diff --git a/mailnews/base/resources/content/widgetglue.js b/mailnews/base/resources/content/widgetglue.js
index 6d3fc20b2f38..8c0bdc8e3955 100644
--- a/mailnews/base/resources/content/widgetglue.js
+++ b/mailnews/base/resources/content/widgetglue.js
@@ -216,41 +216,6 @@ function MsgToggleSplitter(id)
         splitter.setAttribute("state", "collapsed")
 }
 
-function NotifyQuitApplication()
-{
-	var ObserverService = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/observer-service;1"].getService();
-	ObserverService = ObserverService.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIObserverService);
-	if (ObserverService)
-	{
-		try 
-		{
-			ObserverService.notifyObservers(null, "quit-application", null);
-		} 
-		catch (ex) 
-		{
-			// dump("no observer found \n");
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-function LastToClose()
-{
-	var windowManager = Components.classes['@mozilla.org/appshell/window-mediator;1'].getService();
-	var	windowManagerInterface = windowManager.QueryInterface( Components.interfaces.nsIWindowMediator);
-	var enumerator = windowManagerInterface.getEnumerator( null );
-    var count = 0;
-
-	while ( enumerator.hasMoreElements() && count < 2 )
-	{
-		var  windowToClose = enumerator.getNext();
-        count++;
-    }
-    if (count == 1)
-        return true;
-    else
-        return false;
-}
-
 function MsgSetFolderCharset() 
 {
   MsgFolderProperties() 
diff --git a/mailnews/compose/resources/content/MsgComposeCommands.js b/mailnews/compose/resources/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
index 3b27f9fdcf55..fc19cc9fb3e1 100644
--- a/mailnews/compose/resources/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
+++ b/mailnews/compose/resources/content/MsgComposeCommands.js
@@ -2140,8 +2140,6 @@ function ComposeCanClose()
       switch (result)
       {
         case 0: //Save
-          if (LastToClose())
-          NotifyQuitApplication();
           gCloseWindowAfterSave = true;
           SaveAsDraft();
           return false;
diff --git a/xpfe/appshell/src/nsAppShellService.cpp b/xpfe/appshell/src/nsAppShellService.cpp
index 0757f5536f2c..2d359619ab48 100644
--- a/xpfe/appshell/src/nsAppShellService.cpp
+++ b/xpfe/appshell/src/nsAppShellService.cpp
@@ -583,10 +583,10 @@ nsAppShellService::Quit(PRUint32 aFerocity)
   if (aFerocity == eForceQuit) {
     // do it!
 
-#ifdef MOZ_PHOENIX
+    // No chance of the shutdown being cancelled from here on; tell people
+    // we're shutting down for sure while all services are still available.
     nsCOMPtr<nsIObserverService> obsService = do_GetService("@mozilla.org/observer-service;1", &rv);
     obsService->NotifyObservers(nsnull, "quit-application", nsnull);
-#endif
 
     // first shutdown native app support; doing this first will prevent new
     // requests to open additional windows coming in.
diff --git a/xpfe/global/resources/content/globalOverlay.js b/xpfe/global/resources/content/globalOverlay.js
index 992d77834635..483a642f62b2 100644
--- a/xpfe/global/resources/content/globalOverlay.js
+++ b/xpfe/global/resources/content/globalOverlay.js
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ function goQuitApplication()
   {
     try
     {
-      ObserverService.notifyObservers(null, "quit-application", null);
+      // XXX FIX! we should have a way to cancel a requested quit; see
+      // bugzilla bug 149764
+      ObserverService.notifyObservers(null, "quit-application-requested", null);
     }
     catch (ex)
     {