Gmail Bug Survey

[c9]

Needed: People with Gmail accounts and Firefox 1.5 installed on their PCs.

I request that you try the steps below to see if the same thing happens to you, then comment and let me know your results:

1. Close down all running Firefox windows.
2. Start Firefox
3. Maximize the window if necessary.
4. Load up Gmail, and log in.
5. Hit CTRL-T
6. Hit CTRL-W
7. Hit CTRL-T
8. Hit CTRL-W
9. Hit CTRL-T
   
   (Ctrl-T opens a new tab, and Ctrl-W closes the current tab.)

If your window is no longer maximized, you've got the same problem! I don't know what the issue is, but it's happened to me on three different PCs. All are running Windows XP though, I haven't tested on other platforms yet.

I can't make it happen on other websites, but Gmail seems to work well. If you're really interested, I'm using the secure Gmail, https://mail.google.com.

Comments

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Hm, I can't replicate it in OS X, but then again, in OS X "maximize" doesn't have the same effect as it does in Windows (it makes the window large enough to hold the current data, but no larger (sometimes)).

I'm too lazy to get off the couch and walk the 10 feet to my computer, but I'm fairly sure it won't happen in Linux either -- in Linux, the window manager has complete control over the size of an application's window, so if you click maximize, I doubt there's anything Firefox could do to undo it.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Remember that js can resize and max/restore windows, even in a window-manager-controlled situation. I disabled js window moves in Firefox and that removed the problem. It's frustratingly inconsistent though.

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Hm, I think that would depend on the window manager. Some window managers (eg., ratpoison) don't let you (or the system) resize windows at all.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's true. It all depends. Damned dependencies.

[primary-suspect.livejournal.com]

I have no problem in Gmail myself, but all of my JS options are disabled so that might explain why I'm not seeing what you were.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Yeah, disabling javascript's power to move or resize windows fixes the problem. But it's driving me batty, as it seems to be unintentional.

[thespos]

I think it's a Firefox bug. As much as I love Firefox, there are two consistent bugs I encounter on both the Mac OS X version and the Win XP version.

The first bug is the inability to type a comment or use any such free-text dialogue to enter text if I have left Firefox open for too long. I cannot find a common thread that triggers this problem other than the passage of time. I haven't figured out how much time, tho, as it doesn't seem consistent. I usually notice when I hit "Reply at the webpage" out of my e-mail and a new tab is spawned with the reply dialogue for LJ, but it doesn't just happen with LJ.

The second issue is certain keystrokes will activate Firefox's search bar, and any succeeding text will appear in that bar. This also occurs during a free-text dialogue, and usually when I hit the apostrophe. It has happened with other such shifted characters, but since I use the apostrophe the most, that is when I see it the most.

I am not sure why I would open and close tabs three times in rapid succession like you have, but I will test it when I am next on the PC.

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Firefox does exhibit some odd behaviors on the Mac. Not quite so many as Thunderbird, though.

I keep switching back to Safari to get automatic spell checking back, then switching back to Firefox to get my extensions back. I can't stay faithful.

[thespos]

Off topic: pretty kitty! :-)

On topic: I rarely use Safari for anything anymore, unless I find a site that is not Firefox-compatible, and even then, Safari usually doesn't work, either.

It is all most frustrating. But, at least I have a PC, too.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Those steps are not my normal usage, they are designed to trigger the problem. It happens regularly, but inconsistently, on just a single Ctrl-T.

[thespos]

Yep - just did it - happened on the first Ctrl-T.

Very weird.

[heartovmidnight.livejournal.com]

Happened to both the hubby and I.

Weird.