- Issue: #9012
- Accepted
The Thunderbird Android project is a white-label version of K-9 Mail, and both apps — app-thunderbird
and app-kmail
— coexist in the same repository. They have distinct application IDs and branding, but share a significant portion of
the code through common modules.
These shared modules currently use the app.k9mail
or com.fsck
package name, which are legacy artifacts from
K-9 Mail. While K-9 will remain available for some time, the project’s primary focus has shifted toward Thunderbird.
To reflect this shift, establish clearer ownership, and prepare for future development (including cross-platform code
integration), we will rename the packages in shared modules from app.k9mail
and com.fsck
to net.thunderbird
.
The actual application IDs and package names of app-thunderbird
and app-k9mail
must remain unchanged.
We decided to rename the base package in all shared modules from app.k9mail
and com.fsck
to net.thunderbird
.
Specifically:
- All Kotlin/Java packages in shared modules will be refactored to use
net.thunderbird
as the base - This must not affect the application IDs or packages of
app-thunderbird
orapp-kmail
, which will remain as-is - All references, imports, and configuration references will be updated accordingly
- Tests, resources, and Gradle module settings will be adjusted to match the new package structure
This change will establish a clearer identity for the shared code, align with Thunderbird's branding, and prepare the project for cross-platform development.
- Shared code reflects Thunderbird branding and identity
- Reduces confusion when navigating codebase shared by both apps
- Sets the foundation for cross-platform compatibility and future modularization
- Helps reinforce long-term direction of the project toward Thunderbird
- Large-scale refactoring required across multiple modules
- Risk of introducing regressions during package renaming
- Potential for disruption in local development setups (e.g., IDE caching, broken imports)
- Contributors familiar with the old structure may need time to adjust