255039 - Installer should ask whether to copy or move mail files from Mozilla

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Thunderbird :: Migration, defect)

Description

[Max Spicer]

When migrating profiles from Mozilla Mail, the installer copies the mail from
the existing Mozilla profile.  This causes problems as some of our users have
gigabytes of email.  Migration therefore takes a very long time, and risks
seriously filling up the drive on which the profile is placed.  When coupled
with the problems described in bug 255037, this means that gigabytes of data are
copied across the network during migration, causing further problems -
especially given that they then need to be copied back again!  If we migrate
people to Thunderbird from Mozilla, we will intend it to be permanent so leaving
the mail in the old profile isn't helpful.  There should be an option to move
the mail.  A hidden pref in the defaults files would be just fine - as long as
it can be done from somewhere.  The current situation just adds unnecessary
complication to the migration from Mozilla process.

Comment 1

[brad.armstrong]

My request along this line would be for adding the pref
("mail.migration.copyMailFiles", false); feature to migrations from Netscape 
7.x.
I like the ability to share the local mail location and it works in migrations 
from Netscape 4.x(as stated in the comments).

Comment 3

[Anthony Lanni]

    Are you sure this is a duplicate, Josh?  In bug 445239, I asked for a way to control the final destination path of the migrating folders: Max is asking for a way to control whether that migration is copying or moving the data.  

    Seems like two different requests dealing with different aspects of the same subsystem to me.

thx
    anthony

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

This is a decade beyond use