Albert Y. C. Lai wrote:
Andrew Coppin wrote:
Thunderbird has a long-standing bug in that new posts having the same subject line as some other post that happened many years ago get added to that thread. It's really most irritating. :-S
I have investigated. A bit of skepticism goes a long way. Never be taken in. So, for the record:
In Thunderbird if you click "Write" (not "Reply" or "Reply All"), the headers are according to the semantics of "Write", i.e., no "References:" or "In-Reply-To:". Insofar as headers, this is correct behaviour.
When Thunderbird gets a post (from your "Write" or from outside) with no "References:" and "In-Reply-To:" header, but with "Subject:" same as existing posts, it still displays them together as a thread. But this is just a display trick - "References:" and "In-Reply-To:" are not fudged. Evidently, this is a measure against non-compliant posts. Furthermore, this is configurable. In the config editor, look for "mail.strict_threading".
The presence of the setting implies that the programmers know what they are getting into. There is a tension between following the rules and inter-operating with those who don't follow the rules. This is not a bug; this is a conscious compromise. And you can change it.
Changing the setting doesn't change the threading structure of existing posts - the decisions made back then were recorded. (There is also a way to delete that, along with lots of other meta-data: delete the appropriate .msf file.) The setting is effective for posts seen henceforth.
I can't blame you for being not observant. Afterall, this is precisely what I'm alluding to with "everyone can haz PC", or rather, the way Bill Gates executes it. Everyone becomes superficial, everyone just looks at what's displayed on the screen - or rather, fictionized on the screen - and jumps to conclusions.
Never be taken in.
I have heard - multiple times - that this erroneous behaviour can be turned off. I have tried endlessly to follow such instructions to the letter. And yet, I can never get Thunderbird to not misthread things. So kindly don't tell me I'm jumping to conclusions. I've read the bug reports (there have been many!) and followed the instructions for changing the settings, and it never ever works. I still get broken threading.