265310 - [Mac] Launch fails quietly in some instances.

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Description

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

Seen on Mac Firefox trunk build 2004-10-20-07-trunk

-install disc image and drag/drop decrompressed bits to Applications folder
-launch

tested results:
Firefox icon appears in the dock for a few seconds, then disappears. Firefox
doesn't launch. 
-retry launch...same failure.

expected results:
Firefox launches (migration dialog first if this is a clean install)

(this is not the same as bug 260168 which endlessly reattempts to launch itself)

Comment 1

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

Mac trunk build 2004-10-19-12-trunk works.

Comment 2

[Matthew (lilmatt) Willis]

I can not reproduce this.

Steps taken:
- Downloaded 2004-10-20-07-trunk Mac .dmg.gz from
ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightlies
- Expanded with Stuffit Expander, mounted dmg
- Dragged to /Applications
- rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox
- Unmounted disk image
- Double-click on /Applications/Firefox.app

Results:
Firefox appears in dock for a moment, disappears, then reappears. If I click on
it in the dock, I am presented with the migration dialog. If I cmd-Q to quit,
the migration dialog exits, Firefox disappears from the dock, and then
reappears, opening a browser window, taking me to
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

This is using Mac OS X 10.3.5 on a Powerbook G4.

Comment 3

[Brian Ryner (not reading)]

Launches ok for me on Mac OS 10.3.4.  Which OS X version did you test on?

Comment 4

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

Also looks OK to me on Mac 10.3.5. 

Comment 5

[Brian Ryner (not reading)]

(In reply to comment #3)
> Launches ok for me on Mac OS 10.3.4.  Which OS X version did you test on?

Oops, I tested the branch.  I do see the problem on a trunk build.  No output at
all to the terminal or to the system console, just exits.

Comment 6

[Brian Ryner (not reading)]

I'm not able to _consistently_ reproduce this.  Now the same build is starting fine.

Comment 7

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

Hmm. Before I filed this bug, I had tried launching several times. Even tried
cleanup and reinstall. Each time no success.  I was testing on a Mac G3 with OSx
10.2.8.  I'll test more first thing in the morn'.

Comment 8

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

Okay, back to testing this on the same G3.  Clean install of the 1020 FF trunk.
 Launches as expected. Possibly some system wierdness may have been cleared up
on logoff/reboot?  I hadn't tried that during initial testing.

Reducing,
but I will keep an eye on it for a few builds.  Then, if no one else or I can
reproduce it, I'll invalidate it.

Comment 9

[Sonja McKown]

I am having the same issue.  Download disc image.  drag icon to applications When i attempt to launch. 
icon appears in dock for a few second then disappears.  I have tried several times to no avail.  
ATtempting on a G4 Powerbook running 10.3.8 also tried on 10.3.7 before i updated with same results.

Comment 10

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

before launching firefox, remove ~/Library/Application
Support/Firefox/Profiles/[randomized profile name]/Extensions

that might help. also try what tracy did in comment 8.

Comment 11

[Stephen Jones]

(In reply to comment #10)
> before launching firefox, remove ~/Library/Application
> Support/Firefox/Profiles/[randomized profile name]/Extensions
> 
> that might help. also try what tracy did in comment 8.

I am having the same problem with my Powerbook but not my desktop. It affects all Mozilla based 
browsers. I am running OS 10.3.8.

The above fix did not cure the problem. Nor did deleting any of the other Mozilla / Firefox related files 
in my home directory.

I have reported this via Talkback but I expect this is the better way to report a significant crasher like 
this.

Comment 12

[Albert Davidson Chou]

I have had this or a similar problem with every official release, as well as
back to 0.9.

Generally, I have to launch and force-quit Firefox twice, and then the third
launch succeeds.  On one occasion I only had to launch and force-quit once
before the next launch succeeded, and on some occasions the very first attempt
to launch will work.  I can task-switch to the Firefox process and see its
application name ("Firefox") at the left hand side of the menu bar and
executable ("firefox-bin") name in the upper right corner of the menu bar.  When
I control-click on the Firefox Dock icon, the top entry in the contextual menu
says "Application not responding".

This behavior persists through reboots, Firefox upgrades, OS X updates/upgrades
(the machine started with 10.2 and has been through every 10.x.y upgrade up to
and including 10.3.9), you name it.

As for removing the personal profile's extensions, I've had this problem since
long before I ever installed a Firefox extension.

I almost always launch by single-clicking my Dock icon for Firefox, but I have
also experienced the problem when either double-clicking or selecting the icon
in the Applications folder via the Finder and typing command-o.

Hardware:  Power Mac G4 QuickSilver 2002 model, dual 1 GHz CPU's, 1.5 GB RAM.

Comment 13

[robinkrout]

For some apparent reason (I suspect programs like beclean, Crapcleaner, mru
blaster, easycleaner, clean cache, cleanspace 8, dustbuster xp might be the
cause of this problem) the launch won't execute from the start and exe file. 
Default profile appears to be corrupt.  By doing a new profile, the launch will
start, but a new problem appears (technically speaking, not because of creating
a new file) launches, but is slow to launch, unlike mozilla.

Comment 14

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

Old bug, don't think this is relevant anymore.