How can I affect Thunderbird default configs without enforcing configs in a Big Brother fashion?

[Michael Baffoni]

So I know that I can as a corporate IT manager create a set of user.js configs that will apply to all of my corporate users and enforce/require those changes persist across reboots (although it does allow them to make changes which don't require a reboot), but this is not what I'm looking for. Doing some searching, I have found mention of a "default.js" that I _think_ is only used at install time to establish a baseline of default behaviors. What I want to know is, is there a way for me as an IT administrator to change the program defaults to meet our common company standards and still allow my users to make changes as they desire?

This becomes a near and dear issue as changes occur within the new releases that will cause problems with our corporate users (see https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=167319). I want to give them the option of using the new features, but I want to make sure we make any upgrades as transparent and problem-free as possible.

Ideally, I would want the default.js file to be an actively used file in every profile so that as we as a company change defaults to meet our changing software or changing corporate environment, we can push out a new set of defaults (with notification of course!) without over-riding any settings the users already have in the pref.js.

However, if there is a better way to accomplish this, that would be great to know!

Thanks,

-MikeB

[Ben Bucksch]

On 28.04.2009 19:30, Michael Baffoni wrote:
> is there a way for me as an IT administrator to change the program
> defaults to meet our common company standards and still allow my users
> to make changes as they desire?

Yes, that's easy: Assuming it's application-wide settings (not email
account-specific), you can set them as "default prefs". You can find
them in the Thunderbird installation directory (where the executable
it), in directory defaults/pref/ . There, you'll find an
all-thunderbird.js etc.. Just create a *new* file, with a name that's
alphabethically before all others (e.g. ab-yourcompanyname.js) and put
your settings in there, in the form:
pref("mail.phishing.detection.enabled", true);
pref("alerts.totalOpenTime", 3000);
pref("mail.signature_file", "~/.signature");
(i.e. pref(), not user_pref(), otherwise the same as in your profile's
pref.js)

That's it. Only remaining problem is distribution of the installation
files, but that's highly dependent on how you administrate machines.

Ben

[Laurent Bauvens]

Hello

Another way to manage preferences is to use the autoconfig(MCD)
function which permits to modify default prefs keys value and also
lock some of them.
Autoconfig(MCD) is very useful for Thunderbird (and also Firefox)
administrators because it permits to maintain a centralized
configuration file.
However I must say that some hidden keys (like help menu item URI)
cannot be accessed with it and it can't delete keys just create and
modify them; and it's sometimes very annoying.

You could find all informations about autoconfig(MCD) here :
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/MCD,_Mission_Control_Desktop_AKA_AutoConfig

Regards
--
Laurent Bauvens