This is a bug in Magento 1.4.2.0 (bug also present in 1.5.0.0-rc2). When trying to save a configurable product in a store view other than the default, the "Name" property is not properly saved. The product name for the default store automatically jumps back after saving the configurable product. All other configurable product properties are saved correctly.
This problem is discussed in:
I have developed a few extensions for Magento, and tried to find and correct the bug, but unfortunately this issue is beyond my current Magento capabilities.
Any ideas?
This issue is solved in Magento 1.5.1.0; for those who don't want to upgrade, a working solution is presented here: http://www.magentocommerce.com/boards/viewthread/215467/P30/.