Q. Many platforms, one shared group of settings?
Hello!
So I've come in with an ambitious concept that I am hoping is even possible. My goal would be to sync four or five devices, I'd like to be able to change settings / files / options / filters at one location and have it update all other locations automatically. Personally, I'm thinking that it's possible using the Mozilla account, that is if it could be made to store said data... or if it does already?
Another thing I had considered would be to have them access a file hosted in a cloud or something for its settings, but again I'm not entirely sure of the feasability. To be honest, maybe even an add-on does this already? I've looked around and so I felt contacting the community would make the next best step. This way I'm not wasting time trying to solve a problem someone else has already managed to accomplish.
I run a series of different computers at separate locations, carrying around the settings and such on a thumbstick would be most cumbersome otherwise I'd do that. I would think in the age of networking and the internet, let alone cloud storage, something could be done.
I cast my question to the masses like a message in a bottle, here's hoping that someone has the answer to the question I'm posing. Thanks in advance for every ounce of assistance offered.
All Replies (4)
You can easily sync mail for IMAP accounts across multiple devices, and with a bit more effort, sync. contacts and calendars. Settings, add-ons, filters etc. can't be synced in the same way, but these are the least 'dynamic' features. For the initial setup, it's just a matter of copying the Thunderbird folder from the source computer to the other computers.
Hello Critta Kill,
Just to make sure :
Did you mean to post this question on the Thunderbird support forum ?
In case you meant to post this on the Firefox support forum, you can use this link :
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/new/desktop/other
(you'll have to scroll down to the bottom of the page)
No. I definitely intended to ask here. I had been hoping that since we attach our Firefox accounts in Thunderbird, that it might also be used to sync email rules for sorting and such across all devices.
I had hoped that sync included syncing the sorting rules I set up as well. Unfortunately, I guess it doesn't. Then I had hoped that there might be an addon that in some manner piggybacks the sync or something.
I've been using a crude work-around by going to Gmails site and using an unfriendly interface to create rules directly as they come in. It's not optimal and takes way more effort than the more versatile than the ones offered by Gmail, and Thunderbird is much easier to update or modify sorting.
Meh. Maybe some-day?
They have been talking of using the Mozilla sync for probably 8 or 9 years, back at a time When Thunderbird was still a Mozilla product. Nothing much came of it.
Given their cessation of Mozilla's involvement in Thunderbird development in 2012, I am not even sure they would be agreeable to hosting what amounts to significant amount of data and bandwidth usage to implement such a thing for Thunderbird.
A paid sync service was suggested ounce IIRC, but that has legal ramification as to security of data and such. So that didn't grow wings.
Unfortunately Thunderbird has it's roots in a time when individual software on one device was the norm and outside of business or education you did not see a network. ipso facto it seriously lacks even file locks in the older parts of the code, so even using a synchronizing service such as onedrive, amazon, sync.com or drive among others is problematic as a very high degree of personal discipline in using only one device at a time and making sure syncs are complete before moving to the next device is required. Some people say they make it work. I just expect that it has worked for them until now, but that just makes the time to failure closer.