[Bug 444872] New: Clever duplicate removal is not clever enough

[gnome-session (bugzilla.gnome.org)]

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  gnome-session | gnome-session | Ver: SVN trunk
           Summary: Clever duplicate removal is not clever enough
           Product: gnome-session
           Version: SVN trunk
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: major
          Priority: Normal
         Component: gnome-session
        AssignedTo: gnome-session-maint at gnome.bugs
        ReportedBy: joss at malsain.org
         QAContact: gnome-session-maint at gnome.bugs
                CC: pkg-gnome-maintainers at lists.alioth.debian.org
     GNOME version: 2.17/2.18
   GNOME milestone: Unspecified


There is a problem with the clever duplicate removal code that was introduced
in r4349 to fix bug#341286. Some applications are not removed why they should,
which leads to some cases of session hanging.

For example, if epiphany appears twice with different arguments, only the first
instance will really be launched. The second one will just exit after adding
stuff to the first one, and this will lead to the session manager waiting
hopelessly for it to register.

Of course such applications shouldn't appear twice in the session, but - don't
ask me why - it happens. A case was reported with openbox, and there's another
one that I couldn't identify yet. As openbox is the WM, the timeout occurs
early in the login process, even before nautilus and gnome-panel are launched.
See http://bugs.debian.org/425742 (although the real finding was done on IRC).

A good solution may be to make the session manager only wait for the first
instance of an application when there are several ones.


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