Firefox-3.1: Could not find compatible GRE between version 1.9.1b3 and 1.9.1b3

[Kristoffer Lundén]

Binary package hint: firefox-3.1

Ubuntu Jaunty, updated as of today. From today (or possibly yesterday) Firefox 3.1 no longer starts.

firefox-3.1: 3.1~b3+build2+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
xulrunner-1.9.1: 1.9.1~b4~hg20090330r24021+nobinonly-0ubuntu1

Commandline output:

$ firefox-3.1
Could not find compatible GRE between version 1.9.1b3 and 1.9.1b3.

I guess it's likely it's a similar problem to bug #326312 or bug #201938 but no solutions suggested such as in the latter seems to work.

Also see forums thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1113826

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.04
Package: firefox-3.1 3.1~b3+build2+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox-3.1
Uname: Linux 2.6.28-11-generic i686

[Nicolò Chieffo (yelo3)]

I think you must wait for firefox-3.5 to hit the repositories, as you can see in the xulrunner changelog

[Jarkko Lietolahti (jarkko-jab)]

Metoo,
jarkko@gandalf:~$ firefox-3.1
Could not find compatible GRE between version 1.9.1b3 and 1.9.1b3.

[Kristoffer Lundén (kristoffer-lunden)]

Yes, it's xulrunner. I know it's a test release in a beta OS, but since I'm a silly man I use FF 3.1 as my main browser, and that's where all my bookmarks etc is. :)

Anyhow, here's a working workaround until packages get back in sync: http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6999169&postcount=7

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

1.9.1~b4~hg20090330r24021+nobinonly-0ubuntu1 is the version in Jaunty and Firefox is depending on
Depends: fontconfig, psmisc, debianutils (>= 1.16), xulrunner-1.9.1 (>= 1.9.1~b4~)....... so the package is using the correct depends and this is most likely a locale problem more so than name change since we updated it shortly after upstream renamed it. Nothing changed in version except name change the depends and friends did not change.
I am unable to reproduce this, When you try again you should see profile 3.1 moving to 3.5 and it should start up fine. Works here without extensions and its Jaunty's version

[Kristoffer Lundén (kristoffer-lunden)]

Searching launchpad and forums (and google) for "Could not find compatible GRE between version" it's obvious this happens a lot and affects a lot of people a lot of times when these packages gets a new version. I sincerely doubt that it's a "locale problem" as well as neither local nor central repository had 3.5 version for +24 hours while the new xulrunner was there and broke things.

Anyway, I suggest that to avoid all these "soon to be closed" bugs each time, that the reason is investigated and mitigated - it would be much easier on the devs time, after all, because people will keep on reporting it each time otherwise.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

At time you tested it could have been a transition for 3.1>3.5 however before the transition and still now i am unable to reproduce this in 3.1 3.5 3.6.
I was testing 3.1/3.5 3.2/3.6 long before 3.1/3.5 hit our repos. To this day i can not reproduce this, If the transition for XuL runner was done before or after it might have caused it for a breif day or 2. I am guessing you are unable to reproduce this at this time.
Your comment:
Anyway, I suggest that to avoid all these "soon to be closed" bugs each time, that the reason is investigated and mitigated - it would be much easier on the devs time, after all, because people will keep on reporting it each time otherwise.

We sometimes open one back up depending on how many people report the same issue you will use the bug as a catch all. However noone else has reported seeing this other than the 2 people on this bug.
Yes, sad to say i see every firefox seamonkey sunbird thunderbird ect.. bugs when they are reported and when commented on.

As for

I sincerely doubt that it's a "locale problem" as well as neither local nor central repository had 3.5 version for +24 hours while the new xulrunner was there and broke things.

This would have been seen only at this time due to firefox being accepted before xulrunner, XULrunner should always get sent first but either way this is not a bug any more, If you can still reproduce it try getting all updates from repos, Than try to reproduce this. The above comment about xulrunner being frist upload occurs for us, If Mozilla had caused this issue than no one ever reported it to Mozilla If you can reproduce it please give us everything you see in terminal when you try to run it. try with both 3.1 and 3.5 so i can see if there is an issue with compatibility between the 2 browsers

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

opening back up until provide info is gotten.

[Kristoffer Lundén (kristoffer-lunden)]

It is fixed now that 3.5 finally arrived in the repos.

My point was not that it isn't fixed now, it's that it's a commonly repeated issue, as the suggested search would show. So, if this could be avoided, lot's of bugs need not be filed then promptly closed.

That it is two people here (and a bunch in the forums, not everyone comments "me too", a good thing) does not really matter, the point is, again, that there's a lot of these bugs over time, since something is breaks at updates. As the suggested search shows.

By all means close away, this bug is not valid anymore. But you could avoid it being repeated again and again.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

this might be annoying at times like this when we rename the source package and it takes a while for firefox 3.5 to show up. however, it reflects reality: if you have xulrunner 1.9.2b3 it will probably break ffox 3.5b2 as the 1.9.1 branch is still under development so there can be breakage. Once firefox 3.5 is final this issue will not happen anymore.

Also this should be less likely in stable releases compared to development releases, because we take extra care to publish both "xulrunner" and "firefox" at the same time for security issues.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

> if you have xulrunner 1.9.2b3 it will probably break ffox 3.5b2

typo should read obviously: if you have xulrunner 1.9.1b3 it will probably break ffox 3.5b2