SeaMonkey locked out of Google sites

[Frank Lion]

Sounds like a plan..

Short answer - I reckon use Edge for Google Docs.

Frank Lion wrote above that it works under clean profile. It means it can work on old profile if user will delete cookies and/or other data written by websites in user's profile.

You're right to point this out, because that's precisely what happened - tested on my pre-existing clean testing profile - clean prefs.js and in safe mode and Google Docs doesn't show that "Home Screen temporarily unavailable" message and the site works OK, albeit a bit slowly (too slowly for me, that's for sure) and that remains the case every time I try that site with this profile.

But, here's the odd thing, on my usual profile the Error message that I get when that message does come up, i.e. the site doesn't work in my usual profile, is a '"Error: uncaught exception: CustomError: Error in protected function: invalid identity escape in regular expression" one.

A regex error is more of an app fault than a profile one, i.e. SM doesn't support it, so how, etc. So, on a hunch, I tried another new clean profile and that gives that error message on Google Docs as well!

I'm sure there is some explanation for this bizarre stuff, but I sure don't know what that is. Meantime, my advice is just to use Edge for Google Docs.

[beoenduser]

I reckon use Edge for Google Docs.

I was just thinking of trying Chrome, but if that doesn't work, then I'll use Edge.

[lem3]

If it helps, after I login to my Google account Docs opens and seems to work normally using my everyday SM profile.

The only seemingly pertinent entry in prefs is:
general.useragent.override.google.com;Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:85.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/85.0

[TPR75]

If it helps, after I login to my Google account Docs opens and seems to work normally using my everyday SM profile.

The only seemingly pertinent entry in prefs is:
general.useragent.override.google.com;Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:85.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/85.0

It doesn't work for me. "Funny" thing is that during test I've logged out and I was not able to log-in again until I've set fake UA for Fx 85 because Fx 78 was "outdated" and Google blocked log-in attempt. Bastards...!

[beoenduser]

I sent some info telling them why browser sniffing is such a bad idea from Mozilla's developer info page to google dot com's feedback:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/doc ... user_agent

We shall see if they even notice such feedback.

[Frank Lion]

Although I don't use this 'Google Docs' myself, I thought it was a vaguely interesting problem nonetheless (see my posts above). So, I cloned the profile that did work into a brand new profile, created a 'New Folder' and used bisection (like we do with extensions) and dragged folders into that new folder and then restarting. I was thinking I'd have to do that one the profile files as well, but the perp folder was found pretty quick.

The perp folder is profile>storage>default. google docs stuff doesn't get written to that folder with the profile where Google Docs works, but does on a brand new profile or my main one. Trouble is, there doesn't seem to be any Permissions to turn off for this (Offsite Web Site Data) or on even. Still, at least we have a direction now.

[beoenduser]

"perp folder" ?
I hope you're onto something, Frank Lion!

[Frank Lion]

I hope you're onto something, Frank Lion!

Well, I've now got my usual main profile (User agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64; rv:68.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/68.0 SeaMonkey/2.53.14) working with Google Docs, so I reckon so.

You would think the Permissions for storage could be turned on/off per site, but I can't find those settings. Either way, it doesn't matter, because I know for sure I never set any permissions anyway in the test profile of mine, where GD works. Looking in that storage>default folder shows only a Youtube store folder and GD never makes a folder. In my main profile and brand new profile, it does. Anyway, here's how I fixed it in my main profile -

#1. about:profiles>This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted.>Root Directory>Open Folder. Then exit SM.

#2. ~\storage\default\https+++docs.google.com and delete contents of folder.

#3. (This step might not be needed?) Right click https+++docs.google.com folder and Select Properties, unselect 'Read Only' and hit Apply. Select 'Read Only' and hit Apply.

#4. Upon restarting SM and going to Google Docs (which now works) that folder should now only contain a .metadata-v2 file (before it was 2 folders and 2 files)

#5. Note: You'll get a 'unsupported browser' message, but this is a red herring. Either hit 'Dismiss' or use a Firefox 100 site specific UA override or something.

#6. You're done.

[beoenduser]

I don't understand this part:

>Root Directory>Open Folder. Then exit SM.

[Frank Lion]

I don't understand this part:

>Root Directory>Open Folder. Then exit SM.

Try this -

[beoenduser]

Tried that. Didn't work. I still get that "Home Screen temporarily not available" message. I even deleted all google cookies and signed in again.

The other Google thingys mostly work.