With a bit of experimentation, I have the following hypothesis, which is consistent with observed behaviour:
Firefox strongly prefers to choose windows that are visible, or would be visible if their workspace were chosen. In the absence of a potentially visible window, the choice of window is made according to some data structure that I don't see (i.e., I don't know how to explain that part). In the context of a tiling window manager in which windows are tabbed (i.e., multiple windows occupy the same screen position), this means that I might have, say, two firefox windows, one on workspace 1 but in a tab that isn't currently displaying, the other in workspace 3 but displaying if I switch to workspace 3. I'm reading mail (not in a browser) in workspace 1. I click a link, expecting it to open in the firefox window in workspace 1, because that is the firefox window with which I've recently been interacting. But it opens in the (potentially visible, if I were there) window in workspace 3. If I open a window in workspace 1 that is visible, then that window will always be chosen for URL open events, regardless of other interactions I have with firefox. This didn't used to be the behaviour: it used to be the last window with which I interacted. (The source tree is so complex and involves so many projects, I'm not sure where to start looking for a commit that would have affected window choosing.) -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Desktop Packages, which is subscribed to firefox in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1810902 Title: firefox picks unpredictable window for opening new content when using i3 as a window manager Status in firefox package in Ubuntu: Incomplete Bug description: When a firefox instance is running with multiple windows, typing "firefox somepage" should open somepage in an existing window. Previously, that window was the last window accessed. Now, it is difficult to predict in which window the new tab will open. Indeed, it may open in a window in a different workspace even though the a window in the current workspace has been used more recently. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04 Package: firefox 64.0+build3-0ubuntu0.18.04.1 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-34.37-generic 4.15.18 Uname: Linux 4.15.0-34-generic x86_64 AddonCompatCheckDisabled: False ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.5 Architecture: amd64 AudioDevicesInUse: USER PID ACCESS COMMAND /dev/snd/controlC0: jeff 4822 F.... pulseaudio /dev/snd/pcmC1D0p: jeff 4822 F...m pulseaudio /dev/snd/controlC1: jeff 4822 F.... pulseaudio BuildID: 20181207224003 Channel: Unavailable CurrentDesktop: i3 Date: Tue Jan 8 08:43:06 2019 DefaultProfileExtensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing DefaultProfileIncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) DefaultProfileLocales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing DefaultProfilePrefSources: prefs.js DefaultProfileThemes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing EcryptfsInUse: Yes ForcedLayersAccel: False IfupdownConfig: # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8) auto lo iface lo inet loopback InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-10-23 (1172 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 15.04 "Vivid Vervet" - Release amd64 (20150422) IpRoute: default via 192.168.2.1 dev eth1 proto dhcp metric 100 169.254.0.0/16 dev eth1 scope link metric 1000 192.168.2.0/24 dev eth1 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.2.87 metric 100 MostRecentCrashID: bp-a0847816-1a40-4e81-8110-dc8171180221 Profile1Extensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile1IncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) Profile1Locales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile1Plugins: iTunes Application Detector - /usr/lib/mozilla/plugins/librhythmbox-itms-detection-plugin.so Shockwave Flash - /usr/lib/flashplugin-installer/libflashplayer.so Profile1PrefSources: prefs.js Profile1Themes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile2Extensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile2IncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) Profile2Locales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile2Plugins: Shockwave Flash - /usr/lib/flashplugin-installer/libflashplayer.so Profile2PrefSources: prefs.js Profile2Themes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile3Extensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile3IncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) Profile3Locales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile3PrefSources: prefs.js Profile3Themes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile4Extensions: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile4IncompatibleExtensions: Unavailable (corrupt or non-existant compatibility.ini or extensions.sqlite) Profile4Locales: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profile4PrefSources: prefs.js Profile4Themes: extensions.sqlite corrupt or missing Profiles: Profile0 (Default) - LastVersion=64.0/20181207224003 (In use) Profile1 - LastVersion=50.0.2/20161130094234 (Out of date) Profile2 - LastVersion=56.0/20171003100843 (Out of date) Profile3 - LastVersion=64.0/20181207224003 (In use) Profile4 - LastVersion=60.0.2/20180607190419 (Out of date) RunningIncompatibleAddons: False SourcePackage: firefox UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to bionic on 2018-06-14 (207 days ago) dmi.bios.date: 05/21/2014 dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc. dmi.bios.version: B220P007 dmi.board.asset.tag: NA dmi.board.name: ZBOX-ID92/ZBOX-IQ01 dmi.board.vendor: ZOTAC dmi.board.version: XX dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M. dmi.chassis.type: 3 dmi.chassis.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M. dmi.chassis.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M. dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrB220P007:bd05/21/2014:svnZOTAC:pnZBOX-ID92/ZBOX-IQ01:pvrXX:rvnZOTAC:rnZBOX-ID92/ZBOX-IQ01:rvrXX:cvnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:ct3:cvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.: dmi.product.family: NA dmi.product.name: ZBOX-ID92/ZBOX-IQ01 dmi.product.version: XX dmi.sys.vendor: ZOTAC To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/1810902/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages Post to : [email protected] Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~desktop-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
