QGIS 3.10: setting default CRS for new projects is ignored

Question

QGIS 3.10 honors my change of the default CRS for new projects--until I exit... (Caveat: I've discovered that something is changing the default setting even during a session.) Repeatably, QGIS 3.10, Ubuntu 18.04:

1. % qgis
2. Project->Properties->CRS, note default CRS: WGS 84
3. Settings->Options->CRS, note CRS-for-projects setting: "Use CRS from first layer added."
4. Change to: Use a default CRS and change default from WGS 84 to EPSG:5070 - NAD83/Conus Albers
5. still on CRS page, note CRS-for-layers setting: Default CRS: WGS 84 and "Leave as an unknown CRS."
6. Leave default CRS for layers set to WGS 84
7. Change to "Use Project CRS"
8. Unselect "Ask for a datum tranformation" (I don't know which to pick anyway.)
9. Click "OK" to close Settings window
10. Project->Properties->CRS, note default CRS still WRS 84
11. Project->New
12. Project->Properties->CRS, note CRS has changed to EPSG:5070
13. Save the new, empty project.
14. Or don't: the behavior is the same.
15. Exit QGIS and re-start.
16. GOTO 1. (that is, changes have been ignored)

Is there a step I'm missing to inform QGIS to make the change permanent?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Summary: changing (restoring?) ownership of QGIS3.ini file from root to current user causes changes to be saved. Immediately after the change of ownership, I ran QGIS and changed the default CRS settings and then exited and restarted; they were saved, and the QGIS3.ini file had an updated timestamp.

I did more research at qgis.org, and taking the advice there about reporting a bug, created a new user profile (Settings->UserProfiles->NewUserProfile), and verified that the behavior does not present in the new profile.

It is however associated with the default profile, which I assume is the one all new users use. Even if the problem is associated with the profile, it's fair to ask what actions caused it to become impaired.

In the end I filed a bug report with QGIS.

(Afterwards, looking at where profile information is stored:
~/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/
I observed that the configuration file, at least in my case, is owned by root in the default/ profile, but as the user in the newly created one, debug/.
% ls -l ~/.local/share/QGIS/QGIS3/profiles/de[bf]*/QGIS/QGIS3
debug/QGIS/:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 me me 23051 Jun 24 10:33 QGIS3.ini
default/QGIS/:
-rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 85779 Jun 4 16:52 QGIS3.ini

I'm betting that readonly for the user on the default/QGIS3.ini is responsible.