Mozilla Launches Internet Mail and Communications Initiative

David Ascher joins Mozilla to lead new organization

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Mozilla today announced
 a new initiative to stimulate innovation in Internet mail and
 communications. Mozilla plans to develop Internet communications software
 based on the Thunderbird product, code and brand. The new initiative also
 aims to nurture a robust developer ecosystem in order to drive improvements
 through open source and community innovation, in the tradition of the
 Firefox web browser.
     Dr. David Ascher, currently CTO and VP Engineering of ActiveState, will
 join Mozilla to establish a new company focused on mail. Ascher has been an
 active member of the Mozilla community since 2000, initially as the lead of
 Komodo, a Mozilla-based integrated development environment (IDE). He is an
 established leader in the open source community, including his role as a
 director of the Python Software Foundation.
     "Innovating in mail and communications advances our vision of choice
 across the spectrum of Internet software," said Mitchell Baker, Chair,
 Mozilla Foundation. "David has been a respected member of the Mozilla
 community for many years and we're excited that he is joining Mozilla to
 lead this important effort."
     In July 2007, Baker delivered a call to action soliciting community
 feedback about the future of Thunderbird. After an active public
 discussion, the Mozilla Foundation board approved the creation of a
 distinct new Mozilla Foundation subsidiary dedicated to developing,
 innovating and improving Internet mail and communication software.
     Mozilla will provide US$3 million seed funding to establish this new
 company.
     Millions of people around the world rely on Thunderbird as their
 primary mail application. Nothing will change for current Thunderbird
 users. Mozilla will continue to provide Thunderbird users with regular
 security and stability updates as it establishes its new initiative, and
 remains committed to the needs of Thunderbird users.
     About Mozilla
     Mozilla is a global community dedicated to building free, open source
 products and technologies that improve the online experience for people
 everywhere. We work in the open with a highly disciplined, transparent and
 cooperative development process, under the umbrella of the non-profit
 Mozilla Foundation. As a wholly owned subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation
 organizes the development and marketing of Mozilla products. This unique
 structure has enabled Mozilla to financially support and cultivate
 competitive, viable community innovation. For more information, visit
 http://www.mozilla.com.
 
 

SOURCE Mozilla