BREAKING CHANGES when updating flatpak Thunderbird to v151.0.1
It would have been highly beneficial to provide a function or procedure to migrate all files (if they existed) from org.mozilla.Thunderbird to org.mozilla.thunderbird. In the absence of such a mechanism, the update effectively behaves like a fresh installation, creating the impression that all user settings and data have been lost.
I resolved the issue by manually copying all files from /home/USER_NAME/.var/app/org.mozilla.Thunderbird/ to /home/USER_NAME/.var/app/org.mozilla.thunderbird/ and restarting Thunderbird, after which everything functioned as expected. This could also have been addressed through a symbolic link to the new path.
I believe more care should be taken when implementing breaking changes of this nature, as many end-users would not know how to resolve this issue on their own. Clear guidance or automated migration would help prevent unnecessary disruption and confusion.
All Replies (3)
I do not understand, as procedures for transferring profiles is documented and one of the more frequent posts here. What was unique about your issue that causes you to make your criticism. Thank you.
I was not intending my post as criticism, but rather as a suggestion to improve the Thunderbird user experience. I understand that profile transfer procedures are documented and frequently discussed here. My concern was specifically about the update/change creating the appearance of a fresh installation, which could easily lead less technical users to believe their data had been lost.
Since the issue was ultimately resolved by copying the existing application data directory (or potentially through a symbolic link), I thought an automated migration step or clearer handling of the directory rename could help avoid unnecessary confusion for users in the future.
Thank you for the feedback, as I sensed no criticism, only confusion. This morning, I noticed a somewhat similar concern posted by another Flatpak user, I have not used Flatpak, but will be alert to future feedback. Again, thanks for taking the time to share this. :)