89781 - [rfe] make quick launch compare versions before using existing process

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(SeaMonkey :: UI Design, enhancement, P3)

Description

[Jesse Ruderman]

If I have 07/07 loaded in quicklaunch mode (no windows open), and I launch 
06/22 from a shortcut on my desktop, 07/07 should exit and allow 06/22 to open 
with the parameters I called it with.

This would make it easier for Mozilla developers and QA to use quick launch, 
since they won't have to manually kill the existing Mozilla process each time 
they want to test a different version or switch between a nightly and a debug 
build.  It would also help us avoid seeming like we only allow one version to 
be installed at a time, something Microsoft is often criticized for doing with 
Internet Explorer.

Comment 1

[Jesse Ruderman]

See also bug 100625, quicklaunch shortcut (in start menu) should be replaced by 
installer to point to newly installed quild.

Comment 2

[Jaime Rodriguez, Jr.]

Nominating for nsbranch+

Todd - I you said this was already resolved? huh? 

Comment 3

[Peter Trudelle]

nsbranch-, this isn't going to affect any significant number of customers. 
Should fix on trunk.  Any use of QL shortcuts is vestigial anyway.

Comment 4

[Alex Vincent [:WeirdAl]]

FYI, I have the same trouble using Mozilla without quick launch enabled.

Example:  I have Moz0.9.4 on my machine.  In trying to reproduce a crash, I
started a nightly build of Mozilla.  While running my tests, I tried to start
Moz0.9.4 via the shortcut.  Result:  another window of the nightly.

Quick Launch is NOT enabled in either edition.

I get similar results when trying to run two different editions of Netscape 6.x
-- say, 6.0.0 and 6.1.  If 6.1 is running and I try to start 6.0, I get another
6.1 window.  This isn't a quick launch problem.

Comment 5

[Jesse Ruderman]

Alex: I think that happens when Mozilla loses track of how many windows it has 
open.  If you find a set of steps to reproduce that problem, please file a bug 
and give it the mlk (memory leak) keyword.

Comment 6

[Alex Vincent [:WeirdAl]]

Filed bug 105044 for the issue I reported in here, with mlk keyword.

Comment 7

[Paul Chen]

Marking p3 and mozilla1.1

Comment 8

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

-> default assignee

Comment 9

[Peter Trudelle]

->future

Comment 10

[Peter Henderson]

Re comment #4 I believe this is a feature to avoid starting unneeded processes.
If mozilla.exe is called, it checks to see if there is already a mozilla process
running, and if so it uses DDE (I think) to tell the original process to open
another window (or load a new page in an already open window).

I'm no wizard at predicting users' habits, but it seems to me that the average
user would want to have all windows in the same process (do they have to be the
same process to all appear in the same Tasks menu?) whereas many developers,
programmers, and reviewers might like to have the ability to run multiple
versions at once.

Perhaps a pref or environment variable or command-line flag or registry key of
some type could be used to dictate whether mozilla should recycle windows or
open a new process, since obviously one setting can't meet the needs of /all/
users (as always).

Just my $0.02

Comment 11

[William P. Melcher]

Related to this problem but more likely to impact users is the result of hard
disk defragmentation.  This process can if the QL pointers end up pointing in
the wrong place cause almost any kind of grief you can imagine.

I was lucky.

Bill

Comment 12

[John Morrison]

Hmm, reality sez that this will never be implemented. Marking wontfix.
Try not to whine too loudly.

Comment 13

[William P. Melcher]

John

Understand but Bill did not whine (or wine).

Uncle Bill Sez: User documentation is last line of defense but do it.

I do not consider this a bug in the clasic sense but it is a design defect that
could cause havoc.

Serious checking for this condition could wipe out all the advantages of QL but
in the long run one hopes that not all users of Mozilla will be geeks like me
and thee.

Perhaps QL should not be fixed but 'depreciated' or eliminated.

Bill

Comment 14

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

mass-verifying Wontfix bugs.

mail filter string for bugspam: Tursiopstruncatus