Notices

Sorry, unfortunately I have confused the status area and the control panel. The browser switchboard is contained in the control panel and I can use it successfully.

Hi

your package in Extras-testing is unlocked for promotion. Do you consider promoting it?

No -- see the comments on http://maemo.org/packages/package_in...2-1fremantle1/. 3.2-2fremantle1 is the same package with Opera Mobile support and a compatibility fix for PR1.2.

My aim is to get the 3.3 release ready to go into extras for Maemo 5. I realize it's been an awfully long time since 3.3 beta 1 -- I've been rather busy since then. Hopefully beta 2, with the improvements needed to make Browser Switchboard rock-solid on Fremantle, comes soon (maybe next two weeks, but don't hold me to that).

If you (maintainer) vote thump down the package is removed from Extras-testing.

Well, I don't want it entirely out of extras-testing, though ...

I'm using latest beta of browser switchboard with Opera as default browser. I've noticed sometimes when you click on a web link in an application, switchboard will open Opera and once the page is loaded, the browser window gets minimized automatically. Not sure if this is Opera or switchboard issue.

That's a head-scratcher, but I'd guess that it's an Opera issue or an issue with the application that asks for the link to be opened. Browser Switchboard doesn't fool with window management at all and shouldn't do anything that would cause Opera or any other browser to minimize itself, as far as I know.

If you're bored, see if you can reproduce this behavior by running "opera http://url" from a shell, and if you can, report it to the Opera folks as a bug. Also check to see whether you only see this behavior when launching links from one particular application, or several.

I'm pleased to announce Browser Switchboard development release 3.3b2 for Diablo and Fremantle. Packages are now available in extras-devel and on the Garage download page.

Lots of user-visible changes, though the big one for Fremantle users is the change to how Browser Switchboard handles MicroB, which should improve reliability and, when MicroB is the default browser, eliminate any behavior differences from the case where Browser Switchboard isn't installed. I'd like some feedback related to this change, by the way -- see below.

Changes since 3.3b1:

• Only offer browsers that are actually installed in the config UI.
• [Fremantle] An overhaul of the MicroB launching process, which should greatly increase the robustness of Browser Switchboard with MicroB on Fremantle. When MicroB is selected as the default browser, the user experience should be identical to that when Browser Switchboard isn't installed; MicroB will still behave differently when another browser is selected as the default (though see below).
• Listen on the D-Bus system bus as well as the session bus, to accommodate applications (like some versions of Hermes and witter) which send link opening requests on the system bus. (Application developers: the system bus isn't for user programs, you should be using the session bus.)
• [Diablo] Continuous mode is now the default mode of operation.
• [Fremantle] Continuous mode is now forced on regardless of the setting of the config preference; this change is required to make sure applications can find us on the system bus.
• [Fremantle] Browser Switchboard is now started on startup; this change is required to make sure applications can find us on the system bus.
• [Fremantle] By default, MicroB is now prestarted on startup, and remains in memory even when no browser windows are open, if MicroB is the default browser. This behavior can be configured via a new autostart_microb preference (though I reserve the right to change this preference before 3.3 final).
• Update the package description to mention that there's a control panel applet in the package, to help out users who don't read documentation (and therefore won't find this thread). Thanks to Emanuele Cassioli for the suggestion.

For more information on the changes in this release, see the changelogs for the packages (Diablo, Fremantle); for excruciating detail, see the revision history in Git.

I've completed all the work I'd like to finish for 3.3 at this point, so if no problems come up, I expect to release 3.3 final late next week. I hope to get 3.3 for Fremantle through the extras-testing QA process and into Extras.

Before then, I'd like some feedback from Fremantle users, particularly those who use some browser other than MicroB as their default browser: would you rather have MicroB start faster when you do use it and behave more like it does when Browser Switchboard is not installed, or would you rather save memory by not having MicroB's browser process running when you're not using MicroB? Is the current feature which has all links opening in MicroB while MicroB is open useful to you? (We can make MicroB always behave as it does in this release when MicroB is the default browser, but that comes at the cost of keeping MicroB in memory all the time and losing the aforementioned feature.)

Also, if someone with an N900 has some time on their hands, I'd like to see the results of the following to verify that the packaging works correctly:

1. Uninstall Browser Switchboard, if it's currently installed on your device.
2. Reboot your device.
3. Install this release of Browser Switchboard (browser-switchboard 3.3~b2-1fremantle1).
4. From a shell, run the following:
   
   Code:

   $ ps -ef | grep browser

   (where $ is your prompt, not something you type) and provide the output.
5. Set the default browser to something other than MicroB and check to make sure links open as expected.
6. Reboot your device.
7. From a shell, run:
   
   Code:

   $ ps -ef | grep browser

   and provide the output.
8. Set the default browser to MicroB.
9. Reboot your device.
10. From a shell, run:
    
    Code:

    $ ps -ef | grep browser

    and provide the output.

Thanks very much!

Anyone want to weigh in? If not, and if no one reports problems with the beta, I'll push a 3.3 final release with the current (3.3b2) behavior.

I'm pleased to announce Browser Switchboard releases 3.3-1 (stable, for Diablo) and 3.3-1fremantle1 (beta, for Fremantle). Packages are now available in extras (for Diablo) or extras-testing (for Fremantle) and on the Garage download page.

Highlights of the changes since the 3.2 release:

• In the Control Panel applet, only offer browsers that are actually installed.
• Fall back to MicroB instead of silently failing if the configured default browser is not installed.
• [Fremantle] An overhaul of the MicroB launching process, which should greatly increase the robustness of Browser Switchboard with MicroB on Fremantle. When MicroB is selected as the default browser, the user experience should be identical to that when Browser Switchboard isn't installed; MicroB will still behave differently when another browser is selected as the default (see the known issues for details).
• Listen on the D-Bus system bus as well as the session bus, to accommodate applications (like some versions of Hermes and witter) which send link opening requests on the system bus. (Application developers: the system bus isn't for user programs, you should be using the session bus.)
• [Diablo] Continuous mode is now the default mode of operation.
• [Fremantle] Continuous mode is now forced on regardless of the setting of the config preference; this change is required to make sure applications can find us on the system bus.
• [Fremantle] Browser Switchboard is now started on startup; this change is required to make sure applications can find us on the system bus.
• [Fremantle] By default, MicroB is now prestarted on startup, and remains in memory even when no browser windows are open, if MicroB is the default browser. This behavior can be configured via a new autostart_microb preference.
• Update the package description to mention that there's a control panel applet in the package, to help out users who don't read documentation (and therefore won't find this thread). Thanks to Emanuele Cassioli for the suggestion.
• Rename the MicroB option in the control panel to "MicroB (stock browser)", as some have pointed out that the MicroB name isn't used anywhere and is therefore not familiar to many users. Better wording suggestions are welcome.
• Provide a command-line tool for configuring Browser Switchboard which can be used by browser developers to set their browser as the default. See the commit message for more information. This interface isn't set in stone, so if you have comments, please let me know.

There have been no changes since 3.3 beta 2.

For more information on the changes in this release, see the changelog for the release and for the packages (Diablo, Fremantle); for excruciating detail, see the revision history in Git.

Known issues:

• [Diablo] No "Loading" message (startup notification) is displayed when you open the MicroB menu entry.
• [Fremantle] When MicroB is not the default browser, opening the MicroB menu entry causes a blank window to load in MicroB instead of the bookmarks window to be displayed.
• [Fremantle] When MicroB is not the default browser, a bookmarks window will open in the background whenever MicroB is started, even when loading a URL.
• [Fremantle] When MicroB is not the default browser, Browser Switchboard kills MicroB after the last browser window closes, even if a bookmarks window is still open.

Fremantle users: This release has been pushed into Extras-testing. If you feel this package meets the extras-testing QA criteria (see the link), please vote for it in the extras-testing queue! (If you don't, please do let me know what needs improving, either on this thread or via email.)