After spending several months in limbo e-mail application Thunderbird has been confirmed as the official e-mail application Ubuntu 11.10.

Mike Conley, the driving force behind integrating Thunderbird with the Ubuntu desktop, shared the news on his blog, writing: –

“[The] first alphas were just to get a sense of how Thunderbird would work as the default client, and to gather feedback.� At a moments notice, Canonical could have backed it out and switched it back to Evolution.�But they’ve given their thumbs up, and they’re fully on board.”

What does this mean for you?

Come October and the release of Ubuntu 11.10 Thunderbird will be installed by default. It will boast integration with various elements of the Ubuntu desktop such as Messaging Menu presence, Unity launcher badge and Application Menu support, all out of the box.

Evolution fans don’t need to worry as their preferred application will remain easily installable through the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Congratulations to all involved in the decision, and to Mike Conley espeically for his hard work on integrating the app into Ubuntu.