Closed Bug 198605 Opened 22 years ago Closed 21 years ago

"-splash" parameter is no longer honored (splash screen does not appear)

Categories

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Product:
Firefox
Component:
General
Platform:
x86
Windows ME
Type:
defect
Priority:
Not set
Severity:
trivial

Tracking

()

Status:
VERIFIED WONTFIX

People

(Reporter: nparks, Assigned: bugzilla)

References

Details

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win 9x 4.90; en-US; rv:1.4a) Gecko/20030320 Phoenix/0.5 Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win 9x 4.90; en-US; rv:1.4a) Gecko/20030320 Phoenix/0.5 Beginning approx March 12, and continuing through most recent nightly (March 20), Phoenix no longer displays the BMP file that I had been using as a splash screen. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Put a file PHOENIX.BMP into same directory as PHOENIX.EXE . 2. Start Phoenix with the parameter -splash, Actual Results: Phoenix starts without displaying the splash screen. Expected Results: Older versions displayed the splash screen.
OS: other → Windows ME
I'm not even sure that the -splash param is officially supported in Phoenix. Anyway, this may have been caused by bryner's recent modifications in nsAppRunner.cpp.
Confirming bug. (However, this might be WONTFIX'ed if the developers don't care about support for splash screen.)
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Ever confirmed: true
This is very definately not a minor issue. it crashes ungracefully when --splash is passed to it. and the splash screen serves a purpose. I don't care if it's pretty, I just need it to keep people who are unfamilliar with this slow machine from oppening 4 coppies of it, futher slowing the computer down. Also, this is so completely needed on slow machines. All of you out there with speedy pentium 800's etc probably don't care... I used to turn off the splash screen I knew that it was loading and it would be there in a couple of seconds. now here at a computer cafe, where everyone are noobs, they click, and click, and click... and then click again... because they are used to windows opening almost instantly I am currently trying to figure out a shell script and kde or qt app that will emulate a splash screen.
Summary: Phoenix no longer honors "-splash" parameter → Mozilla Firebird no longer honors "-splash" parameter
QA Contact: asa
In case this is not clear, the same happens under Linux. I also want to reiterate Aaron Peterson's point: the lack of splash screen is very nasty on a slow machines! You have no idea what's going on. People fire up a hundred copies by clicking in frustration, which makes things even worse! Otherwise, yes - on any reasonably fast machine I hate splash screens too :-)
I would be really glad to see this "feature" fixed. At least somebody could make it work the way it earlier did. I administrate bunch of terminal-like Linux-computers which load Firebird over NFS -- first startup takes quite many seconds (8-10s) and user is totally unaware if the browser is actually even starting. Most users get confused here, they just wait and it looks like nothing is happening so they go fire few more firebirds... At the moment I'm forced to use evil hack<tm> to show my own splash screen while FB is loading -- it works, but it's really ugly and just slows down FB's startup.
I agree... even though on my machine firebird starts in 1 second or less... an optional splash screen would make sense
FB needs a splash-screen to inform inexperienced users that something is happening. Observation of newbies shows they often end up opening multiple instances as they do not realise the app is loading. This problem is particulary acute on older computers where start-up can be slow. Relevant thread: http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=324922#324922
This isn't a problem on distros with KDE or GNOME as the windowing environment, since the panels used by both include taskbar feedback to show that the program is launching - it's independent of the program, and when the program's GUI pops up the feedback bar is overwritten by the proper taskbar entry. Is there a way to write code that woudl allow a Splash Screen extension?
A splash screen extension wouldn't be enough. What Firebird needs is a build in, default splash screen that you can turn off if you want. An extension would only help on networks where the Admin knew that someone on the network would end up overloading the system by opening firebird over and over because it didn't just pop up. If firebird is to be a end-user product, and move away from having a tech-savvy userbase, it needs to have safeguards to protect the less computer-minded people out there (who are also more likely to be on machines that will have this problem). Instead of having the -splash parameter, there should be a -nosplash parameter or a preference to disable the splash screen.
Or best yet, a .mozconfig directive to enable/disable the splash screen, to provide a full range of control, from compiletime to runtime to configtime.
we don't have a splash screen. this is invalid/wontfix.
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 21 years ago
Resolution: --- → WONTFIX
if you really really want this, build it yourself: at http://lxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/browser/app/splash.rc#65 uncomment the two lines for the splash screen bitmap. add your desired splash screen, named splash.bmp, in that directory at http://lxr.mozilla.org/mozilla/source/browser/app/nsBrowserApp.cpp#47 change PR_FALSE to PR_TRUE
Status: RESOLVED → VERIFIED
If that's all you have to do to enable a splash screen, you must've left all support for the screen in there elsewhere. That only means that you're angering those who want the screen, while not even fulfilling the user's wishes (of not having the extra bloat) of those who don't want it..
(In reply to comment #7) > FB needs a splash-screen to inform inexperienced users that something is > happening. Observation of newbies shows they often end up opening multiple > instances as they do not realise the app is loading. Experienced users want feedback also.
(In reply to comment #11) > we don't have a splash screen. this is invalid/wontfix. We did have, before March 2003. Why was it disabled?
*** Bug 259574 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
*** Bug 271572 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Summary: Mozilla Firebird no longer honors "-splash" parameter → "-splash" parameter is no longer honored (splash screen does not appear)
*** Bug 288584 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
I agree with all the comments about non-web-savvy users, that it's the little things that count with them, and that if this is to be a popular browser beyond the tech-savvy world, it needs to start, by default, like every other popular application starts: with a splash screen. Even as a web- and computer-savvy user, I'm frustrated by the non-response at Firefox launch. (On Windows, not even a persistent hourglass.) Among these comments, hardly anyone is agreeing with WONTFIX, and it sounds like the code is all there except the actual .BMP image and a built-in startup parameter. Which stubborn developer is hanging the jury here? I want the WHOLE world to switch to Firefox, not just those in the tech community, and I think a splash screen -- ANY splash screen -- is an essential part of that campaign.
Yay the bad part has been fixed! it doesn't crash firefox 3.0! It now looks like all firefox commandline is nuked? don't see the command line help that normally comes when running firefox -h /? --help or firefox -? and on and on... --- KDE now has the bouncing icon to indicate program startage... which of course I would disable on a slow machine that I use for myself.. Many applications are dumb, Ubuntu has their upgrade program that opens 3 or 4 times times if it is clicked while wondering if it was opened or not... I believe most distros have a shell script that checks to see if firefox is already running and passes stuff to it. It should be possible to make it ignore the extra starts. I can't blame them for not wanting a splash screen.
It seems this started off as a bug, which is fixed, but I sincerely thought it's be an improvment, it's not just inexperienced users, but inexperienced firefox users that open multiple windows, ( and myself included on occasion on computers that are slow - or with dodgy mice), How about incorporating with a random tip, with a a 'don't show this page again' button ? would that be more worthwhile?
LittleMutt suggested this addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2995 seems good sofar... :)
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