Thunderbird – Proper Way to Add Lightning Calendar to Thunderbird (60+)

aptextensionlightningthunderbird

A recent update of Thunderbird in Ubuntu (version 60.2.1) broke the Lightning calendar installed as add-on. See here. Mozilla provides Lightning as bundled in the last versions, but Ubuntu (and Debian?) package do not, so now there is a mismatch between the Thunderbird version in the repositories and the add-on provided by Mozilla (5.4, only useful for Thunderbird 52).

One suggested option is to search and install beta releases provided by Mozilla, but it looks as a workaround (future automatic updates are compromised). Another is to delete the non-compatible Ligthning add-on and install a separate package (xul-ext-lightning) via apt, but it is not localised (only available in English since at least 2010).

So, which is the proper "future-proof" way to install Lightning in Mozilla Thunderbird from now on (as intended by Ubuntu maintainers)?

  1. Remove the internal add-on (.xpi) and install (xul-ext-lightning) [this package will be updated accordingly, together with Thunderbird and, eventually, localised]
  2. Keep the Mozilla add-on until the mismatch with Thunderbird apt package is fixed
  3. Remove the add-on and wait until a future Thunderbird apt package provides it integrated (as Mozilla bundles it for other platforms)

Best Answer

Mozilla provides Lightning as bundled in the last versions, but Ubuntu (and Debian?) package do not [...]

yes, both do not, but they provide lightning via a seperate package (xul-ext-lightning resp. lightning) in their repositories.
debian also provides lang-packs (lightning-l10n-...) for lightning and ubuntu does not. --> that's IMHO the main issue.

[...] so now there is a mismatch between the Thunderbird version in the repositories and the add-on provided by Mozilla [...]

there isn't really a "mismatch"... for whatever reason mozilla simply does not provide lightning as add-on anymore.
EDIT: have a look at the last section of this answer.

(5.4, only useful for Thunderbird ≤52)

to avoid further confusion: lightning 5.4 is only intended to work with thunderbird 52.0!

there is no "one and only right solution" because every workaround has it's pros & cons and depends on your preferences and skills... nonetheless i try to prioritize them:

  1. (if you are ok with lightning in english) the best is definitely to uninstall the lightning-addon and install lightning (xul-ext-lightning) via the repositories:
    https://askubuntu.com/a/1084095/354350

EDIT: at the latest now jump to the last section of this answer.

  1. if you need a different language, probably extracting the {e2fda1a4-762b-4020-b5ad-a41df1933103}.xpi (=lightning-addon) from the official mozilla-releases (for every release) and installing into your profile via the addon-manager may be a reasonable workaround: https://askubuntu.com/a/1084220/354350
  2. you can also use the archive provided by mozilla as a whole and update it on its own. - the packages (thunderbird* and xul-ext-lightning) from the repository should be uninstalled in this case.
  3. if you are not afraid of potential bugs and do frequent backups of your data, installing the lightning-betas may also work for you:
    https://askubuntu.com/a/1084255/354350
  4. if you are a skilled tinkerer, you can perhaps use the debian-packages or parts of it (eventually with auto-update), but it is very likely you will end in dependency hell!
  5. if you are that skilled and seriously think about the last workaround, creating a PPA with lightnings lang-packs and providing them to all other users may be by far a better utilization of your time.
  6. staying with an old thunderbird <60 for ages and using an already outdated lightning 5.4 is a really bad idea and should definitely be avoided!

there may be 2 future-proof real solutions for all users, but i would not count on that we see even one of them soon:

  • ubuntu should finally fix it's packages and include lang-packs into/for the lightning-package (xul-ext-lightning)! ...as debian does.
  • mozilla could probably release lightning as add-on again and stop forcing users to fiddle around with separately downloaded betas and so on...
    EDIT: since january 2019 (after nearly 2 years) mozilla resp. thunderbird (re)published lightning >=6.2 (for thunderbird >=60) as addon again!
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