Bug#668850: libreoffice: opens windows in wrong session

[Shai Berger <shai@platonix.com>]

Hi again,

On Sunday 15 April 2012, Rene Engelhard wrote:
> 
> On Sun, Apr 15, 2012 at 02:00:10AM +0300, Shai Berger wrote:
> > Simple procedure to reproduce:
> > 
> > 1) In a desktop session, open LibreOffice Writer.
> > 2) Open another session for same user. It doesn't have to be a
> > full desktop session -- you can use a text-only terminal such
> > as VT1.
> > 3) In this new session, issue the command "lowriter".
> 
> Which doesn't make sense. lowriter isn't a GUI program.
> 
lowriter invokes the soffice.bin binary to start a new writer document. How is 
that "not GUI"?

But this is meaningless. The same thing happens if you use a pure GUI way of 
invocation, like starting Writer from a menu or double-clicking a file.

> > 4) See that nothing happens.
> > 5) Go back to the original desktop session
> > 6) See a new, "uninvited", Writer window.
> 
> This comes up often.
> 

...then perhaps it should be solved...

> In any case, this is a given. LO is not a standlone thing but uses
> interprocess communication and "services" heavily. And this means
> if there's a soffice.bin, LO will try to connect to that.
> 

I guessed as much. The point is that LO is using the wrong IPC mechanism; 
there are several mechanisms which work only within an X session, e.g. 
(session) DBus.

> This is a conceptual thing, not a bug.

The same thing does not happen with other programs that do the same "new 
invocation is another window in existing process" thing, like Iceweasel. 

This is a program that fails to do what a user expects in a certain situation, 
and does something else instead -- and it's all implementation, not concept.

> Actually, IMHO it's a bug that
> you have a second X instance in the same system...
> 

I can see why you'd think that -- apparently both GDM and Windows agree with 
you. KDM does not. This actually is a conceptual thing.

> Wanted to refer you to a upstream bug/maling list post where this recently
> came up again, too, but I don't find it anymore, will give you later if
> I find it..
> 
I'm waiting for it; I'll try to also find it myself.

Thanks for the fast response,

	Shai.