Window position is not remembered between starts

Binary package hint: firefox-3.0

Firefox forgets the location of the main window each time I close it down and start it back up. I have investigated this, and it turns out that Firefox rewrites parts of the localstore.rdf file in my profile, and thus changes the screenX="499" setting to screenX="0" as can be seen in the below diff.

Steps to reproduct:
1) Start firefox and move the main window until it touches the right edge of the screen.
2) Shut down firefox.
3) Start Firefox again

Result: Firefox is positioned on the very left side of the screen.
Expected result: Firefox should be started in the position I left it.

Below is a diff that shows what changes are done by Firefox to my localstore.def file between step 2 and 3:

--- localstore.rdf_correct 2008-03-21 03:45:28.000000000 +0100
+++ localstore.rdf_wrong 2008-03-21 03:48:25.000000000 +0100
@@ -1,21 +1,17 @@
 <?xml version="1.0"?>
 <RDF:RDF xmlns:NC="http://home.netscape.com/NC-rdf#"
          xmlns:RDF="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
+ <RDF:Description RDF:about="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul">
+ <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#main-window"/>
+ <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-box"/>
+ <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-title"/>
+ </RDF:Description>
   <RDF:Description RDF:about="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#main-window"
                    screenY="25"
                    sizemode="normal"
                    width="1093"
                    height="1122"
- screenX="499" />
+ screenX="0" />
   <RDF:Description RDF:about="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-title"
                    value="" />
- <RDF:Description RDF:about="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-box"
- sidebarcommand=""
- width=""
- src="" />
- <RDF:Description RDF:about="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul">
- <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#main-window"/>
- <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-box"/>
- <NC:persist RDF:resource="chrome://browser/content/browser.xul#sidebar-title"/>
- </RDF:Description>
 </RDF:RDF>

This problem has been observed in all Ubuntu releases that I can remember. Info about my Ubuntu installation and Firefox installation:

Description: Ubuntu hardy (development branch)
Release: 8.04

firefox:
  Installed: 3.0~b4+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 3.0~b4+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 3.0~b4+nobinonly-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://se.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Fri Mar 21 03:46:38 2008
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.04
Package: firefox 3.0~b4+nobinonly-0ubuntu1
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox-3.0
Uname: Linux 2.6.24-12-generic i686

I confirm this behaviour. It should be specified that it does not have to be moved to touch the right border - any positioning will be reset to the upper left corner.

Confirmed, maybe you can review in Upstream and see whether or already reported, but this report is well https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/Mozilla

Mozilla Team is able to reproduce this bug left confirmed and filed bug upstream since this isnt something that came from our package.
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=431921

Andres i spent an hour looking for bug upstream and i do this all the time while you were typing that. Finally someone that thinks like me ;)

updated upstream bug URL

Same problem here with Hardy and Firefox 3 and window placement on "centered"...only Firefox window goes to upper left...randomly...sometimes. None of my other applications have this problem. I have the same problem with Firefox when using 'Fixed Window Placement". Sometimes it goes where I have placed it, sometimes it opens in the upper left. Very strange.

Same problem with Hardy and Firefox 3.0.4

errr, uh oh. It seems i have the same user-name as someone else. I'm new

Tom is such an excellent name tho, i dont understand why everyone doesn't want to use it

i found it interesting about the localstore.rdf file. Something that annoys me in Windows is that it tries to line up all my useful desktop icons neatly on the left and then splats any and every window over the top of them quite rudely unless i have carefully opened that particular window up before and carefully placed it somewhere reasonable

I'm currently experiencing window position remember issues as well.

Ubuntu 8.10
GNOME 2.24.1

On linux, it is a norm, made by freedesktop.org, that fix how a window manager and an application must deal together regarding window placement. I think it must be similar things in the other OSs. Also, it is a lot of threads into the forum about that. Finally, different users can like different behaviors.

So, maybe the right solution is to choose some sane default for the new firefox windows, and have a preference that let the user to choose if he want firefox to remember the last size, let the window manager choose the size, or use the default size.

Also, please don't allow firefox to resize already opened windows. I have a function in my desktop that resize automatically the newly opened firefox windows. when I start firefox, that function resize its window, the session manager come, I choose the session, and bang! firefox resize its window. This is not only irritating, but it is a waste of processor and of my time, as I must resize that f. crazy window. Or at least, put a preference setting for that too. Thanks a lot!

And thanks a lot for firefox!