The Mozilla Foundation has opened up a new subsidiary tasked with developing the Thunderbird email software package.

Mozilla Messaging will initially focus on the development of Thunderbird 3, which promises improved features including integrated calendaring and better search. The new non-profit organisation is also interested in developing instant messaging software.

Thunderbird is a free, open source email application that's been built using the same open source development model as the the Firefox web browser. The spin-off organisation aims to push development of the email software, which has to date been something of a secondary consideration for the Mozilla Foundation as a whole.

Mozilla Messaging will be staffed by a small product development team who will work alongside its community of contributors, as explained in the FAQ here.

A blog posting by Mozilla Messaging chief exec David Ascher provides an overview of the organisation's goals and longer term development plans in areas such as instant messaging. ®

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