Entire display freezes for 1 minute

[Keith Lewis]

Discussed at http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1940829&page=2

When a web proxy is required, and it is configured correctly in Firefox preferences but incorrectly in Ubuntu preferences, a drag of a URL from Firefox will cause the display to lock up for about 60 seconds. During this time, running applications neither update nor respond to input.

Using wireshark, I determined that when I start dragging a URL, the system immediately performs a DNS lookup on the host name and then attempts (4 times) to make a direct connection to the URL. In my case it did not work because I was behind a firewall, and a successful connection would have to go through a proxy. Because this connection ignores the Firefox proxy preference, I suspect it is not being made by Firefox. The symptom of locking up the entire display also goes beyond what Firefox should be able to break.

lovinglinux suggested that this connection may be fetching the favicon.

There are probably other ways to reproduce this bug. For example, drag a URL which points to a host that is not responding.

In any case, the display should not lock up during this operation. Even locking up for the duration of a successful fetch is a bug.

[Istvan Kispal (kispaljr)]

I am having the same issue with the proxy properly set to automatic (with a configuration URL) in Ubuntu network settings.
When I try to drag and drop a URL from Firefox or Google Chrome the _whole_ desktop freezes for a minute or so.
If I turn the Unity plugin off in Compiz Config, the problem completely goes away.
If I change the proxy settings in Ubuntu network config to manual (and set the IP addresses manually) the drag-and-drop of an URL halts for a second and then it continues properly.

[Keith Lewis (kllp)]

I can't believe I forgot to mention the Ubuntu release where I experienced the bug -- 11.10.

Now I have moved to new hardware and the latest update of Ubuntu 12.04, and the bug is gone. There is not even a hestitation when I begin to drag a link. So, to whoever fixed it, thanks.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

Istvan, is that fixed for you as well in 12.04?

[Istvan Kispal (kispaljr)]

No, unfortunately no.
It works with 12.04 as I described above. (Fine with manually set proxy, but hangs with Automatic proxy config)

[Walter Garcia-Fontes (walter-garcia)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. We are sorry that we do not always have the capacity to look at all reported bugs in a timely manner. There have been many changes in Ubuntu since that time you reported the bug and your problem may have been fixed with some of the updates. It would help us a lot if you could test it on a currently supported Ubuntu version. When you test it and it is still an issue, kindly upload the updated logs by running apport-collect 983866 and any other logs that are relevant for this particular issue.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Unity because there has been no activity for 60 days.]