[RESOLVED] 1.9.6.2 and .6.5 causing "Offline" error message

[Tom T.]

The first time I rebooted after installing NS 1.9.6.2, I would get an error message at every page, "Fx is working in offline mode and cannot browse the web" -- yet the page loaded. And File > Work Offline was *not* checked. (Actually, I've *never* used Fx in Offline mode.) I tried checking it and then unchecking it -- no effect. After I OK the error message twice, I can use the page normally. Yet whenever another page loads, whether from the same site or a new site, I get the same error message. Again, hitting "OK" twice clears the message, but it gets old doing that at every page.

I went back to 1.9.5. -- problem disappears.

Saw 1.9.6.5 today -installed -- problem reappears.

Disabled every other extension (Adblock O, Copy Plain Text, Safe Cache, Safe History, RefControl) and restarted the browser. Problem still there.
I'm presently back on NS 1.9.5 until this is resolved. I had gotten as high as 1.9.5.73 without seeing this problem.

Note: Fx 2.0.0.20. Is anyone having this problem on F3, and if not, is there some change in 1.9.6+ that is incompatible with F2?

Would that mean that compatibility with F2 is no longer to be maintained?

[therube]

rebooted

As in rebooted the computer, or restarted the browser?

If the latter, then I don't see it at all (in FF2).
If the former, then I'm in no position to reboot my computer.

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.20) Gecko/20081217 Firefox/2.0.0.20


Seem to recall 3 modes of browser startup. Online, offline, & mode from previous close ...


PS: F2 *is* no longer maintained. Just as Mozilla . (Though Giorgio will always support FF2. Heck, he even support SeaMonkey 1 :crossesfingers:.)


Maybe it was ...

Code: Select all

offline . startup_state 	Integer

0 (default): Use network.online to set online status at startup
1: Prompt user.
3: Offline.
4: Automatic. [20]

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Mail_and_news_settings

Code: Select all

network. online 	 Boolean

Indicates whether the user is currently online. Used for enabling/disabling various options in the UI.
True (default): User is online
False: Opposite of the above 

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_FAQs_:_About:config_Entries

Check those Preferences & see how they're set.

[Tom T.]

rebooted

As in rebooted the computer, or restarted the browser?

My understanding is that you "restart" a browser, and you "reboot" a computer, and that is how I use those terms. If I'm mistaken, please correct me.

If the latter, then I don't see it at all (in FF2).
If the former, then I'm in no position to reboot my computer.

I had to restart the browser to install the update. I seem to be among a very tiny minority who shuts down hizr machine while sleeping, then boots it the next day when ready to use. Some people apparently don't reboot for months at a time, for reasons of which I've never been educated. I installed the first update on Sunday, but didn't notice any symptoms. I noticed them after a cold boot on Monday, and after trying .6.5 the same day with a browser restart, but not a reboot.

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.20) Gecko/20081217 Firefox/2.0.0.20

Seem to recall 3 modes of browser startup. Online, offline, & mode from previous close ...

Have never in my Fx life used anything but online. Wasn't even aware the others existed until searching MozFAQ when this issue arose. Never even noticed the "File > Work Offline" option before. All totally new to me.

PS: F2 *is* no longer maintained. Just as Mozilla .

Ahhh, you had been the only team member who hadn't pointed that out to me. It's now unanimous.

(Though Giorgio will always support FF2. Heck, he even support SeaMonkey 1 :crossesfingers:.)

Crossing them with you.

Maybe it was ...

Code: Select all

offline . startup_state 	Integer

0 (default): Use network.online to set online status at startup
1: Prompt user.
3: Offline.
4: Automatic. [20]

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Mail_and_news_settings

I don't have this about:config setting. I don't have Thunderbird or any MZ "suite" products, only stand-alone Fx, a/k/a FF. I understand that Seamonkey includes the suite.

Code: Select all

network. online 	 Boolean

Indicates whether the user is currently online. Used for enabling/disabling various options in the UI.
True (default): User is online
False: Opposite of the above 

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_FAQs_:_About:config_Entries

Presently indicates "True", that I am presently online, which is a true statement.

Check those Preferences & see how they're set.

Done, and as per above, no obvious problems.
Thanks for the input. Might try to reproduce one more time, or maybe call it a day and see what happens tomorrow (actually, that's now today, but .. .n/m). Maybe since it arrived one day, it'll go away the next.

[Grumpy Old Lady]

Aside from the Fx/Ns jigging around, I'd also have a look at my network drivers very closely, and at the connection behind that as well - those connection flags aren't coming from nowhere, even if they are apparently disordered. On the face of it, Fx is being a very informative browser and firstly reporting no connection, and then perhaps getting stuff from cache after a momentary connection or showing you a successful page update as you hit it spot on.

Unfortunately the machine here with 2 on it is on blocks, but I don't ever remember any non-manual switching between offline and online modes without something network-related being a problem.

[Giorgio Maone]

@Tom T.:
did you try on a clean profile?
Have you got any non-standard (bold) network.* or security.* setting in about:config?
Have you got ABE enabled (it's disabled by default on Gecko 1.8.x, since it can be problematic)?
If so, does disabling it help?

[therube]

NoScript 1.9.6.4
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.22pre) Gecko/20090415 (<---a bit older)

NoScript Options | Reset
Then enable ABE

Shutdown computer

Restart

Desktop loads
Click FF2 icon
Firewall asks permission
FF2 loads
mozilla.com web page loads
Any other URL I type in loads

So no, even with a restart, I am not seeing any problem.


(BTW, I've always been running ABE in SeaMonkey 1.1.17 seemingly without incident.)

[Tom T.]

@Tom T.:

>did you try on a clean profile?
Yes. No problem.

>Have you got any non-standard (bold) network.* or security.* setting in about:config?

network.cookie.cookieBehavior 1
network.cookie.enableForCurrentSessionOnly 1
network.cookie.lifetimePolicy 1
network.cookie.prefsMigrated
network.prefetch-next had been set to False. I changed it back to default True in an attempt to diagnose. No change in behavior.
(I'm familiar with about:config.)

security.OCSP.disable_button.managecrl False
security.OCSP.enabled 1
security.OCSP.signingCA = Builtin Object Token:Verisign Class 1 Public Primary Certification Authority
security.disable_button.openCertManager False
security.disable_button.openDeviceManager False
security.warn_entering_secure False
security.warn_leaving_secure False
security.warn_submit_insecure False
security.warn_viewing_mixed.show_once False

>Have you got ABE enabled (it's disabled by default on Gecko 1.8.x, since it can be problematic)?
Yes.
>If so, does disabling it help?
No. Abe was enabled in 1.9.5.73 with no problems at all, using default rules.

I should add that I had also previously tried deleting the extensions.* in Profile and letting new files be rebuilt. No effect.

I've narrowed the problem down to occurring *only* at Yahoo.com It doesn't happen anywhere else, including SSL-secure site (bank) or Hackademix, where I posted a comment a little while ago.

It doesn't happen when I go to the bookmarked (Classic) mail login page, https://login.yahoo.com/config/login_verify2?&.src=ym.
Only after I enter my login, it is sent, and I am taken to my Inbox does this message appear. It persists at every page inside the Yahoo Mail (which is not secure once you are logged in.) Reading mail, Options, Contacts (address book), all produce this message, and all work fine after clicking OK twice on the error message. It also occurs on other pages in the Yahoo domain after logging out, e. g. finance.yahoo.com,
news.yahoo.com.

If I close the browser, which deletes all private data, and go back to, say, news.yahoo.com *without* logging in personally (with just "guest" cookies, presumably), the same thing happens.

Yahoo has been constantly "improving" things that weren't broken, thereby breaking them. I hope this narrows down the search. Thanks for your time.

[al_9x]

Noticed this thread after I posted a bug. The two issues might be related.

[Tom T.]

Noticed this thread after I posted a bug. The two issues might be related.

My reply there, repeated here, although it does seem likely that they're related:

1) forbid iframes, set no placeholders for untrusted
2) goto http://www.betanews.com/ which contains an ad iframe near the top
3) you will see Fx2 briefly load the "offline mode" error page in the iframe, which is then replaced by placeholder
4) this "offline mode" flashing wasn't there in 1.9.5
5) now mark the iframe domain as untrusted and reload
6) now since there is no placeholder, the "offline mode" error page will stay in the iframe.

Yes, the error is identical, but the cure doesn't work for me.

What I do realize is that Yahoo uses banner ads. Nearly all of Yahoo's advertisers are already in my Untrusted list. This is proven by the fact that the NS logo is solid blue at Yahoo. Yet I get the error message, and I get it at http://www.betanews.com even after marking adtechus.com (the domain of the banner iframe placeholder) as Untrusted. I'm going to add this to my thread, and test it at some other sites that use banner ads. I don't visit very many of those, other than Yahoo.

Edit: al_9x called my attention to my misunderstanding of his post at his thread. He didn't have a cure, either.

I've also confirmed that the symptom occurs at all sites that use Iframe ads. I didn't notice it at my bank, because they don't use iframe ads, or here or at Hackademix, as they apparently don't, either.

I didn't notice this sooner because I generally avoid sites with a lot of garbage iframes. Yahoo is the only one I visit regularly. Apologies to Yahoo for blaming it on them.

[Giorgio Maone]

Can you check latest development build 1.9.6.96?

[Tom T.]

Can you check latest development build 1.9.6.96?

I'm afraid that the issue is still there, even with ABE disabled, and even with RefControl, SafeHistory, SafeCache, and other irrelevant extensions disabled.

With regard to your conversation with al_9x, do I understand that NS 1.9.5 on Fx 2.0.0.20 *will* perform all NS-blocking with 100% safety and effectiveness? That build of NS works fine for me, even with ABE enabled. I've been using it entirely while awaiting resolution, so I now have three profiles: default, with 1.9.6.9 for testing purposes, "clean", and one with 1.9.5 for actual browsing.

I know my F2 days are limited anyway, so it seems my options are:
1) Use the garish, more complex, IE-imitating F3, or
2) Stick with NS 1.9.5 if indeed safe, and if no further NS issues or enhancements arrive that are F2-incompatible.

Stupid question: Is it possible to somehow import SM's later Gecko engine, rv:1.8.1.22 Gecko/20090605, into the F2 shell and UI?

Thanks for your continued efforts, Giorgio.

[al_9x]

With regard to your conversation with al_9x, do I understand that NS 1.9.5 on Fx 2.0.0.20 *will* perform all NS-blocking with 100% safety and effectiveness?

My interpretation of Girogios reply (look at last paragraph) is is that post 1.9.5 changes that introduced the gecko 1.8.1 bugs were exclusively for ABE's sake. So if you aren't using ABE, NS 1.9.5 + Gecko 1.8.1 is safe.

[Tom T.]

Guard, I haven't seen any of that happen, so while you definitely have an issue, I'm guessing it's unrelated -- especially since al_9x, therube, and myself are all using Gecko 1.8.x vs. your 1.9. (Also, we're all on XP vs. your Vista.) Giorgio mentioned the issues and workarounds he did for G 1.8., so unless Giorigo finds some commonality, I'm guessing a new thread is warranted. GL.

@al_9x: Thanks for the reply, but I would *like* to use ABE, so I'm still interested in seeing Giorgio's response to whether that is possible to do safely. Cheers.

[Tom T.]

Sorry, Giorgio, i just realized that when I went to noscript/getit, I accidentally clicked link for stable 6.9 instead of dev 6.96. Will install and report back shortly.
My mistake.

[Tom T.]

Resolved by 1.9.6.96. ABE enabled with default rules.

You're the greatest, Giorgio!

edit: FWIW, the https d/l for dev builds is great, but I had to disable OCSP validation to install it. No big deal.