The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Well that's it for me and Firefox. All the 3x versions on Ubuntu 9.10/Windows 7 are causing serious slowdowns system wide, but they're not even spiking ram or cpu...it's just..well I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it stops when I get rid of Firefox. Now using Opera....smooooooth

I have Firefox 3.6 up under Ubuntu 9.10 and don't see that. The box running Ubuntu is old and slow (a Fujitsu Livebook P2110 circa 2001 with an 867mhz CPU, UDMA 4 HD, and a whopping 256MB of RAM. It came with WinXP Pro, which gave a good imitation of "death by thrashing" when used.) Xubuntu turtled on it. Ubuntu installed from the MinimalCD to get a bare-bones command line setup, then Xfce and other things added manually with apt-get is a lot peppier.

Firefox takes a while to load, but runs acceptably once up.

I'd look at what add-ons are installed. They tend to be culprits. (I had to uninstall the Brief RSS reader from FF under Ubuntu - memory use was steadily increasing when FF was not being used, and Brief's periodic checks for updates to feeds were apparently the cause.)

I have Opera installed here as well, but prefer Firefox.
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Dennis

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I have Firefox 3.6 up under Ubuntu 9.10 and don't see that. The box running Ubuntu is old and slow (a Fujitsu Livebook P2110 circa 2001 with an 867mhz CPU, UDMA 4 HD, and a whopping 256MB of RAM. It came with WinXP Pro, which gave a good imitation of "death by thrashing" when used.) Xubuntu turtled on it. Ubuntu installed from the MinimalCD to get a bare-bones command line setup, then Xfce and other things added manually with apt-get is a lot peppier.

Firefox takes a while to load, but runs acceptably once up.

I'd look at what add-ons are installed. They tend to be culprits. (I had to uninstall the Brief RSS reader from FF under Ubuntu - memory use was steadily increasing when FF was not being used, and Brief's periodic checks for updates to feeds were apparently the cause.)

I have Opera installed here as well, but prefer Firefox.
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Dennis

I think, but I can't be certain on this, that is has something to do with the Apple iMac hardware I'm running Windows 7 and Ubuntu on. I have another machine, older AMD and an AMD laptop that have no problems (least nothing that I can't assign to more than low specs) running Firefox. Now, this iMac has 2gb ram, a dual core cpu and should....should be fine. But using Firefox on either Ubuntu or Windows 7 kills the system dead. It's no big deal, anyway, I'm really loving Opera

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

yay : chrome finally supports extensions : woo hoo for xmarks on chrome !!

Only for suitable values of "support". I have the dev channel build here, and what is there is the beginnings of something that might be useful down the road, but is of limited value now.

arg2 : since the update, chrome windows don't scroll smoothly when using the mouse wheel. instead the visible portion "jumps" up or down and the display duplicates portions of the page. so you think you're clicking on one thing but in fact you're clicking on something else entirely. this may drive me INSANE. i hope google is working on fixing this even as we speak, because there is no excuse for it, and it's enough to make me stop using chrome altogether.

Chrome is a work in progress. I keep it around for testing and seeing what the Google devs are up to, but it doesn't meet my needs as a production browser.

Folks like it because it's fast, which apparently translates as "fast to load", since I see no real difference in rendering speed on pages between it an FF once it is up. Yeah, it loads faster than FF, but that's important only if you have bad habits picked up from using IE on Windows. IE is effectively part of the OS on Windows, and invokes quickly indeed, so people routinely load it, visit a link, exit, load it again... I invoke FF once when I first sit down and leave it running. It's quite quick to open in that case, thank you, when I do something like click a URL sent in email...

Chrome annoyed me mightily when I first looked at it because it offered to import existing FF bookmarks. All very well, but I have multiple FF profiles with two separate sets of bookmarks. It didn't ask which I wanted: it imported and merged both, and I couldn't find a way to delete the unwanted entries. It's gotten better since, but still has a way to go for my purposes.
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Dennis

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

I think, but I can't be certain on this, that is has something to do with the Apple iMac hardware I'm running Windows 7 and Ubuntu on. I have another machine, older AMD and an AMD laptop that have no problems (least nothing that I can't assign to more than low specs) running Firefox. Now, this iMac has 2gb ram, a dual core cpu and should....should be fine. But using Firefox on either Ubuntu or Windows 7 kills the system dead. It's no big deal, anyway, I'm really loving Opera

<shrug> If you like Opera, run it.

I find it usable, but prefer Firefox. The ability to modify and extend the browser with extensions is critical for me, and too many things I'm used to doing in FF simply can't be done in Opera.

I use Opera 10.10 more on the Lifebook because it's a static build and loads faster, but FF still gets the nod.
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Dennis

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

Only for suitable values of "support". I have the dev channel build here, and what is there is the beginnings of something that might be useful down the road, but is of limited value now.

yes, it's got a way to go. i think it's currently stuck, actually. i confused it trying to fix the mess it made copying my chrome bookmarks in with my existing firefox bookmarks (most of the chrome bookmarks are the ones i originally imported from firefox. thus eleventy-bunyip duplicates, joy).

Chrome is a work in progress.

i think that sums it up pretty well, actually. except that, as i said, i think it's actually getting worse with progressive versions, not better. alas.

i also launch my browser first and then leave it open ; but i've noticed that firefox tends to use more and more memory when i do that, which chrome doesn't (usually) seem to do as much (and i'm sure you're right, it's probably an extension causing trouble. the trouble is, the whole point of using firefox, in my eyes, is for the extensions, so i don't really want to give them up...). i like the lightweight tab behaviour in chrome ; i love being able to move them around easily, including pulling a tab out of a window. firefox can do that now too (it couldn't yet when chrome came out) but when you remove / add a tab it seems to reload the page as well, which seems pointless and annoying.

i'm not even close to using chrome as my main browser (like you) but i like it for "casual browsing". although i admit i'm not liking it so much today. i'm not using the dev channel ; it's a "toy" browser for me, i'm not interested in putting up with quirks and crashes and bugs just to be on the bleeding edge with this one. (actually i'm rarely if ever interested in putting up with quirks, crashes and bugs to be on the bleeding edge, whatever the context, now that i think about it. )

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i also launch my browser first and then leave it open ; but i've noticed that firefox tends to use more and more memory when i do that, which chrome doesn't (usually) seem to do as much (and i'm sure you're right, it's probably an extension causing trouble. the trouble is, the whole point of using firefox, in my eyes, is for the extensions, so i don't really want to give them up...).

FF had memory leak problems in 3.0.X, that seem to have been stomped in 3.5.

I did just uninstall the Brief RSS reader extension in my Ubintu install, after watching memory use steadily climb when the browser was idle and not being used. It looks like Brief's periodic checks for feed updates cause memory leaks. The problem is, I can't find a good RSS reader for FF. I was happily using Sage, but that's apparently been abandoned by the developers and has compatibility issues with FF 3.5/6. Brief was close in behavior, but leaks. Nothing else available works as I prefer.

The current lineup of extensions under Windows is:

Enabled Extensions: [13]
- All-in-One Sidebar 0.7.11
- Brief 1.2.5
- CuteMenus - Crystal SVG 1.9.3
- Ghostery 2.0.2
- Gmail Notifier 0.6.4.1
- Greasemonkey 0.8.20091209.4
- Image Zoom 0.4.2
- MR Tech Toolkit 6.0.4
- NoScript 1.9.9.42
- Operator 0.9.5.1
- Stylish 1.0.7
- Tab Mix Plus 0.3.8.2
- Xinha Here! 0.16

Disabled Extensions: [11]
- Add-on Compatibility Reporter 0.4.1
- Converter 0.9.3
- Dublin Core Viewer 0.8
- Java Quick Starter 1.0
- Menu Editor 1.2.6
- Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant 1.1
- Multiple Tab Handler 0.5.2010012001
- Password Exporter 1.2
- RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin 1.0
- Split Browser 0.6.2009110501
- Weave Sync 1.0rc4

Total Extensions: 24

Things I use seldom or are evaluating are disabled by default, and enabled when I want to look at/use them.

Under Linux, I use a small subset:

- All-in-One Sidebar 0.7.11
- Greasemonkey 0.8.20091209.4
- Image Zoom 0.4.2
- MR Tech Toolkit 6.0.4
- NoScript 1.9.9.42
- Stylish 1.0.7
- Tab Mix Plus 0.3.8.2

because the box running it is old, slow, and low powered. The FF config is as minimal as I can make it and still have it work as I prefer.

i'm not even close to using chrome as my main browser (like you) but i like it for "casual browsing". although i admit i'm not liking it so much today. i'm not using the dev channel ; it's a "toy" browser for me, i'm not interested in putting up with quirks and crashes and bugs just to be on the bleeding edge with this one. (actually i'm rarely if ever interested in putting up with quirks, crashes and bugs to be on the bleeding edge, whatever the context, now that i think about it. )

I got the dev channel build precisely to get extension support. Since it's not my production browser, I can live with the occasional quirk.

For that matter, I routinely use beta versions of FF. The base Mozilla code is solid and well developed, so betas aren't likely to make any messes I can't clean up.
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Dennis

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I could rant about their users at length, especially after this week

Anti-rant: I just in the last few days had a problem with the scanning software, Vuescan, which looked like a problem caused by a minor upgrade. Ed Hamrick responded quickly and helpfully to my detailed problem, and, when suggestions and instructions didn't fix it, got me to submit a couple of example files for him to look at and work on, and he has released a fixed version today (I'm no doubt not the only one who had experienced problems). Problem reported to fix issued...a few days, with intervening interraction.

The Vuescan software is pretty popular amongst the film photographic community. The UI is not that wonderful, but its function compensates more than enough for many. Support like Ed gave is putting cream and a cherry on top and asking if you want seconds.

Cheers,
Marc (still scanning 45yo slides of family in Malaysia)

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

The Vuescan software is pretty popular amongst the film photographic community. The UI is not that wonderful, but its function compensates more than enough for many. Support like Ed gave is putting cream and a cherry on top and asking if you want seconds.

The best support I ever saw was for a Palm OS file manager called FileZ. I emailed the author with an issue. Within a few hours, I had a patched version to test and report on whether it solved the problem. (It did.) FileZ is free and open source, and the author does other things for a living. I'd like to get support like that on stuff I've paid for...
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Dennis

[Katti's Cat]

I hate my bank, the airline and Internet.

I have tried booking a flight to NZ for next weekend for the last 4 days. Due to the 'verified by VISA' process the airline was insisting on, I was constantly on the phone to the bank, because the f@#.$% software didn't let me verify my VISA. I got it promised by the bank over and over again but to no avail.

Last attempt on booking online yesterday - Oh shoot, the flights weren't available anymore.

So I went to the darn travel agency this morning to book the flight. HOLY COW - they increased the prices by AUS$500 / person. Just like that. I nearly dropped to the floor but managed to stay upright. You've gotta be kidding. No way am I paying that for a weekend in NZ. Stuff it. Home I went.

Told hubby the good news - well, I offered him that he could fly by himself (cost us the same as if I would have been able to book on Thursday for both of us) and I stay home. Would have suited me fine. I didn't want to go that weekend anyway.

Unfortunately hubby doesn't like traveling by himself. And having him sulking because he can't (in his eyes) don't go is really not a nice picture nor does it make for comfortable living with him.

I ended up booking tickets on an airline which I detest. Swimming sounds like an option. Or taking the rowing boat - surely if I leave now I can make it across the ditch by Friday?

Wonder if I can put a claim in with the bank? It's their fault I have to fly an inferior airline. Surely there is cause for claiming compensation due to psychological distress?

[happy_terd]

bah.

Fed my one-year old daughter, gave her a warm bath, read to her, and got her sleeping. As soon as I carried her to her crib I accidently bumped her head.

needless to say angry baby on lap.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by happy_terd

bah.

Fed my one-year old daughter, gave her a warm bath, read to her, and got her sleeping. As soon as I carried her to her crib I accidently bumped her head.

needless to say angry baby on lap.

Don't you hate it when that happens??

[GeoffC]

mmmm

Chrome is a WIP - is that not also true of Windows !

Windows 7 backup can't 'see' my backup drive that it has been using for months !.

WDSmartware won't backup emails !.

My problem with my mobile phone company continues to rankle, now they say I can no longer receive paper bills for the account that they cannot provide an electronic bill. Me thinks their Complaints department has a job coming up.

My phone line continues to crackle and wheeze, and when it gets damp or windy my broadband line become tempermental, slowing to 0.8 Mbps download.

mmmm - oh sorry, I thought this was a tech forum .....

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Well that's it for me and Firefox. All the 3x versions on Ubuntu 9.10/Windows 7 are causing serious slowdowns system wide, but they're not even spiking ram or cpu...it's just..well I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, it stops when I get rid of Firefox. Now using Opera....smooooooth

[conspiracy theory]Do you think Microsoft might be reverse-engineering their software to deliberately thwart the smooth operation of Firefox?[/conspiracy theory]

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

[conspiracy theory]Do you think Microsoft might be reverse-engineering their software to deliberately thwart the smooth operation of Firefox?[/conspiracy theory]

[tinfoil hat]i wouldn't put it past them.[/tinfoil hat]

[pshrynk]

[psychopharmacologist] I've got some pills for that! [/psychopharmacologist]

[capitalistic weasel] $300, please you can pay the laddy at the door. [/capitalistic weasl]