For those of us that remember a time when most people used e-mail with a client rather than the web-based way, a very popular e-mail app back in the day was Eudora.

Eudora was slick. It ran smoothly and was one of the few of its time that did e-mail attachments properly and the interface was (mostly) easy to use.

As e-mail progressed, web-based mail became the norm for most and in all honesty no one wanted to pay for an e-mail client. (Why would you when you can use Mozilla Thunderbird for free?)

As the final nail in the coffin, Qualcomm ceased sales of Eudora on May 1, 2007, as is stated on the Eudora.com web site.
So Eudora is dead, right?

Wrong.

The guys and gals at Mozilla want to bring Eudora back in an open source version called Penelope. The goal is to have the Eudora “experience” using the Thunderbird engine.

There is a version available for download. I tried it out.

After using it I can say this: If you’re already using Thunderbird, don’t bother switching to Eudora because that app has a long, long way to go.

I honestly don’t know what Mozilla could bring to Penelope that Thunderbird doesn’t already have, save for a name. Mozilla openly admits that the new e-mail client will not be a competing product but rather a complement to Thunderbird.

It will be interesting to see the differences, if any, between Penelope and Thunderbird in future releases.

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