159008 - misleading error message when a helper app fails to open due to low memory

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: Download & File Handling, defect)

Description

[Chris Johnson]

Build ID: 2002072208; MacOS 9 (not sure about other platforms)

If you attempt to download a file and open it with a helper application when you
don't have enough free memory to open that helper app, Mozilla gives you a
misleading error message that implies you need to download the file again.

Steps to reproduce:
1.  Create a low-memory situation on your machine - e.g., open enough
applications so that you don't have enough memory left to open Stuffit Expander.

2. Try to download some file that will open in Stuffit Expander.
 
Actual results: You get an alert "<path> could not be opened because an unknown
error occurred.  Sorry about that.  Try saving to disk first and then opening
the file."  Moreover, the Download Manager says that the download 'Failed'. 
Nevertheless, the download actually succeeded and the file was saved to your
disk.  You can free up some memory and expand it without difficulty.  Thus there
is no need for the user to try to save the file to disk.

Expected results:  The error message should indicate that the helper application
couldn't be opened due to low memory so the file was saved to <path>.  I seem to
recall the error message used to read something like that, but I could be wrong.

I got this message the other night and I actually started re-downloading the
file in question, not realizing for some time that I already had a perfectly
good copy.

Comment 1

[Greg K.]

Chris, does the Finder generate that error, or does Mozilla? If the Finder does, then this may well 
not be a Mozilla bug, but rather a Finder bug.

Comment 2

[Chris Johnson]

No, it's a Mozilla error message.  In fact, here's where it seems to live:

http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/embedding/components/webbrowserpersist/locale/en-US/nsWebBrowserPersist.properties#40

I don't know anything about Mozilla's inner workings.  Maybe sometimes when a
launchError occurs the file in question hasn't been saved and thus "Try saving
to disk first and then opening the file" is good advice.  In my case, it was
misleading.  

Comment 3

[John]

Scott...it is definitely a mozilla issue, read my additional comments

Comment 4

[John]

comment doesn't belong to this bug ... bugzilla interface is counter-intuitive,
should not automatically bring you to the next bug in your list after submitting
a comment.  Should be returned to the bug your working on with the link on top
right being  "goto next bug in your list"  Instead you are taken to the next bug
in the list with the link on the top right being "return to bug#"(the bug you
are working on)

Also, comments should be able to be deleted.

Comment 5

[Greg K.]

John, your comment 4 isn't relevant to this bug. Please file those issues as
separate bugs.

Comment 6

[Frankie]

Low memory errors are impossible (or at least absurdly unlikely) in OS X, so
this is a MacOS classic issue.

Mozilla CFM build is dead.
http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=avkj4k%24ihs2%40ripley.netscape.com