Re: [gentoo-user] Firefox occasionally stalls

[Alan McKinnon]

On 21/03/2017 21:57, Dale wrote:
> Alan McKinnon wrote:
>> This post is rather vague, sorry about that in advance.
>>
>> I've spent much time on this and gotten absolutely nowhere. So I
>> conclude all my thoughts and assumptions are wrong and not worth even
>> sharing (on account of them being so wrong).
>>
>> I have firefox like this:
>>
>> [I] www-client/firefox
>>      Available versions:  45.7.0^d 45.8.0^d (~)51.0.1^d {bindist
>> custom-cflags custom-optimization dbus debug ffmpeg +gmp-autoupdate
>> +gstreamer gtk2 hardened hwaccel jack +jemalloc +jemalloc3 +jit neon
>> pgo pulseaudio rust selinux +skia startup-notification system-cairo
>> system-harfbuzz system-icu system-jpeg system-libevent system-libvpx
>> system-sqlite test wifi L10N="ach af an ar as ast az be bg bn-BD bn-IN
>> br bs ca cak cs cy da de dsb el en-GB en-ZA eo es-AR es-CL es-ES es-MX
>> et eu fa ff fi fr fy ga gd gl gn gu he hi hr hsb hu hy id is it ja ka
>> kk km kn ko lij lt lv mai mk ml mr ms nb nl nn or pa pl pt-BR pt-PT rm
>> ro ru si sk sl son sq sr sv ta te th tr uk uz vi xh zh-CN zh-TW"}
>>      Installed versions:  51.0.1^d(21:30:20 21/02/2017)(dbus
>> gmp-autoupdate jemalloc pulseaudio skia startup-notification
>> system-harfbuzz system-icu system-jpeg system-libevent system-libvpx
>> system-sqlite wifi -bindist -custom-cflags -custom-optimization -debug
>> -gtk2 -hardened -hwaccel -jack -neon -pgo -rust -selinux -system-cairo
>> -test L10N="en-GB en-ZA -ach -af -an -ar -as -ast -az -bg -bn-BD
>> -bn-IN -br -bs -ca -cak -cs -cy -da -de -dsb -el -eo -es-AR -es-CL
>> -es-ES -es-MX -et -eu -fa -ff -fi -fr -fy -ga -gd -gl -gn -gu -he -hi
>> -hr -hsb -hu -hy -id -is -it -ja -ka -kk -km -kn -ko -lij -lt -lv -mai
>> -mk -ml -mr -ms -nb -nl -nn -or -pa -pl -pt-BR -pt-PT -rm -ro -ru -si
>> -sk -sl -son -sq -sr -sv -ta -te -th -tr -uk -uz -vi -xh -zh-CN -zh-TW")
>>      Homepage:            http://www.mozilla.com/firefox
>>      Description:         Firefox Web Browser
>>
>> with these plugins:
>> - adblockplus
>> - flashblock
>> - foxyproxy standard
>> - restart browser
>> - user agent switcher
>> - youtube all html5
>>
>> Occasionally, according to no discernable pattern, all my tabs on all
>> some/most/all Firefox windows stop responding. Clicking and scrolling
>> in the content has no effect. Can't open new tabs, can't close tabs,
>> can't switch to existing tabs. Sometimes it affects only one firefox
>> window, sometimes all firefox windows.
>>
>> Imagine if you will that firefox is coded with one global loop that
>> gets user actions and responds, then that loop gets stuck somewhere.
>> The firefox window will not be affected (controlled by KDE), and
>> neither is the X-server but the tabs can all do nothing till the loop
>> unsticks. It's an effect like that.
>>
>> Sometimes it does work after a delay >30s.
>> The sysadmin in me says 30s? Hah, check DNS resolver timeouts.
>> Checked, found nothing unusual. Proxy looks OK, VPN looks OK, Chrome
>> never has this problem so it's firefox specific.
>>
>> Firefox itself is up, it responds correctly to moving around the
>> menus, just can't do some of the actions like open the Addons page
>> (that is regular content in a tab).
>>
>> The issue ALWAYS goes away if I restart firefox, either with the
>> restart addon or Alt-F4 and start from KDE menu. I have "load previous
>> tabs" set to true so those actions are pretty equivalent.
>>
>> DE is Plasma 5, and the problem isn't from a recent upgrade, I've been
>> battling with this for ages through MANY kde and firefox updates.
>>
>> My question:
>> Where the hell do I start to figure out what's really going on?
>> I used up all my sysadmin troubleshooting knowledge and have had to
>> revert back to n00b status on this one.
>>
>
> Mine does something like that too.  Sometimes mine will pop up and say
> script so and so is not responding and then have a option to stop or
> continue.  What I did that helped some, installed noscript which stops
> all the scripts except the ones I allow.  So far, that has helped a
> lot.  You may want to try that and see if it helps you any.  If it does,
> then it is likely a script hanging up Firefox.  If not, uninstall and
> look for something else I guess.
>
> I might add, I've also had this happen on Seamonkey where I have far
> fewer tabs open.  Usually it is a site that has a Disqus comment
> section.  Those hang a lot especially if there is a lot of comments.
> I've had those type 10, 15 and even 20 seconds behind me and I'm a slow
> typer.  I'm typing along and when I look up, it can be a whole sentence
> behind me but it slowly fills in if I wait.
>
> Yours may be a browser problem only but for me, I think it is more
> websites than anything else.  Some just suck.
>
> Hope that helps.  It's not like you haven't ever helped me before.  lol

Yeah, Disqus is a beast and then some. No Disqus tabs here though.

That's not to say I don't have something else just as beasty going on

Sometimes I think we internet ninjas shoot ourselves in the foot telling 
folks to use HTML...


-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan.mckinnon@×××××.com