[tbb-bugs] #21306 [Applications/Tor Browser]: Be more helpful in the "cannot connect to tor control" error case

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#21306: Be more helpful in the "cannot connect to tor control" error case
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 Reporter:  arma                      |          Owner:  tbb-team
     Type:  defect                    |         Status:  new
 Priority:  Medium                    |      Milestone:
Component:  Applications/Tor Browser  |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                    |     Resolution:
 Keywords:                            |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:  #10059                    |         Points:
 Reviewer:                            |        Sponsor:
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Changes (by mcs):

 * cc: brade, mcs, phoul (added)


Comment:

 As gk said, in many cases it would help if users were shown the messages
 that tor generated during startup. Unfortunately, if Tor Launcher is not
 able to connect to the control port due to AV software or if tor exits
 before Tor Launcher can connect, fixing #10059 may not help. Tor Launcher
 really needs a way to capture the messages that go to stderr; hopefully
 that is something we can address when we port Tor Launcher to use the
 WebExtensions APIs (we will probably need to use
 https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebExtensions/Native_Messaging, which means we
 will have the "opportunity" to wrap tor in such a way that stderr output
 is sent back to Tor Launcher).

 In the near term, suggestions for improved error messages are welcome.
 Colin, do you happen to have any text for these cases, e.g., text you will
 someday add to the support portal?

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/21306#comment:4>
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