GUI: open the window before the startup SNTP sync

src/gui/main.c

@@ -1751,23 +1751,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
     clock_setup(&clk);
-    /* One SNTP sync at startup so the resident instance has accurate (green) time
-     * without a manual CLI SYNC. Server precedence mirrors the CLI: the TIMESERVER
-     * tooltype, then the saved "server" pref, then the default pool. Fails
-     * fast/quiet with no TCP/IP stack (or no response), leaving the persisted
-     * offset in place (clock_sntp_sync only updates clk on success). */
-    {
-        STRPTR ts = ArgString((CONST_STRPTR *)tt, (CONST_STRPTR)"TIMESERVER", NULL);
-        char cfg[128];
-        const char *server;
-        if (ts && ts[0])                                              server = (const char *)ts;
-        else if (prefs_get("server", cfg, sizeof cfg) == 0 && cfg[0]) server = cfg;
-        else                                                         server = "pool.ntp.org";
-        if (clock_sntp_sync(&clk, server) == 0) {
-            prefs_set("server", server);
-            prefs_set_long("offset", clk.offset_seconds);
-        }
-    }
     naccounts = v.count;
     /* Idle auto-lock (encrypted vaults only): scrub + re-prompt after this many
      * idle seconds. Pref "idlelock" overrides; 0 disables. */
@@ -1807,6 +1790,39 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         }
     }
 
+    /* One SNTP sync at startup so the resident instance has accurate (green)
+     * time without a manual CLI SYNC. Server precedence mirrors the CLI: the
+     * TIMESERVER tooltype, then the saved "server" pref, then the default
+     * pool. Fails fast/quiet with no TCP/IP stack (or no response), leaving
+     * the persisted offset in place (clock_sntp_sync only updates clk on
+     * success).
+     *
+     * Deliberately AFTER the window opens (#71): the sync blocks - up to
+     * SNTP_TIMEOUT_SECS on the UDP wait, and gethostbyname() can hang far
+     * longer against a dead resolver. Run before win_show, that stall sat
+     * between the passphrase requester closing and the window appearing,
+     * which reads as a crash/hang. Now the window is already up (painted,
+     * amber/red LED) and merely unresponsive for the duration; the status
+     * line + LED refresh the moment the sync returns. */
+    {
+        STRPTR ts = ArgString((CONST_STRPTR *)tt, (CONST_STRPTR)"TIMESERVER", NULL);
+        char cfg[128];
+        const char *server;
+        if (ts && ts[0])                                              server = (const char *)ts;
+        else if (prefs_get("server", cfg, sizeof cfg) == 0 && cfg[0]) server = cfg;
+        else                                                         server = "pool.ntp.org";
+        if (clock_sntp_sync(&clk, server) == 0) {
+            prefs_set("server", server);
+            prefs_set_long("offset", clk.offset_seconds);
+            if (win) {                        /* went green - show it right away */
+                clock_status_text(&clk, statbuf);
+                SetGadgetAttrs((struct Gadget *)gw.statobj, win, NULL,
+                               GA_Text, (ULONG)statbuf, TAG_END);
+                led_draw(win, gw.statobj, clk.state);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /* Public port for CLI forwarding (Stage 3b), only if we're the resident one.
      * Single-instance itself is handled earlier (the Stage 3a broker's CBERR_DUP,
      * or the early FindPort check above for the no-commodities case, #64) - this

userdocs/Time-and-Clock-Sync.md

@@ -38,8 +38,9 @@ If a TCP/IP stack is running (`bsdsocket.library` present — AmiTCP, Roadshow,
 Miami, an emulator's bsdsocket, …), AmiAuth can measure your clock's offset
 with a single small UDP exchange against an NTP server. Zero configuration.
 
-- **GUI:** performs one SNTP sync automatically at startup, so a resident
-  commodity has verified (green) time for its whole session with no
+- **GUI:** performs one SNTP sync automatically at startup (right after the
+  window opens — the clock LED goes green the moment it succeeds), so a
+  resident commodity has verified time for its whole session with no
   configuration. The server can be chosen with the `TIMESERVER` tooltype (see
   [Commodity and Tooltypes](Commodity-and-Tooltypes.md)); offline it fails quietly and falls back to the
   stored offset.

userdocs/Troubleshooting-and-FAQ.md

@@ -82,6 +82,16 @@ it. There is no software fix for this on classic AmigaOS: once a task has been
 killed outside its own control, it never gets the chance to unregister itself,
 and nothing else on the system can force that cleanup on its behalf.
 
+### The window opens but ignores clicks for a few seconds after unlocking
+
+The automatic SNTP sync at startup blocks the GUI briefly: normally well
+under a second, but with a TCP/IP stack running and the network down or the
+DNS server unreachable it can take many seconds to give up. The window opens
+first and stays visible the whole time (this used to look like a hang, with
+no window at all until the sync timed out); the clock status line and LED
+update the moment the sync finishes. If it bothers you regularly, take the
+stack offline (the sync then skips instantly) or fix the name server.
+
 ### The hotkey does nothing
 
 Another commodity may own the combination — check in Exchange, and change