1059697 - Browser app icon no longer appears on old homescreen

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1075011

(Testing Graveyard :: Eideticker, defect)

Description

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

The Browser app icon is no longer present on the old homescreen, which Eideticker is still using (see bug 1021068). The old homescreen has no icon for the Browser app so the Eideticker startup test fails.

Comment 3

[Raniere Silva]

I spend some time bisect this bug

$ git bisect log
git bisect start
# good: [c89dd20c7a8f79578c6362066529ac1a1dfdcadd] Bug 1056050 - [v2.1] Update has_mobile_connection and is_cell_data_connected
git bisect good c89dd20c7a8f79578c6362066529ac1a1dfdcadd
# bad: [35ca4477c6ef13dfa0ad13416b76fb5fde1e9cb6] Merge pull request #22427 from DouglasSherk/1037066-dialer-keypad-background
git bisect bad 35ca4477c6ef13dfa0ad13416b76fb5fde1e9cb6
# good: [a25ae14dbd2fe3e25144a7064efc0cc4e31042b8] Merge pull request #22075 from empoalp/bug_976678
git bisect good a25ae14dbd2fe3e25144a7064efc0cc4e31042b8
# bad: [abaa255760cf075c822ca8858cc556dc001906dc] Merge pull request #23015 from gasolin/issue-964601
git bisect bad abaa255760cf075c822ca8858cc556dc001906dc
# good: [2081541a2177f42d99d205c4350f399e648d0c20] Merge pull request #22933 from wilsonpage/1016814
git bisect good 2081541a2177f42d99d205c4350f399e648d0c20
# bad: [a91e3021cd8f6f9d02aac7b6ae3c697261491a32] Merge pull request #22934 from eeejay/bug-1050381
git bisect bad a91e3021cd8f6f9d02aac7b6ae3c697261491a32
# bad: [72150cd7e5effabc4d256d4239b8a504f4f2080d] Merge pull request #23284 from KevinGrandon/bug_1058270_change_browser_role
git bisect bad 72150cd7e5effabc4d256d4239b8a504f4f2080d
# good: [38a34b7b4958785bd36f3658bc537048c2735343] Merge pull request #23256 from KevinGrandon/bug_1054672_rocketbar_test_browser_chrome_new_window
git bisect good 38a34b7b4958785bd36f3658bc537048c2735343
# good: [75fedbe72fcadb32ecea9e074d5f114eba2535e9] Merge pull request #23162 from KevinGrandon/bug_1055761_system_app_window_origin_match_alternate
git bisect good 75fedbe72fcadb32ecea9e074d5f114eba2535e9
# good: [31043c27f7a5156ff4abdcb0c99207f34c5e57d0] Merge pull request #23293 from KevinGrandon/bug_1054556_popup_page_height
git bisect good 31043c27f7a5156ff4abdcb0c99207f34c5e57d0
# bad: [a0d31311b5b0165869b2d3130ccc0f7b68497a7f] Bug 1058270 - Hide the browser app by changing role to system r=qdot
git bisect bad a0d31311b5b0165869b2d3130ccc0f7b68497a7f
# first bad commit: [a0d31311b5b0165869b2d3130ccc0f7b68497a7f] Bug 1058270 - Hide the browser app by changing role to system r=qdot

and reverting a0d31311b5b0165869b2d3130ccc0f7b68497a7f works for me.

Dave, could you tell me how bad revert a0d31311b5b0165869b2d3130ccc0f7b68497a7f is?

Comment 5

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

I'm not sure I understand the question. It looks to me like the browser app has been intentionally removed with the impact of also removing it from the old homescreen. For Eideticker we really need to update to use the vertical homescreen (bug 1021068), which would therefore resolve this issue. If you have another reason to stay on the old homescreen then it may be worth asking those responsible for this change if there's a way to restore a browser icon to this homescreen.

Comment 6

[Robert Kaiser]

I think moving to vertical homescreen and deprecating old homescreen everywhere should be the solution for all cases here.

For tablets, we first need to make vertical homescreen work in landscape mode with more than 4 icons per row, though. Bug 1052080 is filed for that.

Comment 8

[Michael Bauer]

Referring to the Search app that folk referred to in bug 1063782 (which was marked duplicate), this sounds like the annoying Windows Search or Ubuntu Search 'feature' which I find really impractical. I admit I have not seen the Search app so I won't judge too harshly but I don't want to type in stuff every time I navigate the web, that's what favourites and bookmarks are there for ;)

Comment 9

[Ralph Giles (:rillian)]

(In reply to Michael Bauer from comment #8)

> That's what favourites and bookmarks are there for ;)

It searches those too, just like the url bar in desktop Firefox. But this isn't relevant to this bug. If you have concrete issues with the design or implementation, please open a new bug against that component.

Comment 10

[Michael Bauer]

I can't have a concrete issue with a feature I can't test yet! If that IS what the developers have implemented, then I WILL file a bug because it would be insane, the if I have to type a search to find a bookmark I'd be quicker just searching the internet :b

It was a thought that occurred to me while marking my own bug as a duplicate and checking out the other duplicates.

Comment 11

[Michael Bauer]

Attachment: poor alignment of icons indicating missing browser

Just flashed 20141005 onto my tablet. The browser icon is still missing. I don't think this is actually intentional because the remaining icons are misaligned (see photo, I have yet to figure how to take a screenshot on the tablet).

I still cannot locate the 'rocket bar' either.

Comment 12

[Gabriela [:gaby2300]]

(In reply to Michael Bauer from comment #11)
> Created attachment 8500047 [details]
> poor alignment of icons indicating missing browser
> 
> Just flashed 20141005 onto my tablet. The browser icon is still missing. I
> don't think this is actually intentional because the remaining icons are
> misaligned (see photo, I have yet to figure how to take a screenshot on the
> tablet).
> 
> I still cannot locate the 'rocket bar' either.

Michael, according to a post I received in the gaia mailing list, the missing browser app is intended. I don't want to spam the bug's comment field but if you paste your email address here, I'll send you the message I received.

You can find the rocket bar tapping the upper left corner of the display.

Comment 13

[YF (Yang)]

(In reply to Michael Bauer from comment #11)
> (see photo, I have yet to figure how to take a screenshot on the tablet).

For 2.1 are taken via power button + volume down button
- from https://wiki.mozilla.org/B2G/QA/Tips_And_Tricks#Screenshots

Comment 14

[Kami]

I think Browser icon is a strong branding element of Firefox OS. So we should keep this for everyone, who cant find the rocketbar or do not want to use it.

Comment 15

[Michael Bauer]

Thanks for the info about screenshots and Gabriela's private email. I also hit the Gaia list and was referred to this (apparently it's the only documentation regarding the evolution of browser > bar) https://hacks.mozilla.org/2014/08/building-the-firefox-browser-for-firefox-os/

I'm not sure what the best way of objecting to this is. I have done some user testing of my own by asking 10 people in a row who came to visit to use the tablet. Only one of them was a developer. None could find 'the web' and 10/10 (once I pointed out the bar) absolutely hated it for browsing the web. 6 wanted to bookmark something and couldn't find a way of doing that.

That was just a gross error check for me because I figured it might just have been me but seems like it's not just me. It's as big a mistake as Windows removing the Start menu (and bringing it back in W 10...). But where do we raise this issue? A bug? Mailing the Gaia list? I've not had this problem before of Mozilla removing a useful feature.

Comment 16

[YF (Yang)]

dupe to bug 1059137?

Comment 17

[Michael Bauer]

That one seems to point at Bug 1058270 ... even so, I still object!

Comment 18

[YF (Yang)]

(In reply to YF (Yang) from comment #16)
> dupe to bug 1059137?

Ah, I think backout I said on comment 16, I think the is a good looking forward to bug 1052080 be fixed. the bug 1059137 still is a good reference.

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mozilla.dev.gaia/tKyzOUCbI5w/UgZNk_AMXdwJ is a great reference, especially the last two paragraphs.

Comment 19

[Robert Kaiser]

The problem here is that tablet are using the wrong (old) homescreen. The new vertical homescreen has integration of the "browser" icon and an addressbar ("Rocketbar") and fixes all the "issues" you object to.

The solution is to fix bug 1052080 and siwtch to the new homescreen. As tablets are not a priority for paid contributors right now, we need volunteers to step up and help fix this. Please try to help there in getting the new homescreen working and this issue will be fixed the right way.

Comment 20

[Ben Francis [:benfrancis]]

You could try removing the "search" role from the list of hidden roles in the old homescreen app, does that help?

https://github.com/mozilla-b2g/gaia/blob/master/apps/homescreen/js/grid.js#L16

Comment 21

[Ben Francis [:benfrancis]]

Looks like that works. Will be fixed by bug 1075011.