689252 - cleanup/remove geo.wifi.* preferences

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Core :: DOM: Geolocation, defect)

Comment 1

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

Attachment: patch v.1

Comment 2

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/ade33e515f46

Comment 3

[Robert Kaiser]

Comment on attachment 562575 [details] [diff] [review]
patch v.1

>+    let providerUrlBase = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/browserlocation/json";

Is it legally OK that every Mozilla-based app, including SeaMonkey and any XULRunner application that would hook up Geolocation, is now automatically using this provider? I thought Google explicitly only lets us use this for actual Firefox?
I'm surely OK with having it be used by everybody, but I'm worried that Google may not agree with me here.

Comment 4

[Jorge Villalobos [:jorgev] (he/him)]

Why is this hard-coded now?

Comment 5

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

Why is this no longer configurable? There's not a single comment in this bug explaining the rationale.

This kills projects like Geomena dead. http://geomena.org/

Comment 6

[Don Park [:donpdonp]]

A configurable geolocation provider is a critical freedom in locative web technology. Its as if Ubuntu decided to remove /etc/resolv.conf and hard code the DNS server IP address. Please restore this option. Both Firefox and Opera support this setting..

I started the geomena.org project to create a creative commons licensed alternative to the  wifi location databases of google, apple, and skyhook. Having the geo.wifi.url setting makes this possible.

Comment 7

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

I would appreciate explanation too.

Comment 8

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

The preference is still honored, it is just not in about:config.

Comment 9

[Don Park [:donpdonp]]

How is a firefox user meant to configure the geolocation provider, then?

Comment 10

[Jorge Villalobos [:jorgev] (he/him)]

Looking at the patch, we have this:

> -    let providerUrlBase = Services.prefs.getCharPref("geo.wifi.uri");
> +    let providerUrlBase = "https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/browserlocation/json";
> +    try {
> +        providerUrlBase = Services.prefs.getCharPref("geo.wifi.uri");      
> +    } catch (x) {};

So, the default value is no longer in the preferences, but the code still tries to see if there's anything set there and uses that value instead, if set.

In about:config it should still be possible to create a string preference with that name, and it should work correctly.

Comment 11

[Don Park [:donpdonp]]

Thanks for pointing that out.

Comment 12

[Doug Turner (:dougt)]

yup.  we currently do this for testing.

Comment 13

[Sonny Piers [:sonny]]

I should have take a look in the patch.
Thanks.

Comment 14

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

(In reply to Sonny Piers from comment #13)
> I should have take a look in the patch.
> Thanks.

No worries. This confusion happens more easily when bugs don't have any comments or explanation. It got me too :)