293851 - When reinstalling Firefox, the homepage is changed by default

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 263595

(Firefox :: Installer, defect)

Description

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.8) Gecko/20050511 Firefox/1.0.4

When installing over an existing Firefox profile, the user needs to manually
uncheck "Make Firefox Start my home page" in the last page of the installer if
he wants to keep his user-set homepage.

IMHO the default behaviour ought to leave user preferences (including home page
or home page group) unchanged.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Have an existing version of Firefox installed
2. Set the home page in Tools -> Options -> General
3a. Reinstall Firefox (e.g., upgrading to new version)
3b. Do not change the settings in the last page of the installer

Actual Results:  
Home page changed, shows a Google menu.

Expected Results:  
Home page should not change.

IMHO the default for "Make Firefox Start my home page" should be unchecked by
default, at least if there already exists a profile with a user-set homepage.

I'm not lowering the bug severity to less than "Normal" because I believe the
fix is easy.

Comment 1

[PikeUK]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 263595 ***

Comment 2

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #1)
> 
> *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 263595 ***

Bug 263595 is exclusively a Trunk-build bug at the moment. I have noticed this
behaviour on Aviary-branch builds (including the build used to report this bug,
and, I've been told, the new "1.0.4 release" build which is, IIUC, almost or
exactly identical to mine).

I suggest that one of the following courses of action be followed:

a. Marking bug 263595 as "Version: Unspecified" instead of "Version: Trunk";
b. Mentioning the equivalent aviary-branch bug (if there is one) in the comments
for bug 263595;
c. If there is no equivalent aviary-branch bug, and the people responsible for
bug 263595 won't accept their bug to apply also to aviary builds, then reopening
this one and marking it "Version: aviary" and (since 1.0.4 is out)
"blocking-aviary1.0.5?"

Pike, what do you think?

Comment 3

[PikeUK]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Bug 263595 is exclusively a Trunk-build bug at the moment. I have noticed this
> behaviour on Aviary-branch builds (including the build used to report this bug,
> and, I've been told, the new "1.0.4 release" build which is, IIUC, almost or
> exactly identical to mine).
> 
> I suggest that one of the following courses of action be followed:
> 
> a. Marking bug 263595 as "Version: Unspecified" instead of "Version: Trunk";
> b. Mentioning the equivalent aviary-branch bug (if there is one) in the comments
> for bug 263595;
> c. If there is no equivalent aviary-branch bug, and the people responsible for
> bug 263595 won't accept their bug to apply also to aviary builds, then reopening
> this one and marking it "Version: aviary" and (since 1.0.4 is out)
> "blocking-aviary1.0.5?"
> 
> Pike, what do you think?

I don't think it's appropriate to have separate bugs for separate releases
(especially for non-critical stuff like this) unless each release requires a
different fix. I'm not sure why the other bug was marked as Trunk since it was
"blocking" Firefox 1.0.3 at the time.

Comment 4

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #3)
> (In reply to comment #2)
[...]
> I don't think it's appropriate to have separate bugs for separate releases
> (especially for non-critical stuff like this) unless each release requires a
> different fix. I'm not sure why the other bug was marked as Trunk since it was
> "blocking" Firefox 1.0.3 at the time.

Well, one of the latest comments to that other bug --
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=263595#c30 -- seems to imply that
the fix should be different for trunk vs. branch; I don't understand why. I
still believe that that checkbox ought to default off in all cases: wouldn't the
fix to that be a one-liner?

Comment 5

[PikeUK]

(In reply to comment #4)
> Well, one of the latest comments to that other bug --
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=263595#c30 -- seems to imply that
> the fix should be different for trunk vs. branch; I don't understand why. I
> still believe that that checkbox ought to default off in all cases: wouldn't the
> fix to that be a one-liner?

AIUI they want to turn the checkbox on for new installs but off for existing
ones, until they get a proper fix for 1.1 they're just going to manually modify
the patches that are put on the update system.

Let's wait for a response on the other bug, I don't intend to reopen this one
since I think duping it was the right call but I'll leave it to someone more
familiar with this issue to decide for certain.

Comment 6

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #5)
[...]
> Let's wait for a response on the other bug, I don't intend to reopen this one
> since I think duping it was the right call but I'll leave it to someone more
> familiar with this issue to decide for certain.
> 

OK.