Even though it’s not the best or the newest email client out there, Thunderbird is still a very dependable and useful email software. So much so, that Thunderbird is still the default email client for various Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu).
There’s no getting around it – Thunderbird is slowly but surely starting to show its age. One particular disadvantage of the app (at least while running on Ubuntu) is its lack of integration.
By default, Thunderbird does not offer Ubuntu users tray integration or a simple way of gauging the number of unread emails.
Both problems can be solved by installing Birdtray
Birdtray is an open-source and free app that acts as the perfect system for tray new mail notifications for Thunderbird.
The main purpose of Birdtray is to show you the unread email counter in Ubuntu’s top bar. However, despite its small size, Birdtray can do a lot more. For instance, optionally, it can animate the Thunderbird system tray icon if and when new emails are received.
Notifications (and the app itself) can be snoozed for specific time periods directly from the status bar menu. In addition, you can configure which accounts you want to be checked for unread emails.
For such a tiny app, Birdtray offers a surprising amount of customization options. For instance, you can choose different font colors for different email accounts, as well as control various other aspects such as stroke, window opacity, and so forth. Last but not least, you can also make Birdtray start automatically when Thunderbird starts.
Verdict
The main thing to get from this review is that Birdtray is not a Thunderbird extension. It’s a standalone, open-source app that reads the Thunderbird database directly and allows you to stay updated more conveniently.
Part of the app’s beauty is the fact that it works pretty much out-of-th-box (very little configuration needed), and part is the fact that it offers a lot of flexibility for what it is.
