382006 - [Mac] don't restore anything (i.e. just a blank tab) if no browser window was opened at shutdown

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 481090

(Firefox :: Session Restore, defect)

Description

[Simon Bünzli]

Currently we always restore the last closed window, even if it was closed before hitting Cmd+Q. That makes sense under Windows (where Firefox can't really be kept open window-less in the background) but not too much under OS X where Cmd+Q is not only the proper but pretty much the only way of exiting (opposed to Ctrl+W, Alt+F4 and friends). We might want to change that...

... although of course bug 365324 might not help the matter too much. As planned in bug 354894, reopening a browser window when none was opened will restore the last closed window if the preferences say to "Show [the] windows and tabs from last time" which might double as a pseudo-fix for bug 365324.

Anyway, this behavior would of course be adjustable through about:config.

Comment 1

[Simon Bünzli]

Attachment: browser.sessionstore.allow_empty_session

Adding a new pref (browser.sessionstore.allow_empty_session) which defaults to true on OS X and false elsewhere and which prevents the last closed window to be considered part of the current session state if no browser window is opened.

Comment 2

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

I really don't think this is a good idea. I can see the logic, no window on shutdown so no window on startup, but I think it's just going to be confusing. If you open firefox you want to do some browsing, you don't want nothing to appear regardless of how it shutdown.

Comment 3

[Simon Bünzli]

Obviously you would still get a new browser window at startup - it'd just be as clean as it gets (a single blank tab, no recently closed tabs, etc.).

That's BTW what also happens when there is no sessionstore.js at startup (the equivalent of an empty session).

(In reply to bug 368677 comment #6)
> So when the app is quitted and restarted as far as it is concerned there was
> nothing open previously so doesn't restore.

What else did you mean than what's being described here?

Comment 4

[Jesse Ruderman]

> it'd just be as clean as it gets (a single blank tab...)

Or your home page, if you have one, I would hope?

Comment 5

[Simon Bünzli]

(In reply to comment #4)
> Or your home page, if you have one, I would hope?

Currently we never load the homepage(s) when "Show my windows and tabs from last time" is selected and I'm not sure that the proposed behavior here is different enough to warrant breaking this.

OTOH there's bug 343876 requesting precisely that. The problem is that whether or not to resume the session and whether or not to display the homepage(s) whenever a new window is opened are pretty much orthogonal options...

Comment 6

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

(In reply to comment #3)
> (In reply to bug 368677 comment #6)
> > So when the app is quitted and restarted as far as it is concerned there was
> > nothing open previously so doesn't restore.
> What else did you mean than what's being described here?

You're correct that that part of my comment describes what you are proposing, however It was part of a larger comment where I was trying to point out something I believed was already happening and didn't think was right. I was mistaken. The way it works currently is correct in my opinion and what you are suggesting is exactly what I didn't want.

Admittedly my opinion is partly based on my inability to get my head round closing an app without closing the window first but still.

Comment 8

[Simon Bünzli]

Comment on attachment 266067 [details] [diff] [review]
browser.sessionstore.allow_empty_session

This would need ui-r first.

Comment 9

[Lucas Malor (mail: c6kfnkn2uc AT snkmail DOT c0m)]

If I understood it well, you want to show the homepage (if your preferences request it) when all browser windows are closed and you reopen a window, with Firefox process always active (for example, because the download manager was still opened). IMO this will be messy.

If the Fx process is not closed, Fx should not operate as it was restarted, because this is not true. It's highly misleading. People should think Firefox is restarted with a new session, but this is not true at all.

Comment 10

[Simon Bünzli]

(In reply to comment #9)
> If the Fx process is not closed, Fx should not operate as it was restarted,

That's not what this bug is about (note the "at shutdown" in the bug's title).

Steps to reproduce (on a Mac!):
1. Set Firefox to always show your windows and tabs at startup
2. Open a window with several tabs
3. Close that window
4. Exit Firefox
5. Launch Firefox

Actual result:
The last closed window is restored as if you'd exited Firefox without closing the window first.

Expected result:
A blank window is opened (or a window with just the homepage loaded), as there were no tabs active when Firefox quit.

Comment 11

[Lucas Malor (mail: c6kfnkn2uc AT snkmail DOT c0m)]

I can't understand and I can't reproduce because I've not a Mac. The window with many tabs is the only Firefox window? If so, how can Firefox process not exit if the only window is closed?

Furthermore, showing the homepage is misleading, because it seems Firefox started a new session. On the contrary the homepage, if present, can be opened in a new tab.