287037 - Folder compression must happen automatically by default.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 286888

(Thunderbird :: Security, defect)

Description

[Hernando]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; pt-BR; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050226 Firefox/1.0.1
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; pt-BR; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050226 Firefox/1.0.1

When delete messages he keeps the message in mailbox files:
when delete messages from any folder in thunderbird application he keeps the
mailbox files in thunderbird folder files with the content of the deleted
emails, i was wondering why i have 1.6 GB of email in thunderbird folder, if 60%
of them is spam and i delete from folders and expurg from trash folder, so when
i see at thunderbird mail folder he keeps even the deleted emails in a file with
the name of the folder 

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. install thunderbird
2. receive email
3. delete email
4. expurge from trash folder
5. see at thunderbird folder the files with the content of message

Actual Results:  
keeping the deleted emails in files, may generate security riscs of people to
read confidential emails

Expected Results:  
delete the email from the mail files

Comment 1

[Hernando]

Attachment: view in application

Comment 2

[Hernando]

Attachment: view in explorer

Comment 3

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

You can manually "compress" your folders to recover this space. I've been told
that the "offline" extension exposes the preferences to have this run
periodically (it will prompt you).

Compressing really ought to be the default. It is in the Suite, I thought.

Comment 4

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

This is known behavior, no need for the security-sensitive flag. probably a dupe

Comment 5

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

This is bug 183837, essentially.

The other things Daniel mention are covered in bug 115499, bug 17204 (fixed,
added a pref to allow automatic compaction) and other related bugs.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 183837 ***

Comment 6

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

None of those are proper dupes (and most are against the Suite which has
different defaults). In both the Suite and Thunderbird there's no indication
that folders need to be compressed to really trash mail, but in the Suite at
least it happens automatically eventually.

I've been told the "Offline" extension at least restores pref control for this
behavior. Users still won't find it, periodic compression must be a default
automatic action. Or at the very least tied to manually emptying the trash --
users get the concept of trash so tying the two would be discoverable.

Bienvenu explains that the current behavior of doing space checks and
compressing on startup leads to problems (some described in bug 115499) so
obviously fully automatic compression can't be made the default until that's
resolved (compress on a timer, do it after mail download, at shutdown,
something). Tying it to manual emptying of trash might not have to wait,
although I thought the Suite did that and if so decoupling the two might have
been done for a good reason.

Comment 7

[Scott MacGregor]

dan, there's no such thing as an offline extension in thunderbird. Code wise
it's an extension but its part of the default build and to the end user is a
seamless part of the final application, everything is there. What piece of UI do
you think is missing in Thunderbird?

Comment 8

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

> I've been told the "Offline" extension at least restores pref control for this
> behavior. Users still won't find it [...]

I am my own example: even after being told it was there I couldn't find the
option and assumed David was talking about something packaged on the trunk.
There's an obscure "Offline Settings..." button buried in the Advanced pane. The
dialog itself has "and Disk Space" in the title, but you have to guess that the
button is what you want before you see that -- if you even get far enough to
find the button.

Regardless, the default is no compaction. There bug is about making some happen
for normal users who never change defaults -- either set the pref or tie
compaction to some action the user might be likely to do, such as emptying the
trash.

Speaking of trash, the folder looks the same whether you have some or not. We
need a "full trash" icon like various OS's. And it only shows a count if there
is UN-read mail in it, which is unlikely for trash -- could the trash folder be
treated specially to be bold and show the total count instead? Now I'm starting
to get off this bug's track -- while nice, those things would only help solve
*this* bug if compaction were tied to emptying the trash.

Comment 9

[Hernando]

ok guyz compression works, ill close this ticket but theres any probability to
this pref come by default in nexts thunderbird versions???? i have to thanks all
you attention, and Daniel i have to confirm that may be a security lack if
anyone can read your email, or get a cookie from you broser, is a personal
information that must be safe

Comment 10

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

This wasn't fixed.

Comment 11

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

(In reply to comment #9)
> ok guyz compression works, ill close this ticket but theres any probability
> to this pref come by default in nexts thunderbird versions????

This bug *is* about changing the default setting (or some moral equivalent) ever
since I rescued it from dupage to bug 183837.

Thanks for reopening, Gavin.

Comment 12

[OstGote!]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 286888 ***

Comment 13

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

Unlike bug 286888 I don't care if the UI is removed just the default setting
(and, of course, all the bugs that prevent that default in the first place). But
OK, close enough.