We won't be integrating CardBook as such.
This bug is also kind of a duplicate (or not) of bug 546932 which tracks CardDAV support.

For all of us who (a) have tried CardBook and found it very useful, satisfying, and a significant improvement over the "native" addressbook capabilities, and (b) are trying to remain with Thunderbird through the somewhat difficult-to-understand and frustrating plugin/ui upheaval beyond v 60-ish in which numerous very useful, well-established plugins have become/are becoming invalidated unless (apparently) their developers do extensive rewrites (the most important of which to me is Nostalgy), it would be very supportive, illuminating, and helpful if the Thunderbird developers could report either here, or in the appropriate forum which you could point us to, on the rationale for choosing a different course than integrating Cardbook, and what the plans are going forward for address book enhancement. Thanks in advance for any light you could shed on these issues, very much appreciated.

The CardBook dev team has offered to do the work to get it integrated appropriately, and TB devs are not really in oversupply I'd imagine, so it would be good to find some way to leverage the work already done on CardBook as well as to take advantage of willing CB devs to help improve TB. Especially when bathed in the rather long history of TB not having such features, as mentioned in the duplicate bug (or not) above..

The goal everyone here has, is helping improve TB.

Thanks to all devs for the work you do (TB core devs and the cardbook and other addon folks who are all trying to enhance a great tool).

(In reply to Glen Whitney from comment #16)

it would be very supportive, illuminating, and helpful if the Thunderbird developers could report either here, or in the appropriate forum which you could point us to, on the rationale for choosing a different course than integrating Cardbook, and what the plans are going forward for address book enhancement.

"Integrating" add-ons as such is rather complicated in practice. In general, appropriate parts of the code should be integrated rather than the add-on.

We're going to rewrite the address book with a target of using pure web technologies. That work is now re-starting, watch bug 841598.

We're going to rewrite the address book with a target of using pure web technologies. That work is now re-starting, watch bug 841598.

OK, do you plan to integrate some code from Cardbook? Notably, the carddav support (with Nextcloud for instance) is a very key feature of Cardbook.

Thanks

Unclear yet, but for the parts it could be useful we'll be looking at that. CardDAV support is much wanted indeed, but it's orthogonal to this effort.

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #20)

Unclear yet, but for the parts it could be useful we'll be looking at that. CardDAV support is much wanted indeed, but it's orthogonal to this effort.

Sorry, I'm not sure to understand. What do you mean orthogonal? Does it mean that it's a different unrelated issue? Or that it goes against what you want to do with the new address book?

The address book rewrite will make it easier to add carddav support in core. Whether carddav is implemented in the process or not is unclear, but probably not as a direct result: what I'm saying is they are two interconnected but different issues.

I can't judge the Cardbook-code but it works fine for me. That's why I don't understand when I'm reading it here, why you want to rewrite such an implementation that still exists. I just think it's a pity, because it will take decades again until mozilla will publish it :(.

given the countless responses i've seen on this both in public & private, i'm gonna speculate noone @project really wants to hear this ... but it's my opinion/experience, this is the current topic, and frankly, it needs saying. again.

the facts of the matter include

addressbook has been unusable garbage for many years -- pleading bugs to fix it are heading for 20 years old now.

lightning's caldav support has been flaky/shaky in the best of times.

in that time, two EXTERNAL groups have stepped up with real, delivered solutions:

CardBook
TBSync (plus providers)

they're real, they work, and work well, and the developers are talented, committed & responsive.

and without one or both, TB's immediately a door stop for Enterprise use -- around here, for my many 100's of users/clients/etc.

yes, I understand that Mozilla's now-CEO crippled Thunderbird by abandoning it, funding/resources are a challenge, groups that have tried to contribute time &/or resources have been alienated that they don't any longer, etc etc.

it's clear as a bell that there are causal challenges.

but, again, the fact remains that -- to date -- ALL start/stop/deflect/endless-analysis solutions from TB team on this^ topic are simply vapourware as far as users are concerned.

this^ promised future is great. but to ignore the NOW-FUNCTIONING contributions of developers, simply contributing to the community as acts of good will, is -- at best -- a ridiculous waste.

you don't have to dig very far to learn that 'the best' of external contributors are being actively/increasingly discouraged, if not already dissuaded and gone from participation altogether.

NOT tightly embracing their work, contributions & ideas -- EVEN IF their solutions are not integrated as-is -- is just foolish. Just read the last couple of comments to know that it's more that just me scratching my head wondering 'why?'

is @TB team so certain that "This Time" it'll deliver on its 'promises' that it's willing to risk the loss of community solutions -- again & some more?

Cuz if you are, and you don't -- it's door-stop time again.

I don't believe for one moment that there's a lack of skill/talent, or even good intention @TB.
I do question, and quite reasonably so given the history, the priority/focus to deliver what "we" need.
And I am increasingly concerned to see the continued not-invented-here syndrome so much at work that the best-of-the-best contributors are being pushed away. again. it's painful to watch.