* * * * *
That's not what I wanted, Firefox
That was odd.
I'm working remotely, using a Linux desktop system, and I'm trying to log
into the trouble ticket system at The Office. It's a web-based trouble ticket
system, so I'm using Firefox [1] as my browser of choice. Now, because I
haven't logged into the trouble ticket system from where I'm currently am,
it's not bookmarked or in my browser history.
“No problem,” I say to myself. “I'm using X Windows [2], and since my
workstation at The Office also uses X Windows, I can run Firefox on my
workstation and have it displayed on the computer I'm currently using.” I
mean, that's the whole purpose of X—you can run applications on one computer
and have its windows displayed elsewhere. This is so fundamental to X that
its been a feature since the late 80s (pcAnywhere [3] is a Johnny-come-lately
to remote GUI (Graphical User Interface) software).
So I log into my workstation and run Firefox. Yes, there is a lag before the
window pops up, but I'm expecting that—I am running a graphical program
across the Internet. But the window … it looks … wrong. I mean, it is
Firefox, but the window isn't big, and the bookmarks aren't the ones I
expect.
In fact, it looks much like the bookmarks on the copy of Firefox I'm running
locally. And in fact, the browser history doesn't show the trouble ticket
system.
In fact, the Firefox on my workstation at The Office apparently sent a
command message to the Firefox on the computer in front of me to open up a
new window.
Which, while pretty cool in a “network optimization” way, is not what I was
expecting. To get around this mess, I had to shut down the local Firefox
before firing up Firefox at The Office.
I know of no other X program that exhibits this behavior. xeyes? It'll run
remote and locally. xterm? It'll run remote and locally. Gimp [4]? It'll run
remote and locally. Firefox? It apparently goes out of its way to run in only
one location—must be a vestige function left over when it was the commercial
product Netscape.
There is a way around it though:
> It seems the switch you are looking for is -no-remote. And yes, it does not
> appear with you run firefox -h, because firefox -h gives you the sitches
> supported by the program firefox.
>
> What's this -no-remote then, you say? Well that switch is implemented by
> the wrapper script. Pish tosh, a wrapper script is some silly linux
> distribution script, you would think. But look at the license and the
> copyright and you'll find this is part of the standard firefox
> distribution. The method for getting the wrapper script appears to be to
> open it in vi. At least, that's the method I used. My firefox manpage does
> mention it too, but that's hardly an excuse.
>
“spc hates software: Okay Firefox, that's … interesting. Now cut it out! [5]”
Oddly enough, the man page I have on my workstation at The Office fails to
mention -no-remote, and the man page on the computer I'm using fails to
mention -no-remote—they do, however, mention - remote, but that appears to be
redundant, since that appears to be the default action anyway.
Sigh.
[1]
http://www.mozilla.com/en-
[2]
http://www.x.org/
[3]
http://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=pf&pvid=pca12
[4]
http://www.gimp.org/
[5]
http://spc.hates-/
Email author at
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