[How-To] Get lightning working with Thunderbird 3.0

**michael37** · December 21st, 2009

So, let's say you just downloaded Thunderbird 3 using Ubuntuzilla and you want to get Lightning (the greatest calendar extension) working. Mozilla Addons site now provides Lightning 1.0b1 version of Lightning which is considering current stable version. You may also consider Provider for Google Calendar which integrates your Thunderbird with online Google Calendar.

ALTERNATIVELY, if you want to perform manual installation, follow the following steps.

Point your browser to http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...b1/linux-i686/
If you are in US, consider going into en-US directory.
Right-click the link named lightning.xpi and choose "Save Link As..." to download and save the file to your hard disk, let's say to Desktop.
Right-click the link named gdata-provider.xpi and choose "Save Link As..." to download and save the file to your hard disk, let's say to Desktop.
In Mozilla Thunderbird, open Add-ons from the Tools menu, and select Extensions icon.
Click the Install button, and locate/select the files you downloaded and click "OK".
Restart Thunderbird.
Set up your Google Calendar login and enjoy read/write support from within Thunderbird tabs.

Source: Inspired by Lightning/Calendar blog.

**nanotube** · December 21st, 2009

Thanks for this howto! I'm sticky-ing it for the time being - at least until lightning 1.0 makes release.

**michael37** · December 21st, 2009

Thunderbird 3 with tabs and with Calendar and Tasks in tabs looks totally awesome.

Courtesy of this wonderful review.

Can't wait for the Lightning 1 release.

**qva5** · December 21st, 2009

Instruction you gave helped me a lot. Thanks!

However I was not able to start Google Provider right away. For some strange reason first I needed to install xpi file for Google Provider Extension from en-US subdirectory.

http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...ux-i686/en-US/

**michael37** · December 21st, 2009

Originally Posted by qva5

Instruction you gave helped me a lot. Thanks!

However I was not able to start Google Provider right away. For some strange reason first I needed to install xpi file for Google Provider Extension from en-US subdirectory.

http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...ux-i686/en-US/

Curious. It works for me. Are you saying that one gdata-provider.xpi (non-localized, the one that I showed) was not enough and you replaced it with another gdata-provider.xpi (localized for US)?

**qva5** · December 22nd, 2009

Originally Posted by michael37

Curious. It works for me. Are you saying that one gdata-provider.xpi (non-localized, the one that I showed) was not enough and you replaced it with another gdata-provider.xpi (localized for US)?

Indeed... twiece I have tried to install non-localize gdata-provider.xpi, but each time the extension has been shown as disabled and below it a information about something missing has been displayed.

**el cameleon** · January 7th, 2010

I got exactly same problem, gdata-provider is disabled because Thunderbird claims that a component is missing?! I use last nighty build of lightning, I don't know if it could be related...

**qva5** · January 8th, 2010

Originally Posted by el cameleon

I got exactly same problem, gdata-provider is disabled because Thunderbird claims that a component is missing?! I use last nighty build of lightning, I don't know if it could be related...

Have you tried installing components from http://releases.mozilla.org/pub/mozi...ux-i686/en-US/ ?