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.