Calendar does not load, Spell checker does not work, TB Update problems
Setup: Thunderbird 68.6.0 installed on 2 machines (Win 10 Pro, latest updates installed) , Profile is shared via a mapped drive on one machine.
1: when one installation is updated, TB refuses to update 2nd machine with "incompatible profile" (or similar) message. This needs an option to upgrade the software *and* use existing upgraded profile not just "create new profile". The update can be done manually with no issue (download new version and install).
2: for the last several versions Lightening calendar does not load in the mapped profile unless disable/enable and close down/restart is done. This should not be necessary.
3: now with last couple of updates the spell checker does not initialize, all text is shown as incorrect spelling. Again, remove/replace in Options solves this. Needs fixing please.
Richard.
All Replies (9)
This was posted 2 weeks ago.
No response, where else should I post it?
Thanks
Richard
All of these issues are due to the new 'profile per installation' policy, and 'profile protection' that doesn't allow older versions of TB to open profiles that have been opened by newer versions. You might be able to avoid these and add-on update issues by starting TB from the command line (WIN+R) thunderbird.exe --allow-downgrade
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/unable-launch-older-version-profile
Thanks for the response.
I understand the profile per installation policy change and that refers to my issue 1.
What I am suggesting is a user option to proceed with using a profile that has already been upgraded and is being accessed by two installations. I don't see why this should be a problem.
Having separate profiles simply does not work. I have all my email in one place and need to access it from two machines (not concurrently) that are networked. This cannot be unique.
The calendar issue appeared before the change in policy. The speller issue appeared more recently (I don't now remember if it was before or after, but it was around the time).
As noted, after opening TB and finding they don't work I have to go through and literally reset the link to lightning and to the spellchecker and then they work on restarting TB.
It seems to me that is if this solves the problem then why doesn't it work if you close TB down with them active and then restart TB?
Both installations are on drives with the same drive letter so any references to the installation folder or the registry etc. for software components should work.
I guess I could try changing the reference to the profile on the machine with it on a local drive to using a mapped drive letter that matches the mapping on the second machine.
Richard.
Maybe it would work better if instead of sharing the profile, you moved the mail store to a common location:
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_mail_storage_location_(Thunderbird)
That way, each computer would have its own profile, and eliminate the possibility of version conflict. It's not unique to have multiple computers share the mail folders, although in most case it's achieved with IMAP synchronization.
I read that file.
Unfortunately the first paragraph reveals that it just creates more problems.
Multiple profiles means trying to sync everything else, addr books, filters, calendar etc. This is not what I am trying to do.
I need a single shared profile.
This used to work but has been broken by these recent changes.
Richard
Rich-J said
This used to work but has been broken by these recent changes.
And it will get worse, not better. Thunderbird has never actually supported a shared profile. So it is not even a consideration in the development process.
Future developments will not have role back code, so when cmponent is updated. That will be it. No going back. That is why there is a block on using old profiles. Profiles post update will simply not be compatible in the future, using an new format profile with an old version of Thunderbird may in fact corrupt the profile beyond repair.
Currently is is just a flag and a nuisance. Version 78 will see the address book completely replaced with different file formats and then the true purpose will start to emerge as a user data protection scheme.
Matt said
> Future developments will not have role back code, so when component is updated. That will be it. No going back. That is why there is a block on using old profiles.
I am not trying to use an old profile. I have no problem with updating.
The issue is that after the profile is updated by one machine, updating TB on the other machine fails. A simple understanding that an updated profile is acceptable is all that is required.
> Profiles post update will simply not be compatible in the future, using an new format profile with an old version of Thunderbird may in fact corrupt the profile beyond repair.
Absolutely irrelevant to what is needed.
> Currently is is just a flag and a nuisance. Version 78 will see the address book completely replaced with different file formats and then the true purpose will start to emerge as a user data protection scheme.
Again irrelevant to what I need to do.
Why force users to have independent profiles on different machines?
Richard
Rich-J said
Why force users to have independent profiles on different machines?
Because that is how the product is designed. That it has worked for you to do something different in the past is not at all relevant here.
If you have suggestions for feature enhancements. Please feel free to file them in bugzilla if they are not already there. This is the support forum, not the feature request site. https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/home
Well, until someone actually responded (it took 2 weeks), how does a user know that something that used to work but doesn't anymore is a feature request, not a bug?
I still have no response to my other 2 questions, or are they to be feature requests too?
Richard