How To Synchronize Google Calendar With Thunderbird

You can use Lightning to get a calendar that's fully integrated with Thunderbird, but what about Google Calendar synchronization? Well, there's an extension called "Provider for Google Calendar", which lets Lightning read and write events to Google Calendar.

For now, the extension doesn't support Google Tasks, but its developer says he's working on it.

Below, I'll explain how to set up both Lightning and "Provider for Google Calendar" to synchronize Google Calendar with Thunderbird (bidirectional sync).

The instructions below have been tested with Thunderbird 10 which is available in the Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot official repositories and Thunderbird 11 (will probably be available in the Ubuntu 11.10 repositories soon; is already available for Ubuntu 12.04).

For older Ubuntu versions (11.04, 10.10 and 10.04), you can install Thunderbird 10 (soon, version 11 will be available) using the stable Thunderbird PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/thunderbird-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install thunderbird

1. Install "Lightning" and "Provider for Google Calendar" Thunderbird extensions.

In Ubuntu, you can install both extensions using the following command:

sudo apt-get install xul-ext-lightning xul-ext-gdata-provider

Then restart Thunderbird. That's it for step 1 if you use Ubuntu.


For other Linux distributions (or Windows), download the extensions from here:

• Lightning (for Thunderbird 11, you may need version 1.3b3 - scroll down and download it from "Development channel")
• Provider for Google Calendar

Then open Thunderbird > Tools > Addons and select "Install Add-on from file" like in the screenshot above, then browse for the extensions you've downloaded above and select to install them. And finally, restart Thunderbird.

2. Login to http://google.com/calendar, click the settings icon on the right and select Settings:

Now click on the "Calendars" tab and then on the calendar you want to sync with Thunderbird ("main" in my case):

At the bottom of the calendar page, click the "XML" icon next to "Private Address" and copy the url:

3. In Thunderbird, select New > Calendar, then select "On the Network", choose "Google Calendar" and paste the link you've copied from Google Calendar:

When prompted, enter your Google account password. Next, you'll have to enter a name for the calendar, select a color, etc.:

Click "Next" and Thunderbird should start importing all your calendar events. This may take a while and the Thunderbird window may appear to freeze (but it's actually working in the background). In a few minutes (it depends on how many events you had in your calendar), Thunderbird should finish and the calendar you've added should be synchronized (2-way) with Google Calendar.

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Thunderbird Made Default In Ubuntu 11.10, Final Default Email Client Decision Not Yet Taken

According to a recent change, Thunderbird is now the default email client in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, replacing Evolution. The update should be available for Oneiric users in a few hours.

But this doesn't mean Thunderbird will be default in the final Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot release because according to the default email client blueprint, the final decision has not been taken yet. We should find out if Thunderbird will stay as default sometime around Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot Alpha 3, after both Thunderbird and Evolution will be evaluated:

Work items for oneiric-alpha-3:
[charlinepoirier] Usability testing, compare Thunderbird and Evolution: TODO
[mconley] Deliver launcher integration: TODO
[chrisccoulson] Deliver messaging menu integration: DONE
[chrisccoulson] Merge indicator-appmenu integration upstream: TODO
[mconley] Final work on contacts integration, ability to read/add/edit contacts in existing address book: TODO
[chrisccoulson] Deliver calendar events in the datetime menu: TODO
[jasoncwarner] Final evaluation, will Thunderbird be default email client: TODO

Back at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Budapest, it was decided to stick with Evolution but switch to Thunderbird if it integrates with the Desktop and if there's enough space on the CD.

And the latest Thunderbird 5 in Oneiric does look like a great improvement: the theme finally integrates well with the default Ubuntu theme, Thunderbird now uses NotifyOSD notifications and it will make use of the Messaging Menu by default (the extension that makes Thunderbird integrate with the Messaging Menu still needs some work - at least for me it's not working properly yet). And of course, it also comes with Unity quicklists:

But there are still issues that need to be addressed, such as Ubuntu One integration (contacts) or calendar integration. Work for this is already in progress so it seems Thunderbird will be ready in time for the evaluation. We'll let you know when a final decision regarding the default email client has been made.

Even if Thunderbird won't be the default email client after all, it's still great to see it so well integrated with Ubuntu / Unity, especially since the majority prefers Thunderbird over Evolution.

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Save Firefox Passwords In GNOME Keyring [Extension]

(Firefox passwords saved in GNOME Keyring)

A bug requesting Firefox Password Manager integration with the GNOME Keyring was submitted back in 2005 and unfortunately it still hasn't been fixed.

Since it doesn't look like this is going to be fixed anytime soon, a Firefox extension has been created which allows storing the passwords in GNOME Keyring.

But unfortunately there are a few issues with Firefox GNOME Keyring extension:

• password sync doesn't work properly
• there's no way to migrate your old passwords so once you start using the extension, you'll have to re-enter the passwords and save them again. Also, the old passwords remain untouched so if you don't want them to be available in the Firefox Password Manager you must manually remove them before installing the extension
• if you set a master password, when you click on preferences > security > saved passwords > show passwords you still get asked for it, even if GNOME Keyring is active

GNOME Keyring extension was recently updated and works with Firefox 3.6.x, 4.0 and 5.0 as well as Thunderbird (I've only tested it with Thunderbird 5.0 but it probably works with older versions too).

To install the GNOME Keyring extension in Firefox or Thunderbird, download it (.xpi link below) to your computer, then open the Firefox / Thunderbird Add-ons Manager and simply drag'n'drop the .xpi file to it and you should be prompted to install the addon.

After you restart Firefox, you should be asked to enter a password for the new Mozilla keyring (if you've set Firefox to remember your passwords) - enter your computer login password or else you'll probably be prompted to enter a password when you start Firefox.

Download Firefox GNOME Keyring extension (.xpi) | Github homepage / source files

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Thunderbird Stable PPA Updated With Thunderbird 5.0 For Ubuntu 11.04, 10.10 And 10.04 Users

Thunderbird 5.0 has been released today, bringing a new addons manager (Firefox-style), NotifyOSD notifications, tabs can be reordered and dragged to different windows, the account creation wizard has been improved and many other improvements and bug fixes. See the release changelog here.

Upgrade To Thunderbird 5.0 in Ubuntu 11.04, 10.10 or 10.04

By using the instructions below, your current stable Thunderbird build will be replaced with Thunderbird 5.0.

To add the Thunderbird Stable PPA and upgrade to the latest Thunderbird 5.0 in Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal, 10.10 Maverick Meerkat or 10.04 Lucid Lynx, use the commands below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/thunderbird-stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

The Thunderbird Stable PPA also comes with an updated Lightning extension (1.0 beta 4 which apparently is considered a stable version - see here) which is compatible with the latest Thunderbird 5. You can install it using the command below:

sudo apt-get install xul-ext-lightning

P.s: to make Thunderbird 5.0 look like in my first screenshot (Gmail-like conversation view), use the Thunderbird Conversations extension.

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Thunderbird Beta Channel PPA For Ubuntu 11.04, 10.10 And 10.04 Users

Similarly to the Firefox-Next PPA, there's a new "Thunderbird-Next" PPA available which you can use to install the latest Thunderbird beta builds in Ubuntu.

The Thunderbird Next PPA provides Thunderbird releases from the beta channel so each time a new beta version is released, it will be available to install via this PPA, but of course with a delay because it takes a while for new versions to be packaged and tested.

At the time I'm writing this post, the Thunderbird beta channel PPA provides Thunderbird 5 beta 1 - if you want to see what's new, see this page.

Upgrade To Thunderbird 5 beta 1 in Ubuntu using the Thunderbird beta channel PPA

Using this PPA, your current Thunderbird stable release will be replaced with the latest Thunderbird beta release, which may have bugs so use it at your own risk!

The Thunderbird Beta Channel PPA is available for Ubuntu 11.04, 10.10 and 10.04. Add it and upgrade Thunderbird to version 5 beta 1 using the commands below:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/thunderbird-next
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

P.s.: to get a Gmail-like interface for Thunderbird like in my screenshot, check out Thunderbird Conversations extension.

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