Thunderbird version > 150 (no flatpak)

Hi,
Sorry for this dumb question, I’m new on openSUSE.
Just want to install Thunderbird, but the openSUSE Tumbleweed version is the old 140.11.1.
Don’t want to use the flatpak version.
Any way to install a more recent one like > 150 ?
Do I have to use a specific repository for that ?
Many thanks !

Try the Mozilla repo here ?
Be careful, being a devel repo it might not always work, so be prepared to roll-back to the working version upon upgrades.

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I think I should write up some post why going the Flatpak (same code) route is a better choice than the rpm packages from other than the default repos. By far.

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Thanks all for your feedback !
Indeed it may be a good idea to educate old-school guy like me :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

You definitely should! (And appreciated, out of interest.)

Because, I once was in touch (on a PM basis) with some OBS maintainers of (well known) factory repos and they told me, that they use “their own” stuff (e.g. the factory repos — instead of pool packages) without any issues.

They told me, if I want up-to-date packages (on Leap — instead of just using TW…!), just consider using their factory repos. (Just telling for some specific maintainers of some specific repos, but it was common factory repos (I won’t tell names…!), not repos like https://build.opensuse.org/project/show/home:jsundermeyer or https://build.opensuse.org/package/show/home:jonaski:strawberry/strawberry which are maintained by the related project developers themselves!).

That’s because in the official repo there is the ESR-Version of Thunderbird (and Firefox). The current ESR version is 140.12.0 which will most likely soon be in the OSS repo as well. So, it’s not really an old version, it’s just the ESR version.

I couldn’t agree more.

Regarding the lack of current TB 152 at least in the Mozilla:repo, see https://lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/factory-mozilla@lists.opensuse.org/thread/REIAMSM5PUAVA5XUGO72TMHFTGUZLCGW/

I would hope they do, they should be ensuring that their packages actually run before they submit a request to Factory. That doesn’t mean that everyone else should be running packages from the development repos because they won’t know when to not update a package.

For people unaware what that might mean that is horrible advice. There are reasons Tumbleweed snapshots built from Factory aren’t always released. Installing blindly from Factory will install packages with issues that otherwise wouldn’t be released in a snapshot. Factory is the repo that needs to be tested, it’s not that different than installing from development repos themselves. If you have to ask or if you are wondering what the difference between Factory and OSS is, you shouldn’t be considering adding the Factory repo to your system.

they told me, that they use “their own” stuff

meant: on a regular basis. So, for everyday life use — not for testing only.

Don’t tell me…

But, some people generally advise not to use factory repos, at all (like home repos as well). But, on the other hand, some people advise to use like the Mozilla repo https://build.opensuse.org/project/show/mozilla when users are not satisfied by pool packages (nor Flatpak and such stuff either).

Clearly, not everybody should do so…

And they should, but they also know when not to pull from that repo. You are not part of ‘they’ so you don’t know that.

I guess I was too subtle. You shouldn’t. Ever. You shouldn’t ever use home or Devel repos either. If you don’t understand why, you aren’t in a position to evaluate the risks.

Well, sometimes you “have to”: because packages are not available for Leap by pool (where they are for TW). Then, if you want to get these packages to have to add repos beyond pool.

(Yes, I know this is a TW thread. But it holds for some general aspect.)

Thunderbird 140.12.0 arrived meanwhile, which is the current ESR-version that has been released by Mozilla on 17.06.2026, so a week ago.