about:config shows a "network.online" pref that is true. However, if you use the File Menu item or the disconnect icon at the bottom left, it doesn't flip the pref. There is one bug that mentions this as part of autoconfig, but basically implies that this pref should show the offline-online state. If this pref is not used, we should remove it from various all.js files.

Pref appears in three places: /modules/libpref/src/init/all.js, line 643 /mail/app/profile/all.js, line 623 /browser/app/profile/all.js, line 453 I'm also not sure why anyone would want to lock this pref so users cannot go offline (to keep the mail from being downloaded to local disk?)

yeah, the pref should be removed.

Should I remove the pref, and then file a bug about autoconf being broken? What I really don't understand at all, is how offline/online should be working then, is it simply pref-less?

Outside of code that locks the the pref, I couldn't see anything functional going on... network.online /extensions/pref/autoconfig/src/nsAutoConfig.cpp, line 429 -- // lock the "network.online" prference so user cannot toggle back to /extensions/pref/autoconfig/src/nsAutoConfig.cpp, line 431 -- rv = mPrefBranch->SetBoolPref("network.online", PR_FALSE); /extensions/pref/autoconfig/src/nsAutoConfig.cpp, line 434 -- mPrefBranch->LockPref("network.online"); /l10n/langpacks/nscp/ja-JP/defaults/pref/all.js, line 503 -- pref("network.online", true); //online/offline /lib/libaddr/abcinfo.cpp, line 2043 -- PREF_RegisterCallback("network.online", OfflineContainerCallback, NULL); /lib/libaddr/abcinfo.cpp, line 2049 -- PREF_UnregisterCallback("network.online", OfflineContainerCallback, NULL); /lib/libmsg/msgcpane.cpp, line 2747 -- PREF_SetBoolPref("network.online", TRUE); // make sure we're online. /lib/libmsg/msgmast.cpp, line 1784 -- PREF_GetBoolPref("network.online", &m_bOnline); /lib/libmsg/msgmast.cpp, line 1786 -- PREF_SetBoolPref("network.online", TRUE); /lib/libmsg/msgmast.cpp, line 1830 -- PREF_SetBoolPref("network.online", FALSE); /lib/mailto/msgcpane.cpp, line 2353 -- PREF_SetBoolPref("network.online", TRUE); // make sure we're online. /modules/libpref/src/init/all.js, line 635 -- pref("network.online", true); //online/offline /mail/app/profile/all.js, line 619 -- pref("network.online", true); //online/offline /xpfe/communicator/resources/content/utilityOverlay.js, line 84 -- //Checking for a preference "network.online", if it's locked, disabling /xpfe/communicator/resources/content/utilityOverlay.js, line 92 -- var offlineLocked = prefBranch.prefIsLocked("network.online"); /browser/app/profile/all.js, line 453 -- pref("network.online", true); //online/offline This page was automatically generated by LXR patches for the all.js prefs entries coming up in bug 205077.

What is the pref for Mozilla to always start offline? Wasn't this supposed to be this? If not, which should I use?

network.online does seem to be set by the various UI elements (the offline-online button and the "work offline" checkbox in password manager). however, if it is not in all.js, it never appears in about:config when used. If you quit while offline, the browser does remember the state, so my above lxr search probably is not hitting all the relevant code. (also, found and filed bug 229307) I'm going to update my prefs patches in bug 205077 to NOT remove this line now. (the prefs files have forked again, a painful lesson on doing prompt checkins...)

+cc mscott, just found out that mailnews has more hooks into this functionality than I realized. Still finding more weirdnes, bug 229677.

This pref currently is only read in one place - http://lxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/mailnews/extensions/offline-startup/js/offlineStartup.js#93 . Other code sets it and checks if it's locked. Firefox code uses "browser.offline" http://lxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/browser/base/content/browser.js#5950 Perhaps the current situation is related to the work in bug 312793? Does comment 2 still stand, and if so, what should the mailnews code be doing instead?

This pref indicates that mailnews/thunderbird should start offline by default. It is unrelated to whether the network is currently in online or offline mode. It is unused in Firefox.