's clients are only trivially superior to the text-based clients of the 1980s. So I would say please focus on features that will make Thunderbird the ultimate, high-performance, bug-free email client. Remove any other communication services (e.g. "Chat") and refrain from adding new ones.

Once Thunderbird has become the flawless galactic email app of the ages, by all means branch out to offer other services - as separate apps, or as add-ons that I can avoid installing.

[s1fly]

To @kintrupf 's and @fung0 's points you're right Thunderbird needs to be a flawless email client first and foremost, but it does already contain chat functionality and has had for as long as I remember. Ideally, this would be a module you could turn on or off as needed.

As I work for a company that uses Google Workspace, it would be invaluable to access my work chats and spaces in Thunderbird rather than the web browser. At the same time though, it should also be easily switched off for those who don't need it. In a recent video, the new Thunderbird UI was shown to be flexible with new elements that could be used or not used depending on the user. I see the same kind of thing.

@ralvezYou make a good point, but it would be sandboxed, away from your personal content.

[Fireruff]

Is there anyone who uses Google Chat at all?

[citb]

> Is there anyone who uses Google Chat at all?

YES!!!

[alexispurslane]

I would really rather not further Google's infiltration into everything. It gives them a foothold, and it's likely to leak data, and it just makes things worse for those of us trying to avoid them completely.

[Seamaiden]

Integration for Google Chat would be an advantage. The application was initially developed for teams and businesses but is now widely used by general consumers. Integration with Google Meet, which replaced Google Duo for video calling, would also be nice. Finally, integration with WhatsApp, the "number one most popular chatting app in the world," according to Google) might also be helpful.

[jojje]

Why Google chat specifically?
Why not Slack, or Microsoft teams?

Personally I'd like to have a non-Electron version of Slack if I could, but I think those sort of addons would be best suited as ... addons.

If you're going to rebuild Thunderbird, please don't begin immediately adding cruft to the core. Scratching every person's itch is after all what addons are meant to solve.