Apache fails to start, cannot find public folder

[apolopena]

Describe the bug

Sometimes this error pops up

DocumentRoot '/workspace/gitpod-laravel8-starter/public' is not a directory, or is not readable
Action 'start' failed.
The Apache error log may have more information

However after the system is ready Apache will start manually via start_apache

Screenshots

Steps to reproduce

Happens every time right now in https://github.com/apolopena/gitpod-laravel8-starter
Doesn't seem tot happen at all in https://github.com/apolopena/laravel8-starter-b892185

Update:
Does not happen everytime in https://github.com/apolopena/gitpod-laravel8-starter either

Expected behavior

Apache should start at any time during the init command.

Additional information

This could be related to gitpod-io/workspace-images#354
I will dive deeper on this and provide an update
It is odd that the issue is replicable in one repo but not in another when the code in the two repos is virtually the same.

Update:
This did not have to do with gitpod-io/workspace-images/pull/354. Rather it seems like osmetime the cpu in the cloud just lags and the public folder was not available at the time the server was told to start.

[apolopena]

The fix was to prompt the user with a spinner and then use gp sync-await gitpod-inited to ensure the server is opened after the public folder is available.