SeaMonkey:suiterunner

Description

"suiterunner" is an internal code-name for the future version of SeaMonkey based on the "new toolkit", i.e. the same backend code already used by Firefox, Sunbird and for the most part also Thunderbird. The name is intentionally derived from "XULRunner", as the long-term goal of this project is to make SeaMonkey a XULRunner-based application.

Important changes

Compared to xpfe-based "conventional" SeaMonkey (1.0.x and 1.1.x), suiterunner will features some quite important changes:

• Incorporation of the same Add-On Management as Firefox, including unistalling Add-Ons, automatic extension updates, etc.
• Making Firefox extensions compatible with suiterunner is easier than with "conventional" SeaMonkey (not all will work out-of-the-box though)
• Profiles will be kept in a new directory, old profiles will need to be migrated (addition of a profile migrator open doors to enable easier importing setting from other apps though)
• New Windows installer will be based on NSIS, just like current Firefox installer

Current development

Summary

For the moment, building SeaMonkey trunk in the "suiterunner" configuration is working on all platforms, but it currently ties some parts of xpfe and toolkit together in a temporary mix, still excluding some parts of toolkit from the build that we haven't yet figured out how to include without causing incompatibilities. Look for comments like "# XXX Suite doesn't want these just yet" in toolkit build files.

Bug state

The main tracking bug for suiterunner is bug suiterunner

Real blockers:

• bug 329744 Write migrator for moving to Toolkit-based profiles
• bug 338461 Get file -> new navigator window working in suiterunner
• bug 348386 Download manager doesn't display on suiterunner builds
• bug 350221 Make suiterunner tabbrowser build on toolkit browser
• bug 351917 Create NSIS installer for SeaMonkey (suiterunner)

Possible blockers:

• bug 335154 Get SeaMonkey's themes registering and switching with Theme Manager (in suiterunner)
  • removes old theme options
• bug 349309 toolkit's extensions.js/OpenURL is app specific (GetMoreThemes/Extensions)

Regression after switch - no need to block:

• bug 329742 Port SeaMonkey's splash screen code to work with Toolkit

No need to block:

• bug 255807 Migrate Seamonkey UI from XPFE to New Toolkit
• bug 336874 Make suiterunner use the same toolkit.jar as XULRunner
• bug 342087 migrate SeaMonkey preferences to use an extended Toolkit Prefwindow

Need to decide on:

• bug 329021 Get non-static builds of mailnews working when MOZ_XUL_APP set
• bug 332203 Ensure the installers work with MOZ_XUL_APP set on SeaMonkey
  • Works apart from DOMI
• bug 334478 Get suiterunner to actually run (start up a somewhat usable browser window)
• bug 351152 Make SeaMonkey's Release Notes URL compatible with toolkit's version

Related Wiki Pages

• Some pref window work is being tracked at SeaMonkey:Toolkit Transition:PrefwindowPanes
• Transition of Chatzilla to fit the new model is being discussed at ChatZilla:Suiterunner

Builds

There are some experimental tinderboxes listed on the SeaMonkey-Ports tinderbox page, the phlox (mac) and tpol (win32) ones also upload suiterunner packages into the seamonkey/tinderbox-builds directory of ftp.mozilla.org

For building yourself, just add the lines

MOZ_XUL_APP=1
ac_add_options --enable-static-mail

to your SeaMonkey trunk .mozconfig file.