reverted back to old browser start functionality + startup notification rant

[Matthew Lenz]

With FC3 the launcher script would check to see if firefox was already
running and if so, it would simply open a new window.  Now FC4 is back
to the old way where it attempts to do startup notification and hijacks
the cursor with the 'hour glass' until startup notification times out.
I wish I didn't feel like gnome startup notification was a huge hack,
but I do (can it just be disabled?).  Yet, when I click on a url in
gaim, or evo it opens it properly in a new tab or window (according to
my tab browser preferences). What gives? I would assume they all execute
the same script right?  Also is it entirely necessary for startup
notification to hijack the cursor with the hourglass just because a
program is starting?  Is it unreasonable that i'd want to immediately go
to the Applications menu and open another application while the other is
loading?  The 'hour glass' isn't exactly a user friendly pointing
device. :)

[Jef Spaleta]

On 6/21/05, Matthew Lenz <matthew(a)nocturnal.org&gt; wrote:
>  What gives? I would assume they all execute
>  the same script right?   
Not...exactly. The menu item calls the htmlview shell
script which in
turn pulls the name of the executable to run from gconf. Reading over
the htmlview script as called from the launcher all it ends up doing
is calling firefox with no arguments.

When called with no arguments firefox is itself choosing to open a new
blank window.
and the hourglass timeout happens.

When htmlview called with a real url as an argument even from a
launcher  the firefox follows the tabbing preferences are followed...
and no hourglass timeout is seen.

whatever is happening is something internal to the /usr/bin/firefox
script which differentiates
between the case with an argument and without an argument and which is
confusing the startup notification process.

-jef

[Matthew Lenz]

On Tue, 2005-06-21 at 15:05 -0400, Jeff Spaleta wrote:
>  On 6/21/05, Matthew Lenz <matthew(a)nocturnal.org&gt; wrote:
>  > What gives? I would assume they all execute
>  > the same script right?  
>  Not...exactly. The menu item calls the htmlview shell script which in
>  turn pulls the name of the executable to run from gconf. Reading over
>  the htmlview script as called from the launcher all it ends up doing
>  is calling firefox with no arguments.
>  
>  When called with no arguments firefox is itself choosing to open a new
>  blank window.
>  and the hourglass timeout happens.
>  
>  When htmlview called with a real url as an argument even from a
>  launcher  the firefox follows the tabbing preferences are followed...
>  and no hourglass timeout is seen.
>  
>  whatever is happening is something internal to the /usr/bin/firefox
>  script which differentiates
>  between the case with an argument and without an argument and which is
>  confusing the startup notification process.
>  
>  -jef
>   
That may be the case.. but changing the panel icon to just call the
firefox script directly (which is the same script referenced in the
application prefercences) results in no startup notification.  What any
of that means I have no idea.  All I know is its pretty unprofessional
looking to have something on the desktop, that with a single click, you
can expose a weakness in the way that desktop functions. :)

[Jef Spaleta]

On 6/21/05, Matthew Lenz <matthew(a)nocturnal.org&gt; wrote:
>  All I know is its pretty unprofessional
>  looking to have something on the desktop, that with a single click, you
>  can expose a weakness in the way that desktop functions. :) 
Luckily  its not called Fedora Core 'Professional'.. so we narrowly
dodged that bullet in terms of disappointing the paying customers. 
Maybe on closer examination this can be resolved as an update.. once
you figure out exactly what's wrong with the htmlview script.

-jef

[Christopher Aillon]

On 06/21/2005 02:37 PM, Matthew Lenz wrote:
>  With FC3 the launcher script would check to see if firefox was
> already
>  running and if so, it would simply open a new window.  Now FC4 is back
>  to the old way where it attempts to do startup notification and hijacks
>  the cursor with the 'hour glass' until startup notification times out.
>  I wish I didn't feel like gnome startup notification was a huge hack,
>  but I do (can it just be disabled?).  Yet, when I click on a url in
>  gaim, or evo it opens it properly in a new tab or window (according to
>  my tab browser preferences). What gives? I would assume they all execute
>  the same script right?  Also is it entirely necessary for startup
>  notification to hijack the cursor with the hourglass just because a
>  program is starting?  Is it unreasonable that i'd want to immediately go
>  to the Applications menu and open another application while the other is
>  loading?  The 'hour glass' isn't exactly a user friendly pointing
>  device. :)
>   
I keep getting distracted with other priority items -- I want to write 
the fix for Firefox to handle this properly.  The issue now is just 
finding time to do so!

Basically, what needs to happen is we need to hack in a service that 
xremote can install a DESKTOP_STARTUP_ID to, and then have the new 
window code properly pass that on to gtk before we paint the window on 
screen.  It's kind of tricky and the codepoints are a little scary at times.

I'm at LinuxTag this week and will probably be catching up next week so 
I won't have time to for a while.  I'd love to see this patched though. 
  If someone is interested, please let me know and I'll attempt to get 
you on your way (only serious inquires, please!)