From what I can tell, by delving into the SMF literature and community, the glitch with the buddy system is not a glitch. It's an unwanted side effect, and currently hardwired into the system.
The Buddy List feature is currently disabled due to a problem with the Ignore List which is tied in with it. As of yet there is no software solution to the issue with the Ignore List, so for now the Buddy List is staying disabled until we can figure out a workaround.
Sorry for any inconvenience. When we know more, you'll know more. 🙂