It is working on my work computer (iMac 27", same OS/Java/Fiji config). What I do is sync the Fiji folder between this computer and the MBA laptop, but it is not working on the laptop. Will sync again from the iMac to see if the problem disappears (I don"t have the laptop at hand right now).

Any messages in the Console (in Finder: Go>Utilities)?

4ill tell you as soon as I get near the laptop (so tonight)

unfortunately the console says nothing about Fiji when it is launched and when it freezes. When I force it to quit I get	com.apple.launchd.peruser.501[96]	([0x0-0x42042].org.fiji[297]) Exited with exit code: 143

So I brought the laptop (MBA 13") to work to directly compare with the work machine (iMac 27").
Both machines are OSX 10.6.8, Java 1.6.0_26

- Fully updated Fiji works on iMac 27", everything OK on this machine
- Doesn't work on MBA (beachball at launch with splash screen displayed, nothing in the console)
- Take the Fiji.app from iMac, put it on MBA -> same freeze
- Repair permissions with Disk Utility on MBA (in cas some Java components have corrupted permissions, see IJ.app case below) -> same freeze
- Remove Fiji prefs from User/Library/Preferences -> same freeze
- Re-download Fiji from Fiji.sc, put Fiji.app on the desktop, launch -> success Fiji.app launches
- Updates this fresh Fiji.app using the updater, quit, relaunch -> SAME FREEZE

Interesting things with ImageJ.app for comparison:
- my regular IJ.app install doesn't work either. Interestingly it is not the same freeze : the app never appears in the dock, and the Console says:
(0x0-0x5d05d.gov.nih.info.rsb.ImageJ[504]) posix_spawn(PATH_TO_IJ/ImageJ64.app/Content/MacOS/JavaApllicationStub", ...): Permission denied
- repairing the permissions with disk utility -> no luck
- re-install fresh imageJ from rsbweb.nih.gov, lauch (ImageJ 1.44o) -> success IJ launches
- update using "Update ImageJ" to 1.45l -> success IJ launches

So i can do with vanilla ImageJ something I can't with Fiji: re-download, launch and update to get an updated version running. So it seems to be Fiji-related, but I don't know what to try next. Is there some verbose mode I can launch Fiji with to get a log of what happens ?
 

I also tried to install OpenJDK 1.7 for OSX (this one: http://code.google.com/p/openjdk-osx-build/downloads/detail?name=OpenJDK-OSX-1.7-universal-20110721.dmg), but then after selecting it in the "Java Preferences" Utility (and removing Java 1.6 to force use of 1.7), I can't launch ImageJ64.app (a get a "No compatible Java version"), and nothing happens when double clicking on Fiji.app, with console messages saying JavaVM FATAL : failed to load the jvm library

Last thing I tried this morning : starting from a fresh download of Fiji (downloaded on Fiji.sc) and update it pieces by pieces to isolate the component that make it fail. Not surprisingly, it is the fiji-macosx (i.e. the launcher) that breaks Fiji when updated. So at least I can get an up-to-date Fiji by just ignoring the launcher update...

I am terribly sorry, but with MacOSX 10.6.8, Java 1.6.0_26, a fresh download, unpacked to the Desktop, updated as suggested, does not make the spinning wheel of death here.

So it most likely is something local to your specific setup. Would you have the chance to look over it using jvisualvm to find out what hangs?

As a work-around, launching "fiji-macosx --system" should work.

I installed visualVM from http://visualvm.java.net/index.html and ran it before launching Fiji. I get a functional monitoring for a working copy of Fiji. However, when I launch the problematic Fiji install (the one with the updated fiji-macosx), when the beachball spins for Fiji, switching to VisualVM and trigger ing monitoring of the Fiji process also freezes VisualVM.

Do you have a 'gdb' installed? If so, it would be helpful if you could attach to the process and show a stacktrace:

    gdb /path/to/fiji-macosx <PID>

(where <PID> is the process ID you can obtain using either "top -u" or "ps |grep fiji") and then 'bt' at the gdb prompt.

I am very sorry that you have to go through this trouble; I simply cannot reproduce however I try.

I don't have gdb installed. I see it comes with Xcode, so I'd rather install the whole Xcode. I don't have the CD at hand (currently on holidays for a couple of weeks) but I'll do it then. Hopefully working on this will be helpful to more than just myself.

Maybe you do not need XCode, but can use dtruss to find out where it fails: http://fiji.sc/Debugging_intro#MacOSX

So, any updates? Did you have a chance to try the launchers I uploaded to http://fiji.sc/snaps/fiji-macosx and http://fiji.sc/snaps/fiji-tiger?

I still didn't check with the trace tools you suggested (I've been back for two days...). I'll try the fix ASAP (in the next 24 hours) and let you know !

Please update Fiji (in particular, fiji-macosx and fiji-tiger) and let us know whether the bug is fixed now (Michael Schell reported what is most likely the same bug as issue 352 and let me use his computer to test until I found the reason).

(In reply to comment #15)
> Please update Fiji (in particular, fiji-macosx and fiji-tiger) and let us know
> whether the bug is fixed now (Michael Schell reported what is most likely the
> same bug as issue 352 and let me use his computer to test until I found the
> reason).
> 

I fully updated this morning and can confirm that it works now. Thanks a lot Johannes !