[Bug 589169] [NEW] simlink profile directory echoing profile directory

[Nan M]

Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: thunderbird

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS 
Release: 10.04
Thunderbird version 3.0.4+nobinonly-0ubuntu4 0

Install history:  Thunderbird 2 installed from scratch via Synaptic Package Manager in 9.10, which was itself installed via the standard live desktop cd, sourced from an approved Australian mirror.
Upgrade to Thunderbird 3 was done via recommended Synaptic Package Manager upgrade path from 9.10 to 10.04.  Same Australian mirror.
No error messages were produced at the time of upgrade, which was done 5th May 2010.

Expected behaviour:
Simlink directory ~/.mozilla-thunderbird remains empty and ~/.thunderbird contains profile data.
The archived structure created with Gzip should be retained when untarred.

Observed behaviour:

In Nautilus, ~/.mozilla-thunderbird directory is echoing ~/.thunderbird directory.  Thus all changes in either directory are duplicated in the other, not just with Thunderbird operations. 
And these behaviours are not any that I've experienced previously with Gnome overall. For example, deleting a profile using Nautilus from either directory appears to delete the profile from the other at the next Nautilus manipulation, and returning the profile appears to return the profile to the other at the next Nautilus action.  
The archived ~/.mozilla-thunderbird directory is untarred as a plain directory and a new empty simlink *file* ~/mozilla-thunderbird is created at the same time.  The ~/.thunderbird directory appears to be unaffected by untarring.
I haven't  tested the complete untarred ~/ structure as a restore - mainly because I don't have the disk space to do a full restore of my home partition while retaining the existing home partition.  The archive is a backup, kept on separate hardware.  It's a little bit worrying that I may lose email, so I'm trying to remember to manually backup just the profile as well as ~/.

Using Synaptics Package Manager, a Reinstall, and a Complete Uninstall
followed by a clean Install of Thunderbird (following manual rm of the
profile directories) and reinstalling gives no change to any behaviours.

In all other respects, Thunderbird 3 behaves completely as expected.  It
is opened using the Gnome "Mozilla Thunderbird" menu items, using Gnome
Do, and also using the "thunderbird" cli command.

** Affects: thunderbird (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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simlink profile directory echoing profile directory
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/589169
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