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Firefox Console Warnings Cause Notes

Scope

This note documents the Firefox console warnings observed while loading the local app at http://127.0.0.1:8000.

Original observed warnings:

  • asm.js type error: Asm.js optimizer disabled by 'asmjs' runtime option openpgp.min.js

  • asm.js is deprecated and should no longer be used. Please recompile using WebAssembly to get the best performance. openpgp.min.js

  • GET http://127.0.0.1:8000/favicon.ico [HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found]

  • Source map error: Error: request failed with status 404 ... Source Map URL: openpgp.min.js.map

Fix Status

  • Fixed before this branch: /favicon.ico is now served by a static public/favicon.ico file and declared in the shared layout.

  • Fixed in branch step 1: the stale OpenPGP source-map pointer was removed from public/assets/openpgp.min.js, so Firefox DevTools no longer requests a missing openpgp.min.js.map.

  • Fixed in branch step 2: public/assets/openpgp.min.js was updated from OpenPGP.js v5.11.3 to v6.3.0, and the matching public/assets/openpgp.min.js.map was added.

Causes

OpenPGP.js asm.js warnings

Original cause: the app served the vendored OpenPGP.js browser bundle at public/assets/openpgp.min.js. The bundle identified itself as OpenPGP.js v5.11.3 at the top of the file and included asm.js-style code paths. Firefox detected those asm.js sections while parsing the minified bundle and reported that asm.js optimization was disabled/deprecated.

The app loads this bundle on pages that need browser-side key generation, signing, or OpenPGP key parsing. Examples:

  • src/ForumRewrite/Application.php includes /assets/openpgp.min.js for thread pages.

  • src/ForumRewrite/Application.php includes /assets/openpgp.min.js for compose-thread, compose-reply, and account-key pages.

  • templates/layout.php emits each configured script path with a deferred <script> tag.

Impact: this was a browser/runtime warning from Firefox about the third-party OpenPGP.js distribution format, not an application exception. The page could still run. The practical downside was console noise and potentially less optimized crypto code in Firefox.

Fix: the vendored browser bundle was replaced with OpenPGP.js v6.3.0 from the npm openpgp package. The replacement bundle still provides window.openpgp.generateKey and window.openpgp.readKey, which are the OpenPGP APIs used by public/assets/browser_signing.js, and the minified file no longer contains asm.js or use asm markers.

Compatibility note: this is the only warning fix with meaningful browser compatibility risk. OpenPGP.js v6 is a newer major version than v5.11.3, so older browsers should be validated against the account-key, compose, inline reply, and reaction flows before release if they are in the support target.

Missing OpenPGP source map

Original cause: public/assets/openpgp.min.js ended with:

js
//# sourceMappingURL=openpgp.min.js.map

Firefox DevTools followed that pointer and requested /assets/openpgp.min.js.map, but the repository only contained public/assets/openpgp.min.js; there was no matching public/assets/openpgp.min.js.map.

public/router.php lets existing files under public/ be served directly by PHP's built-in server. Since the .map file does not exist, the request falls through to the application and returns a 404.

Step 1 fix: the trailing sourceMappingURL comment was removed from public/assets/openpgp.min.js. This preserved runtime behavior and removed the DevTools-only 404.

Step 2 update: the OpenPGP.js v6.3.0 replacement bundle includes a source-map pointer, and the matching public/assets/openpgp.min.js.map file is now present. Firefox DevTools can request the map without producing a 404.

Missing favicon

Original cause: the browser automatically requested /favicon.ico when no favicon was declared in the document head. templates/layout.php did not include a favicon <link>, and public/favicon.ico was not present.

With the current public/router.php behavior, existing files under public/ are served directly. Because /favicon.ico had no matching file, the request was handled by the app and returned the generic not-found response.

Impact: this was harmless browser noise, but it created a visible 404 in the console/network panel.

Fix: public/favicon.ico was added, and templates/layout.php now declares <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.ico" sizes="32x32">.

Summary

The original warnings came from three separate sources:

  1. Firefox warning about asm.js code inside the vendored openpgp.min.js bundle. Fixed by upgrading the vendored OpenPGP.js bundle.

  2. Firefox DevTools requesting a source map named by openpgp.min.js, but openpgp.min.js.map was not present. Fixed first by removing the stale pointer, then by adding the matching map with the upgraded bundle.

  3. Browser default favicon discovery requesting /favicon.ico, but no favicon file or favicon link existed. Fixed before this branch by adding public/favicon.ico and a layout favicon link.

None of these warnings indicate that the forum application route handling or browser-signing code is throwing an application-level JavaScript error.