Emon wrote:

> Date: Fri, 09 Jun 2006 01:15:10 +0600
> From: Emon <emon at nerdshack.com>
> Subject: [tclug-list] Thunderbird date format problem
> To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org
> Message-ID: <4488773E.3070305 at nerdshack.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> 
> Hi all
> 
> I have just joined the list  :-)
> 
> Here is my problem,
> 
> I am newbie running Slackware10.2 with KDE desktop.
> 
> I have long since upgraded to "mozilla-thunderbird-1.5-i686-1jim" which
> I downloaded from <linuxpackges.net>
> 
> I want to change the date format of thunderbird to the default format
> that I have configured for KDE (SHORTWEEKDAY-DD-SHORTMONTH-YY). My dates
> show up as Tue-07-Jun-06. Basically I get confused between date & month
> so I at lest like to keep one of them in words.
> 
> I did a bit of searching & found this site
> 
> kb.mozillazine.org/Date_display_format
> 
> My first question is why did all the pages that I came across, referred
> to this (user.js) file? I did not find any such file, but I did  find
> something called "prefs.js" /in/my/home/.thunderbird which seems to have
> the same function.
> 
> So I added a line to the file (prefs.js) as per the instruction on
> the page
> 
> user_pref("mail.ui.display.dateformat.default", 1);
> 
> it was supposed to show me time like this
> 
> Friday, December 31 2003 10:23 AM
> 
> but unfortunately it had no effect!! the date format remained as it was
> before (06/07/2006 12:30 PM).
> 
> Then I installed this (configdate-0.3.6-tb.xpi) extension, which (as I
> realized later) just automates the above mentioned process; and it also
> had no effect (no surprise there I guess).
> 
> My dates (in thunderbird) keep showing as 06/07/2006 12:30 PM
> 
> I did check the /patch section for Slackware10.2 at <slackware.com> & it
>  had mozilla-thunderbird-1.0.7
> Could it be possible that thunderbird-1.5 is not compatible with
> Slackware10.2 ?? or am I doing something wrong??
> 
> Oh! I am also using a custom compiled 2.6.13 kernel & my Location is KDE
> is Bangladesh... could that have anything to with this all??
> 
> Thanks
> Emon
> 

You need to create the user.js file.
1. Fire up favorite text editor
2. Type in user_pref("mail.ui.display.dateformat.default", 1);
   as per instructions.(I haven't used that particular pref so don't

   know if it will do what you want)
3. Save as user.js in same directory as prefs.js

user.js is not created at install and prefs.js is overwritten at
thunderbird shutdown so no point in adding prefs there.

hth
harv