Wishlist FAQ * Read Before Posting * [ 2003-01-08 ]
Daniel Wang
This FAQ (frequently asked questions) contains frequently requested
information in this mailing list (also a newsgroup).
This multi-part article is divided into three main parts. The first
part provides general information about mozilla.org and forum rules.
The second part answers frequently asked questions, including feature
requests. The third part is a guide for contributing to mozilla.org.
This article is maintained by Daniel Wang <stolen...@yahoo.com.tw>
and is posted biweekly to the wishlist mailing list. This article was
last updated on January 08, 2003.
*Quick Table of Contents*
0. Preamble
_Part I About this Mailing List_
1. About this Newsgroup/Mailing List
2. Netiquettes
_Part II A Short User Guide to Mozilla_
3. General Mozilla issues
4. Security and Privacy
5. Installing Mozilla
6. Profile and Backup
7. Spam Fighting with Mozilla
8. Migration
9. Mozilla Magic
10. Frequently Requested Features
11. Troubleshooting
_Part III Contributing to mozilla.org_
12. Contribute
13. Quality Assurance
14. Using Bugzilla
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
> Section 0 Preamble
> 0.1. Copyright and disclaimer
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by the Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set
forth in the Open Publication License, version 1.0 or later (the latest
version is available at <http://opencontent.org/openpub/>).
This article is offered in good faith and in the hope that it may be
useful, but it is not guaranteed to be correct, up to date, or suitable
for any particular purpose. Neither the author nor any contributor of
this document claim any affiliantion with mozilla.org or its finanicial
supportors. None of the parties mentioned above accepts any liability
in respect of this article or its use.
> 0.2 Where is the latest version of this article?
This article is not archived in any permenant place. The latest version
of this article will be posted to this mailing list.
> 0.3 How can I contribute to this article?
If you would like to contribute to this FAQ, please send mail to Daniel
Wang <stolen...@yahoo.com.tw>. All contributors will be listed in
the credits.
> 0.4 Can I ask the author questions by e-mails?
Please do not ask me questions via e-mail. Post questions to an
appropriate public forum, where they will be read (and possibly
answered/discussed) by many people with more expertise than me. Think
carefully before posting; you will get more useful answers if you post
clear, complete questions.
If you think something already in the FAQ needs clarifying, or if you
would like to offer a concise, well-written answer to a frequently asked
question that is not yet in the FAQ, feel free to send me an e-mail.
> 0.5 Credits
Due credits of this article are to Daniel Wang (writing and editing) and
for the following people for comments and suggestions: Henri Sivonen,
Benedikt Kantus, and Esben Mose Hansen.
Portions of this article are based on:
Red Drag Diva, “Is this the right newsgroup for me to post to?”
<http://velvet.net/~fun/mozilla/ngfaq.txt> (June 9, 2002)
Greenwald, Irwin “Mozilla Profile”
<http://home.earthlink.net/~irwingreenwald/Profile.html> (November, 12,
2002)
Daniel Wang
1.1 Is this the right place to post my wishes?
1.2 Where has the developer wishlist newsgroup gone?
1.3 Where are end-user support forums?
1.4 How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from this mailing list?
1.5 Replies fron Mozilla developers seem to be non-existent, does my
post have any relevance?
1.6 When will my bug be fixed?
> Section 1 About this newsgroup/mailing list
> 1.1 Is this the right place to post my wish?
yes
> 1.2 Where has the developer wishlist newsgroup gone?
This newsgroup, like all under netscape.public.mozilla.* newsgroups, was
created for developer discussion only. However, over time, end users
began to post in these newsgroups and the volume of user questions
simply overwhelmed developers.
It is therefore decided by frequent contributors that the wishlist
discussion group be made into an end-user group. If you have a
developer wish——one that has a wide implementation on Mozilla
development, such as creating a new module, standard support, or
streamlining the development process——you should instead post it in the
mozilla general discussion group
(<news:news.mozilla.org/netscape.public.mozilla.general> or
<mozilla...@mozilla.org>)
> 1.3 Where are end-user support forums?
You may ask for help with your browser at the the Netscape User Group
(NUGgie) newsgroups. More info about these can be found at
<http://help.netscape.com/nuggies/>. In order to access them, you'll
need a news reader that can access secure newsgroups (such as Mozilla).
Following are a few direct links to browser-related newsgroups:
Netscape 7
Windows <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.netscape7.windows>
Macintosh <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.netscape7.macintosh>
Unix/Linux <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.netscape7.unix>
Netscape 4
General <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.communicator>
Macintosh <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.macintosh>
Unix/Linux <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.communicator.unix>
Mozilla User Newsgroups
General <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.mozilla.user.general>
Windows <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.mozilla.user.win32>
Macintosh <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.mozilla.user.mac>
Unix/Linux <snews://secnews.netscape.com:563/netscape.mozilla.user.unix>
Mozilla Help on the Web
Mozilla 1.0 User FAQ <http://mozilla.org/start/1.0/faq/>
Mozilla 1.0 Guide <http://mozilla.org/start/1.0/guide/>
Other help pages <http://mozilla.org/start/1.0/faq/enduser.html>
> 1.4 How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from this mailing list?
If you choose to subscribe to this mailing list rather than reading it
as news, send an e-mail to mozilla-wish...@mozilla.org with
“subscribe” in the subject. Likewise, to unsubscribe, put “unsubscribe”
in the subject.
> 1.5 Replies from Mozilla developers seem to be non-existent, does my post have any relevance?
We appreciate any kind of user feedback. However, due to overwhelming
volume of user posts, mozilla.org staff and voluneteers simply cannot
respond to every question. Please be patient to allow people to respond
to your question. If you think an issue is not getting the attention it
deserves, make a comment about it; or if someone has filed a bug report
on the issue at mozilla.org Bugzilla <http://bugzilla.mozilla.org>, vote
for the bug report.
Please do not spam this or other forums or Bugzilla.
> 1.6 When will my bug be fixed?
Fixes and patches to bugs which draw a lot of attention will be
announced in this newsgroup/mailing list. If there is any bug you are
particularly interested in, find the bug report in mozilla.org Bugzilla
and add yourself to the bug CC list; you will receive e-mail notice for
any comment or change of that bug report.
Please do not spam this newsgroup/mailing list or Bugzilla about fixing
your bug (see answer to previous question).
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
2.1 Is top posting allowed?
2.2 Is cross posting allowed?
2.3 Subject matter
2.4 Should I use my real e-mail address?
2.5 Can I post attachment here?
2.6 Can I post HTML messages here?
> 2.1 Is top posting allowed?
It depends on the convention in the mailing list. In this forum, the
general perference is that reply should follow or interperse with the
quoted message.
> 2.2 Is cross posting allowed?
Do not cross post. Most people who read this forum also read other
Mozilla forums, and you should find the most appropriate forum for the
subject of your post and post your message there.
If you must, make sure you set the Followup-To and Reply-To fields to
ensure that replies go only to one forum.
It is absolutely never appropriate to send the same message to two
forums when one of those forums has `general' in its name
Also, do not post across end-user newsgroups (on a secure server) and
developer newsgroups (on an open server).
> 2.3 Subject matter
To ensure efficient communication, identify your subject matter clearly
in the subject line. Subjects like `a suggestion' and `three wishes'
are unacceptable.
> 2.4 Should I use my real e-mail address?
Yes, please. If you are concerned with spam mails, read section 7 “Spam
Fighting with Mozilla”
> 2.5 Can I post attachment here?
Try not to send attachments, include screen shots, and especially screen
shots of textual dialog boxes. If you have a large file that you would
like to distribute, put it on a Web page and announce the URL instead of
attaching it.
> 2.6 Can I post HTML messages here?
No, you should post plain text messages here.
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
3.1 Why are there so many versions of Mozilla?
3.2 What features are planned for future Mozilla releases?
3.3 What other Mozilla-based browsers I can use?
3.4 What are the differences between Netscape 7.01 and Mozilla?
3.5 Can I use Netscape 7 and Mozilla together?
3.6 Mozilla, Opera, and Internet Explorer, which one is better?
> 3.1 Why are there so many versions of Mozilla?
After each major version release, the release breaks from the main
development (“trunk”) into a maintenance “branch.” The trunk is where
new features will be implemented and tested, and the branches are where
only stability and security improvements will be made. For example,
Mozilla 1.0.2 (from the 1.0 branch) is more stable than Mozilla 1.3a
(from the trunk), but Mozilla 1.3a will have new features that 1.0
branch releases do not have.
> 3.2 What features are planned for future Mozilla releases?
Watch this forum. Feature changes in current development builds will be
announced here and the announcement board
(<news:news.mozilla.org/netscape.public.mozilla.announce> or
<mozilla-...@mozilla.org>)
> 3.3 What other Mozilla-based browsers I can use?
The following lists some browsers based on Mozilla. Note that some of
them may still be under development and are thus unstable for daily uses.
Galeon (linux) <http://galeon.sourceforge.net>
Kmeleon (windows) <http://www.kmeleon.org>
Beonex (commercial, cross-platform) <http://www.beonex.com/>
Pheonix (linux, windows) <http://mozilla.org/projects/phoenix/>
Chimera (Mac OS X) <http://mozilla.org/projects/chimera/>
> 3.4 What are the differences between Netscape 7.01 and Mozilla?
Netscape 7.01 is based on Mozilla 1.02. Both applications share almost
the identical features, such as tabbed browsing, Internet Keywords, and
Sidebar. Exceptions are additions of proprietary features such as spell
checker, mail encryption, and mail support for Netscape WebMail and AOL
mail. In general, Netscape 7 and Mozilla will display Web pages and read
mails the same.
> 3.5 Can I use Netscape 7 and Mozilla together?
Yes and no. Because of changes Netscape makes to its browser, Netscape 7
and Mozilla are slightly incompatible. If you wish to use them both,
create a separate profile for each browser.
> 3.6 Mozilla, Opera, and Internet Explorer, which one is better?
No browser war here. Period
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
4.1 Is Mozilla secure?
4.2 Does Mozilla support P3P?
4.3 Does Mozilla support PICS content rating?
> 4.1 Is Mozilla secure?
Yes and no. Mozilla has few known security flaws. However, while
mozilla.org and other software vendors are sensitive about security
issues, security flaws occassionally get introduced into software.
Users are therefore advised to keep themselves informed of security
issues in the software they use.
Some known (but fixed) security vulnerabilities are documented at
<http://mozilla.org/projects/security/known-vulnerabilities.html>
> 4.2 Does Mozilla support P3P?
P3P, or Platform for Privacy Preferences (<http://www.w3.org/P3P/>), is
an established standard enabling users to better control what data Web
sites can collect from them. Support for P3P is planned (read
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=62399>).
> 4.3 Does Mozilla support PICS content rating?
No, no content rating control facility is available right now (read
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=72451>).
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
4.1 Is Mozilla secure?
4.2 Does Mozilla support P3P?
4.3 Does Mozilla support PICS content rating?
> 4.1 Is Mozilla secure?
Yes and no. Mozilla has few known security flaws. However, while
mozilla.org and other software vendors are sensitive about security
issues, security flaws occassionally get introduced into software. Users
are therefore advised to keep themselves informed of security issues in
the software they use.
Some known (but fixed) security vulnerabilities are documented at
<http://mozilla.org/projects/security/known-vulnerabilities.html>
> 4.2 Does Mozilla support P3P?
P3P, or Platform for Privacy Preferences (<http://www.w3.org/P3P/>), is
an established standard enabling users to better control what data Web
sites can collect from them. Support for P3P is planned (read
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=62399>).
> 4.3 Does Mozilla support PICS content rating?
No, no content rating control facility is available right now (read
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=72451>).
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
5.1 Where can I get the latest Mozilla build?
5.2 Where can I get localized (translated) build?
5.3 Where can I get a custom build of Mozilla?
5.4 Can I install a newer version over an old one?
5.5 How do I downgrade from a newer version?
5.6 What are the known issues?
5.7 Installation troubleshooting
This section is applicable mainly for Mozilla 1.0.1
> 5.1 Where can I get the latest Mozilla build?
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/nightly/latest/
> 5.2 Where can I get localized (translated) build?
Localized builds and language packs can be downloaded from
<http://mozilla.org/projects/l10n/mlp_status.html>
> 5.3 Where can I get a custom build of Mozilla?
Currently, beonex <www.beonex.com> is the only organization that will
make custom builds for users (for a fee).
> 5.4 Can I install a newer version over an old one?
Information not available. Contribution welcome.
> 5.5 How do I downgrade from a newer version?
Information not available. Contribution welcome.
> 5.6 What are the known issues?
Most known issues with Mozilla compatibility and installations are
documented in the release notes:
Mozilla 1.0.2 <http://mozilla.org/releases/mozilla1.0.2>
Mozilla 1.1 <http://mozilla.org/releases/mozilla1.1>
Mozilla 1.2.1 <http://mozilla.org/releases/mozilla1.2.1/>
The following are some issues not documented in the release notes at
time of writing.
Mozilla has a known problem installing into a Windows XP machine with
service pack 1 installed (see
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=167515>)
ZoneAlarm is not compatible with Mozilla. If you recieve message from
ZoneAlarm about Mozilla security when browsing the Web, simply disable
ZoneAlarm.
ICQ, Palm Desktop and Trillian for Windows and Linux GNOME sometimes
trap keyboard shortcuts from Mozilla.
> 5.7 Installation troubleshooting
Q: I chose Custom Install, but I cannot change what components to install...
A: If you are installing over a previous installation, all components
already installed will be required; for example if you already have
Chatzilla installed, you cannot uninstall Chatzilla during installation.
If you want a clean install, retract to the previous step (Setup Type)
and change the Destination Directory to a new directory. Or you can
uninstall Mozilla first and then reinstall.
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
dwx
6.1 How do I create a new profile?
6.2 How do I delete or rename a profile?
6.3 Where are my profile data located?
6.4 What is the @$%#@$%#.slt directory in my profile directory?
6.5 How do I back up my profile data?
6.6 Help, I lost my bookmarks/mails/etc.! How do I restore them?
6.7 How do I share profile data?
6.8 How do I transport my profile to a different machine?
6.9 How do I protect data of my profile?
6.10 How do I force Mozilla to open with a specific profile?
6.11 Can I share a profile between Netscape 7 and Mozilla?
6.12 How do I change the default preferences for new profiles?
If you use the Internet at home and at work, you may want to have access
to a different set of bookmarks, preferences, address books, e-mail
accounts, sidebar setup, and so on. Similarly, family members may want
to share a copy of the same browser software but keep their Internet
identities separate.
The Profile Manager lets you create different profiles, each with its
own bookmarks, preferences, e-mail settings, and so on. You
automatically create a default profile when you first install Mozilla.
After you create one or more additional profiles, you will be asked
which you want to use each time you launch the browser.
> 6.1 How do I create a new profile?
To create a profile:
1. Completely exit the browser, including the Quick Launch if it is on.
You cannot create a new profile while the Navigator, Mail, or any other
Mozilla component is running.
2. Open the Profile Manager:
* On Windows, open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Mozilla,
then Profile Manager.
* On Mac OS, open the Mozilla folder and then double-click the Profile
Manager.
* On Linux, type the following at the command line: ./mozilla
-profilemanager
3. Choose the “Create Profile” button. Read the Profile description, and
then choose the “Next” button.
4. Enter a profile name. This can be anything you like, such as your
real name or a name that's related to what you use the profile for, such
as “Work.”
5. Accept the default location for the new profile, or choose the
“Choose Folder” button and navigate to the location you want.
6. If you have Language Packs or Regional Content Packs installed,
choose “Region Selection” and select the Language/Content set you want.
7. Choose “Finish.”
The opening screen of the Profile Manager reappears, with the new
profile listed and highlighted. To start up your browser with the new
profile, choose “Start Mozilla.”
As you begin using the new profile, you may be asked for additional
information as you perform tasks that require it — for example, checking
your e-mails.
> 6.2 How do I delete or rename a profile?
You may want to delete profiles that you do not normally use. To delete
or rename an existing profile:
1. Completely exit the browser.
2. Open the Profile Manager.
3. To delete a profile, select its name and choose “Delete Profile.” You
will have an option whether to keep your profile files or not.
4. To rename a profile, select its name, choose “Rename Profile,” and
follow the instructions.
> 6.3 Where are my profile data located?
The location of a profile has three elements: the BASE, its NAME, and
its SALT (xxxxxxxx.slt). For example,
C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\John Smith\lm34qgkq.slt
| | | |
------------base profile directory -------- ---name--- ----salt----
The BASE profile directory houses the profile registry (Registry.dat)
file. The BASE directory depends on the system settings, as will be
described later. Registry.dat cannot be moved from its default location.
When you create a profile in Profile Manager, you can choose a different
BASE directory and NAME sub-directory. The SALT is a sub-directory named
with eight random alpha-numerals followed by .slt extension (see 6.4
“What is the @$%#@$%#.slt directory in my profile directory”). If SALT
does not exist, Profile Manager will create one. However, if SALT does
exist, Profile Manager will use it.
The following lists typical base profile directories:
Windows
On Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME (without log-in), a typical
base profile location is:
C:\Windows\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\
On Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows ME with login, a typical base
profile location is:
C:\Windows\Profiles\[Log-in Name]\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\
On Windows 2000 or Windows XP, a typical base profile location is:
C:\Documents and Settings\[Log-in Name]\Application
Data\Mozilla\Profiles
Note: on Windows 2000 or Windows XP, the “Document and Settings”
directory is hidden twice. To access the directory, enable Windows
Explorer to view System and Hidden directories and files.
Macintosh
On Mac OS 9, a typical profile location is
Documents:Mozilla:
On Mac OS X, a typical profile location is
~/Library/Mozilla/Profiles/
Linux
On Linux, a typical profile location is
~/.mozilla/
> 6.4 What is the @$%#@$%#.slt directory in my profile directory?
This is called “salting.” Profile data is stored in a randomly named
directory to make it difficult for malicious programs to find profile
data. See <http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=56002> and
<http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=97180>
> 6.5 How do I back up my profile data?
Occasionally, your browser software or your computer system may
malfunction and cause important profile data to be lost. Therefore you
are recommended to make a backup copy of your profile periodically.
Backup frequency will depend on your usage.
All your user data are stored in your profile directories (see 6.3
“Where are my profile data located?”). If you are not sure what to back
up, or if you want to back up everything, back up the entire directory
content. Restoring or transport profile data will be easier if you keep
the SALT and NAME.
The following files should not be backed up:
xul.mfl, xul.mfasl, or XUL FastLoad File
localstore.rdf
chrome/*.jar (custom theme files)
Reusing the above mentioned files may cause Mozilla to crash or
malfunction. To reclaim a theme, install the latest version of your
theme instead of using a backup copy.
The following describes how you can selectively back up your data.
_Mails_
E-mails are stored in the Mail (or ImapMail) sub-directory (i.e.
/Mail/pop.mail.yahoo.com/). To back up your mail messages, save the
files without extension, for example "INBOX". To back up filters too,
save the rules.dat file. The *.msf files are index files that will be
automatically regenerated if removed. Save the entire directory if you
are uncertain what to save.
_News_
News settings and messages are stored in the News sub-directory (i.e.
/News/news.mozilla.org/). Your subscribed groups are stored in the *.rc
file (i.e. news.mozilla.org.rc). The complete news server groupslist is
stored in hostinfo.dat (e.g. /News/news.mozilla.org/hostinfo.dat). *.msf
files store message summaries. To back up news, save the *.rc, *.dat,
and *.msf files.
_Address book_
In your profile directory, save abook.mab (personal address book) and
history.mab (collected addresses). If you have more than one address
book, save all *.mab files.
_Bookmarks_
Save the bookmarks.html file.
_Saved password data_
Username and password data is stored in 12345678.s (the number part is
random). Save the file.
_Saved form data_
Saved form data is stored in 12345678.w (the number part is random).
Save the file.
_Junk filters_
If you are using a Mozilla 1.3 developer build, save the training.dat
file which stores information for the new smart filtering system.
_Cookies_
Save the cookies.txt file.
_User Preferences_
The main Mozilla configuration file is prefs.js. Save this file.
_Customization files_
Save user.js, chrome/userContent.css, and chrome/userChrome.css if you
use them to customize Mozilla.
> 6.6 Help, I lost my bookmarks/mails/etc.! How do I restore them?
Normally, all you need to do is to restore with the backup copies of files.
Exit the browser, and replace the relevent files in your profile
directory with the backup copies. If after restart the profile data
still appear to be “lost,” you may have a corrupted chrome cache file,
in which case, exit your browser, delete the xul.mfl, xul.mfasl, or XUL
FastLoad File file in your profile directory, and restart Mozilla again.
> 6.7 How do I share profile data?
Currently, Mozilla does not support roaming access for storing and
synchronizing mail, bookmarks, etc. in a remote location. If you put
your profile in a remote location, the profile must only be accessed by
one copy of Mozilla at a time; concurrent profile access may corrupt
profile data.
> 6.8 How do I transport my profile to a different machine?
Mozilla uses the same file formats for profile in all platforms, so it
is possible to transport a profile across two different operating
systems. To move a profile to a different machine:
1. First, follow the instructions in 6.5 “How do I back up my profile
data?” to make a copy of your profile data.
2. Copy your profile files to the target machine. The profile location
must be complete (BASE, NAME, and SALT). If possible, keep the profile
locations the same between the old machine and target machine. If they
are different, you will need to edit the profile configuration file
manually.
3. In the target machine, open the Profile Manager.
4. Choose “Create Profile,” and then choose “Next.”
5. Enter a profile name.
6. Choose the “Choose Folder” button and navigate to the target profile
location (BASE+NAME, excluding SALT).
7. Choose “Finish.”
Hint to system administrators: if you want to copy the same profile as
the default to many systems with CLEAN Mozilla installations, you can
skip all these steps simply by copying all contents of the profile
directory, including Registry.dat.
The opening screen of the Profile Manager reappears, with the new
profile listed and highlighted. If the profile locations
(BASE+NAME+SALT) are exactly the same between the old and target
machines, you can start up your browser with the new profile by choosing
Start Mozilla. If not, you will need to edit the profile configuration file:
1. Exit the Profile Manager.
2. In your profile directory, locate the “prefs.js” file and open it
with a text editor such as Notepad or SimpleText. The configuration file
is a list of entries like:
user_pref("<setting>", <value>);
3. Locate the entries for “browser.cache.disk.parent_directory,”
“mail.directory,” “mail.root.imap,” “mail.root.nntp,” “mail.root.none,”
“mail.root.pop3,” “mail.newsrc_root,” and “news.directory” (you may not
have all of them). Delete these lines.
4. Save the file and open Mozilla with the new profile.
5. Open the Mail & Newsgroups client. (You will find that none of your
backup messages are imported yet.) In Mail & Newsgroups, open the Edit
menu and choose “Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings...”
6. In the Accounts pane on the left, navigate to the Local Folders
account. On the right pane, change “Local Directory” to reflect the new
profile directory.
7. In the Accounts pane, navigate to each mail account. Navigate to
“Server Settings” and change “Local Directory” to reflect the new
profile directory.
(For step 5 to 7, Irwin Greenwald suggested editing “panacea.dat”
instead. I have not tried this, what do you think?)
8. If you have newsgroup subscription(s), navigate to “Server Settings”
for each news account. Change “newsrc file” and “Local Directory” to
reflect the new profile directory.
9. Choose OK.
10. Exit Mozilla and then restart it. All messages should now be imported.
> 6.9 How do I protect data of my profile?
Currently Mozilla does not encrypt profile data, so your best bet would
be restricting read and write access to your profile directory through
your operating system's file system facilities.
> 6.10 How do I force Mozilla to open with a specific profile?
The command line to open Mozilla with a specific profile is:
mozilla.exe -p <profile_name>
where <profile_name> is the name of the profile as appeared in the
Profile Manager.
To open Mozilla in Quick Launch mode with a specific profile, the
command line is:
mozilla.exe -turbo -p <profile_name>
> 6.11 Can I share a profile between Netscape 7 and Mozilla?
Sharing a profile between Netscape and Mozilla can cause the browser
software to malfunction or even data loss. You should use different
profiles for each clients.
> 6.12 How do I change the default preferences for new profiles?
To change the default preferences for all new profiles, in the Mozilla
install directory, navigate to defaults/profile. Create a custom
preference file “user.js” (see 8.1 “Where are the hidden preferences?”)
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Special thanks to Benedikt Kantus and Irwin Greenwald for comments and
suggestions.
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This
Daniel Wang
Daniel Wang
7.1 How do I deal with spam and mail from unknown senders?
7.2 The Junk button in Mozilla 1.3 does not work, why?
7.3 Where can I set the preferences for the junk filtering system?
7.4 How about de-spam services?
7.5 Can I bounce spam mail back to its sender?
7.6 How can I prevent my e-mail address being harvested?
7.7 How do I remove myself from spammers' mailing lists?
7.8 Should I use my real e-mail address in Mozilla forums?
7.9 Is it safe to read spam mail?
7.x Closing remarks
This section answers questions to one of the most talked about, and most
misunderstood, topic: how do we deal with unsolicited mail in Mozilla?
This section also provides some additional information that should have
been in section 4 “Security and Privacy.”
> 7.1 How do I deal with spam and mail from unknown senders?
Ignore spam mail.
As good as spam-fighting technologies may become, and as good as
spammers may be at evading counter measures, this has remained the most
basic and effective way of fighting back since the early days of Internet.
> 7.2 The Junk button in Mozilla 1.3 does not work, why?
If you are using Mozilla 1.3, you will find in the toolbar a Junk button
which allows you to mark a message as junk (or not junk). In the
message list pane, there is a column for Junk Status. (If you do not
see it, click on the right-most button in the list header bar, which
lists subject, sender, date, etc., and check Junk Status from the pop-up
menu.) When you choose the Junk button, a trash can icon will appear or
disappear in the column to indicate the junk status of the selected message.
The new junk filtering feature uses the Bayesian classification method.
To quote from <www.mozilla.org/mailnews/spam.html>:
Using Bayesian filtering requires that you first train the mailer
by showing it a bunch of mail that is junk, and a bunch of mail
that is not. Then, you let it autoclassify new mail for you, and
you continue to correct it as it makes mistakes.
Do not be alarmed if the Junk button appears to do nothing when you
first use it; the system will become very accurate if you use it often
enough. Read <www.mozilla.org/mailnews/spam-howto.html> on how to use
the smart filtering system.
> 7.3 Where can I set the preferences for the junk filtering system?
In the main Mail window, open the Tools menu, and choose Junk Mail Controls.
> 7.4 How about de-spam services?
You may, at your own risk, use spam filtering services such as those
provided by your mail carrier or a third-party service such as
<www.despammed.com> to automatically filter out spam mail. However,
unless you are receiving a large volume of spam mail, normally filtering
on your own is easy enough to require no extra help.
> 7.5 Can I bounce spam mail back to its sender?
You should not.
Many people have requested a bounce feature which would allow them to
send a fake unknown-recipient return message back to spammers. The aim
is usually to punish spammers by costing them bandwidth to receive such
bounce messages. Unfortunately, such measure usually punish innocent
bystanders. Spam senders often hijack other people's e-mail addresses,
and bounce would do double injury to these people. Also, it costs
little for spammers to send and receive messages, but it costs network
carriers to process both spams and your bounce messages.
> 7.6 How can I prevent my e-mail address being harvested?
Unfortunately, unless you keep your e-mail address to some private
friends, sooner or later spammers will harvest your e-mail addresses.
Spammers usually harvest mail addresses by scanning mailing list and
Usenet postings and Web sites. If you are on mailing lists, you can
create a public account different from your private one for posting to
mailing lists. If you read newsgroups, you can use a public account or
post anonymously, depending on the newsgroup rules. Mozilla newsgroups
require that you use a real e-mail address.
> 7.7 How do I remove myself from spammers' mailing lists?
Most spam mail include opt-out instructions. However, trust that
"spammers lie" and do not follow the instructions; any form of reply
would merely confirm your existence and invite more spams.
> 7.8 Should I use my real e-mail address in Mozilla forums?
You should use a real, repliable e-mail address when posting to Mozilla
and Netscape newsgroups. You do not have to use your primary, private
e-mail address. If you are concerned about your e-mail address being
harvested by spam bots, you may sign up for a free e-mail account and
use it. You can get free e-mail accounts from <www.yahoo.com> or
<www.hotmail.com>.
> 7.9 Is it safe to read spam mail?
There has been no known incident of mail virus for Mozilla, so as far as
malicious code is concerned it is quite safe to open spam mail.
(However, if you forward a message to another person, be courteous and
scan any attachment for virus as what is safe to you may be unsafe for
another.)
As far as privacy is concerned, there are a few things that you should
be aware of.
By default, Mozilla loads remote images in messages. You may not want
this to happen because by sending a remote server a request to get an
image you may confirm your existence.
To disable remote images in Mail & Newsgroups, open the Edit menu and
choose “Preferences”. Choose category “Privacy & Security”, then choose
the sub-category “Images”. Check the option “Do not load remote images
in Mail & Newsgroup messages”.
If you do not wish to see any images, remote or stored in mail messages,
or if you want to be able to turn on images quickly, open the View menu,
choose “Message Body As", and then choose “Simple HTML” or “Plain Text.”
Also, open the View menu, and uncheck “Display Attachments Inline.” To
turn on images for a specific message, choose the “Original HTML” option
and check “Display Attachments Inline”
By default, Mozilla will not allow mail messages to read or write
cookies*. To make sure this is indeed true, open the View menu, then
choose “Preferences”. In the Preferences dialog, choose category
“Privacy & Security”, choose sub-category “Cookies”, and then check if
option “Disable cookies in Mail & Newsgroup” is checked.
* Cookies is explained by
<http://wp.netscape.com/security/basics/privacy.html?cp=sspmid#cookies>
By default, Mozilla does not allow messages to execute code. To make
sure this is indeed true, open the View menu, then choose “Preferences.”
In the Preferences dialog, choose category “Advanced”, then choose
sub-category “Script & Plugins”. In the “Enable JavaScript for” pane,
make sure option “Mail & Newsgroups” is not checked.
> Closing remarks
This article only provides general information that everyone would need.
If you want more information on spams, visit <http://spam.abuse.net>.
Also read the excellent Net Abuse FAQ
<http://www.cybernothing.org/faqs/net-abuse-faq.html>. Be sure you
bookmark it. I did!
---------------------------------- >8 ----------------------------------
Special thanks to Esben Mose Hansen and Mike for helping me with this
article.
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 by Daniel Wang, all rights reserved. This