old Firefox data loss bug fixed

Firefox may delete bookmark tags

It took me some time to notice that I had been losing Firefox 6 bookmark tags. I reported the bug on August 26, 2011. (bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=682512).

The status of my report in Firefox Bugzilla (bug tracking site) is marked as verified and fixed (but the fix was not present in Firefox 7 beta); therefore, this bug was still present in the version of Firefox 6.0.2

Steps to reproduce the bug

  • Open All bookmarks manager - Ctrl-Shift-B
  • Right-click on a bookmark and Cut
  • Move to the other bookmarks folder.
  • Right-click Paste.
  • Result: Bookmark's Tag cleared.
  • Expected: Bookmark's Tag should stay

The same bug existed in Firefox 3.6 Mozilla (bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=415389). According to Firefox's developers' policy, the bug was fixed only in Firefox 7. That means that Firefox bugs are considered "fixed" when they are not.

This allowed plenty of time for people to 'enjoy' Firefox bugs and for hackers to exploit published ones. Developers naturally protect their creations and may even be malicious towards anyone who points at problems.

The other bug fix policy, also prevalent in other companies, is that they fix only major bugs, postponing 'none critical for better days or ignoring them altogether. That can course for bugs to mount to monumental proportions until 10 years later a major hack is impossible to ignore.

Bug fixed as of 2011

The update scheme changed, now new releases come out as soon as major bugs are fixed, (thanks to me?). support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/896705