Re: [gentoo-user] Firefox occasionally stalls

[Dale]

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 

Dale

:-)  :-)