Ubuntu 24.04 Plans Switch to Thunderbird Snap from DEB

If you’re an Ubuntu user who uses the Thunderbird e-mail client there are some interesting changes on the way you will want to know about.

First up, Canonical’s Thunderbird snap package is now being built using source code rather than repacking upstream binaries.

That subtle-sounding difference offers some decent-sounding opportunities.

For one, the change will allow the Thunderbird snap to be built for architectures other than AMD64, thereby enabling the Thunderbird snap to (theoretically; it’s not currently) be installed in Ubuntu running on, say, the Raspberry Pi — which is neat.

Secondly, by building the Thunderbird snap from source code Canonical says it’s able to make it “more compliant with the Ubuntu standards” — which, again, is neat; we all like software that integrates nicely with our desktops.

But what’s all this renewed packaging effort for, you (probably didn’t) ask?

Thunderbird Snap for Ubuntu 24.04

Yes, as you read in the headline: Ubuntu devs plan to switch to offering the Thunderbird snap in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS rather than a DEB-based version as it does in current releases.

It says the Thunderbird snap is “making it easier to roll new versions on older supported series and reducing the maintenance efforts” — the former being a pretty sold reason: remember the wait for Thunderbird 115 in Ubuntu 22.04 LTS?

Not that everyone who installs Ubuntu 24.04 will get the Thunderbird (be it a Snap or a DEB) preinstalled, of course.

As of 23.10, Ubuntu defaults to a minimal install — which does not include Thunderbird. Users have to select ‘full installation’ to install Ubuntu with Thunderbird and other software, like LibreOffice, Shotwell, etc.

And those who do choose the ‘full install’ option in 24.04? Well, they will be able to remove the Thunderbird snap and replace it with a different package, e.g, a binary, DEB from a PPA, the official Thunderbird Flatpak on Flathub, etc, should they want.

Plus, with Ubuntu’s snap-based immutable offering expected to debut in April in October, having a popular bit of productivity software like Thunderbird in top-tier shape, ready to roll when it does seems a prudent move.

Will this mean the Thunderbird DEB in the Noble archives becomes a transition package, much like Firefox’s did? Perhaps. It’d certain’t allow those with Thunderbird installed from the Ubuntu repos to upgrade to Ubuntu 24.04 without the DEB version being orphaned or removed…

But nothing has been announced/confirmed/mentioned yet — I’m just thinking out loud.

Want to try the new Thunderbird Snap today?

Want to peer into the future?

You can install the Thunderbird snap from the beta channel on your current version of Ubuntu — assuming you want to try out the ‘new’ package (but don’t expect many superficial changes to be evident).

To do so run:

snap install --beta thunderbird

If you already have the Thunderbird snap from the stable channel installed you can use refresh rather than install in the command above. But be aware that the beta build upgrades your profile, so you won’t be able to “roll back” — best backup your profile first!

Let me know your thoughts below!