Terminal syntax for Firefox fails after update [Solved]

[Nokkaelaein]

If you want to replicate the error you may have to run the Terminal command as the very first thing after updating.

I haven't looked into this more closely, but the first thought that comes to mind as a developer is, maybe the page content that Firefox shows you after an update (you know, the kind of "What's new with this browser?" stuff that browsers tend to show after being updated) is interfering with the pages it is supposed to open on that same run based on command line parameters. Again, I haven't looked into this, it's just a hunch.

If that is the case, it could potentially be mitigated by disabling all that stuff that causes out-of-the-ordinary pages to show on the first run after an update. If there is no actual fix forthcoming, that is.

So at the very least all relevant settings starting with "startup.homepage_override" would need to be switched to disable such overrides. See the browser's about:config and turn off at least browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone and startup.homepage_override_url and see if it makes a difference in the long run. There are potentially more settings related to the page opening behavior after an update.

[Eadwine Rose]

Or just open firefox normally after an update. Then that is out of the way, and after that you can happily use your lines again.

[Nokkaelaein]

Or just open firefox normally after an update. Then that is out of the way, and after that you can happily use your lines again.

That works but isn't that elegant :) as you need to know, as a user, if/when an update has taken place, and need to manually think about this thing each time, if you don't want to see your preferred mode of operation fail randomly. It's a minor annoyance, of course. Just thinking about it in general, a fix that actively alters a situation once so that you don't have to repeat a mitigation routine manually... is better from that perspective. Imo and all that xD

[Eadwine Rose]

Isn't elegant..

Ok. I think the complaint here needs to be laid down at firefox by the user so they stop doing that. They are the cause, then they should fix it.

(not that they are going to, because there IS no problem)

[Nokkaelaein]

(not that they are going to, because there IS no problem)

Huh, hmm, in the possible (but not at all necessarily so) case of my hunch being correct, i.e. this snag being caused by the page/url override happening on first launch after update, that would be an unwanted/unintentional side effect (not parsing and acting upon multiple window loads based on the command line parameters in that situation). Again I repeat I don't know if this is the case, but it's a realistic possibility. All in all, the above "there is no problem" I find a slightly weird attitude coming from an admin of a distro forum, hmm.

[Eadwine Rose]

Well.. I can state my own opinion as well, and that is my opinion.

Just open firefox normally after an update, and then use the code thing again. It's what I would do to solve this.

[Nokkaelaein]

Well.. I can state my own opinion as well, and that is my opinion.

Ok :) , I thought you categorically stated there is no problem. No worries.

[Discostu]

Maybe you could alter your script a bit.

Preparation:
1. Find a configuration file that contains the current Firefox version (let's call it "firefoxFile").
2. Write that version in a file that you have created (let's call it "yourFile").

Alter your script:
1. At the start of your script, check if the version in firefoxFile and yourFile match.
2a. If they do, no update has happened. Goto 3
2.b. If they don't, there was an update. Write the new version from firefoxFile into yourFile. Start Firefox without parameters. Wait 3 seconds.
3. Run your script like you did before

Maybe, that way your script will also work after update, with the difference that you have four windows instead of 3 and the latter come 3 seconds later than usual.

I have not tried if this works, but it seems to me to be the direction you'd need to go.

[Jakob77]

Thank you for your thoughts.

This is mostly some more background and details for people who likes scripts:

There has been one more happening that I can't explain.
As towwire suggested I therefore now also add some sec. sleep before opening the last two windows:

Code: Select all

(sleep 3s && firefox --new-window 'https://mxlinux.org/') & (sleep 2,5s && firefox --new-window 'https://mxlinux.org/wiki/system/iso-download-mirrors/#checksumsignatures') & (sleep 0s && firefox --new-window 'https://endoflife.date/mxlinux')

I will go with that and see what changes but I don't like to name it a solution.
I think it still ought to be completely straight forward to make a reliable syntax for opening some new windows in Firefox.

For me there is still a bug.
I use the command in a script that first turns on wifi and afterwards turns it off again.
However in this new version somho the last of the script is skipped.
So to make sure wifi is still turned off automatically after the last Firefox window is closed I have now added some more peasant coding to the command:

Code: Select all

(sleep 3s && firefox --new-window 'https://www.dmi.dk/lokation/show/DK/2614567/R%C3%B8nbjerg/') && netoff2 & (sleep 0s && firefox --new-window 'https://www.dr.dk/nyheder') && netoff2 & (sleep 2,5s && firefox --new-window 'https://data.nordpoolgroup.com/auction/day-ahead/prices?deliveryDate=latest&currency=DKK&aggregation=Hourly&deliveryAreas=DK1') && netoff2

"netoff2" is here a command (a script) that turns off wifi only if Firefox is closed. The new syntax is supposed to make sure an attempt is made for every single window being closed.
Naturally it won't make much sense to test my new syntax without having the script "netoff2", so it is just meant for reading.


Why all this trouble.?
Why not just have one icon for one page.?
I might go back to that because as much as I can fall in love with my own advanced peasant coding this feels a little too crazy, even for me. LOL

But it hurts my senior configuration badly if I have to give it up.

One click on one icon opens all the pages the elder person wants to see on daily basis (I once had more than 10).
My client likes it very much but when there is a problem with closing windows and getting off the internet I get complaints and I don't like complaints.! ;-)

[Jakob77]

On my test computer made from a snapshot the problem appears to be chronic now.
So it can get worse and develop into more than just a phenomenon that occurs the first time after updating. And maybe therefore it is not too good that I ask if someone can replicate it. There might be a risk.




I believe I have found the real reason for the problem (or at least another interesting point of view to it) that I want to share:


Users mouse work for opening 3 pages without my senior configuration:

Internet on: 1 move - one click - one move - 1 move - one click
Open 3 pages: 1 move - one click - 1 move - one click - 1 move - one click
Internet off after use: 1 move - one click - 1 move - one click

Users mouse work for opening 3 pages with the senior configuration:

One move - one click

Can you see the difference.?!
Imagine it is pages you want to see 2 times a day.
365 x 2 = 730
730 x 7 = 5110

Then it saves the mouse arm for more than 5.000 moves and clicks per year.
I believe that will be good for everybody.!
And then try to imagine when you get older and more tied and your eyes are not so good anymore and your hands and fingers are stiff and shake a little.

7 times easier and faster to use and remember.!

7 times smaller risk to do wrong clicks.!

7 times more convenience.!


Do you get it.? :-)


So the only real reason for the problem is that I am the only one who use what everybody ought to demand and configure.
If we all did it the problem I have would be common and therefore solved so fast that I would never be given time enough to mention it in this forum.