Can "disowned" and "opener browsing context" be collapsed?

[domenic]

A browsing context has an opener browsing context, which is null or a browsing context. It is initially null.

A browsing context has a disowned boolean. It is initially false.

It appears that our current architecture is that if window.opener gets set to null`, then we set the BC's "disowned" to true, but we do not null out the "opener browsing context".

Could we get rid of the disowned boolean, and instead just null out the "opener browsing context"?

At least in the scope of HTML, it appears this would impact exactly one place: "familiar with", used in close() checks and in <a name="">, window.open(url, name) targeting checks. That checks only the opener browsing context, and disregards the disowning status. That is, currently per spec disowning your opener does not prevent your opener from .close()ing you or navigating you using name targeting.

The link targeting aspect of this is covered in #313, so this might largely be a duplicate of that issue. But I thought it was worth pointing out this more-editorial issue specifically.

[annevk]

Yeah, see #2636 (comment) and #313 (comment). That seems suggest merging might be possible, but someone would have to sort this out to be sure.

[annevk]

Doing this might help solve a bug. Currently once a browsing context is disowned it seems it can no longer become non-disowned. That seems wrong, especially across origins. But also in a normal case where you set it to null (i.e., disown). Then name target it. And now it's still null except it's not in browsers.

Chatting with @mystor suggests disowned is not really a concept browsers have. Auxiliary is though.