Review error prompt shown when Tor exits
Currently, if the underlying tor process exits we show an error prompt in a modal window to the user.
If this happens at startup we show:
Tor Launcher
Tor exited during startup. This might be due to an error in your torrc file, a bug in Tor or another program on your system, or faulty hardware. Until you fix the underlying problem and restart Tor, Tor Browser will not start.
[Restart Tor]
And if it exits later on, we show:
Tor Launcher
Tor unexpectedly exited. This might be due to a bug in Tor itself, another program on your system, or faulty hardware. Until you restart Tor, Tor Browser will not be able to reach any websites. If the problem persists, please send a copy of your Tor Log to the support team.
Restarting Tor will not close your browser tabs.
[Restart Tor]
NOTE: In both scenarios the UI will show "Not connected" in the top right and the user will need to pass through "about:torconnect" the next time they want to visit a website.
There are a few problems with this approach:
- "Tor Launcher" title is archaic.
- The message assumes too much technical knowledge. In particular the difference between "Tor" and "Tor Browser" is not made clear. And the means to fix the problem are not user friendly. For a non-technical user, if they have flubbed their files, they might be better off just re-downloading "Tor Browser".
- If the user closes the window, there is no way for them to re-attempt the "restart tor".
I would suggest that instead of showing a prompt, we open "about:torconnect" instead to show the error. Might be good to consider as part of the "about:torconnect" redesign.
@pierov do you know whether this would have much effect on other distributions of the browser where tor is managed externally, like Tails?