Quick Hacks: Fixing Thunderbird's Default Faux Pas
One of the things that bugs me about Mozilla's otherwise wonderful Thunderbird email client is that it demands a default email account. This is the account that every new email you compose is initially attributed to. The problem with this is that it's the easiest thing in the world to forget to select the account that you mean to use rather than this default.
The unintended results can be awkward at best, perhaps genuinely embarrassing. But for someone in a sensitive situation it's not hard to imagine that a mistake like this could be career destroying.
Here's a simple solution I've been using for a while:
In Thunderbird's Account Settings add a new account using spurious information. It doesn't matter about the address, mail server or user name, just make something up. Locate the new account in the list on the left and click on Server Settings, then deselect the 'Check for new messages' options. Click on Advanced and deselect 'Include this server when getting new mail'. These settings will stop the fake account generating errors during automated processes. When you're finished, set the new account as the default.
Now when you compose a new email you'll still have to select a valid account, but if you forget, you will find you are unable to send. All you have to do then is cancel back to the composition window to make the correction.
I've tried a couple of add-ons that solve the same problem but found them unsatisfactory for one reason or another.
The unintended results can be awkward at best, perhaps genuinely embarrassing. But for someone in a sensitive situation it's not hard to imagine that a mistake like this could be career destroying.
Here's a simple solution I've been using for a while:
In Thunderbird's Account Settings add a new account using spurious information. It doesn't matter about the address, mail server or user name, just make something up. Locate the new account in the list on the left and click on Server Settings, then deselect the 'Check for new messages' options. Click on Advanced and deselect 'Include this server when getting new mail'. These settings will stop the fake account generating errors during automated processes. When you're finished, set the new account as the default.
Now when you compose a new email you'll still have to select a valid account, but if you forget, you will find you are unable to send. All you have to do then is cancel back to the composition window to make the correction.
I've tried a couple of add-ons that solve the same problem but found them unsatisfactory for one reason or another.