slashdot comment options bar slows down scrolling

[Sydney Troz]

Binary package hint: firefox-3.0

On Slashdot, when viewing comments, the view options bar that sticks to either the top of the window or the top left corner, seems to slow down scrolling significantly. This happens whether you have the panel docked to the corner or across the top. This is notably slower than in Firefox 2.x, which surprised me because of all the hype of Firefox 3 being so much faster at Javascript.

I'm using:
Kubuntu 8.04
package version: 3.0+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.8.04.1

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: i386
Date: Mon Jun 23 23:12:14 2008
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 8.04
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: firefox-3.0 3.0+nobinonly-0ubuntu0.8.04.1
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games
 LANG=en_CA.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: firefox-3.0
Uname: Linux 2.6.24-19-generic i686

[Satish Chandra (satish-c7)]

I too am facing the same problem. Scrolling was fast in Firefox 2, but in Firefox 3 it is slow.

My Configuration:
Ubuntu 8.04
Firefox - I tried with a new profile with no additional addons.
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3200+
GPU: Nvidia 6800GS

[Tim (aardbeiplantje)]

I have exactly the same problem on a SunRay 1g, where the Xnewt X server is used. I'm using this on ubuntu 8.04.1 64-bit, desktop install. It's on a quite fast machine: dual quad core 3.2 GHz. After realizing that I had seen that problem elsewhere before, I realized that that was on my home PC: quad core 2.4 GHz, with nvidia 8800GTX 768 MB card (also ubuntu 8.04.1 64-bit), drivers for nvidia: 173.14.

I've read on more forums that this problem it is proabaly related to nvidia for the hardware acceleration in their drivers or such. I don't think this is the case, as the SunRay 1g stuff uses an all-software Xnewt (which appears to be a derivative of Xorg 6.x), and the graphics card is certainly not an nvidia - not being used by that x server, except for a console (note that this is a server, not a workstation). Here's the xdpyinfo output, as the performance problem looks to be the same as for the nvidia people, they also reported this slashdot comment page panel dock, and they claim it to be one of the badly implemented extensions thus:

cowboytim@kwabber():~ > xdpyinfo -display :11
name of display: :11.0
version number: 11.0
vendor string: The X.Org Foundation
vendor release number: 60802000
X.Org version: 6.8.2
maximum request size: 16777212 bytes
motion buffer size: 256
bitmap unit, bit order, padding: 32, LSBFirst, 32
image byte order: LSBFirst
number of supported pixmap formats: 2
supported pixmap formats:
    depth 1, bits_per_pixel 1, scanline_pad 32
    depth 24, bits_per_pixel 32, scanline_pad 32
keycode range: minimum 8, maximum 254
focus: window 0xa00011, revert to PointerRoot
number of extensions: 24
    BIG-REQUESTS
    DAMAGE
    DEC-XTRAP
    DOUBLE-BUFFER
    DPMS
    Extended-Visual-Information
    GLX
    LBX
    MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
    MIT-SHM
    MIT-SUNDRY-NONSTANDARD
    RECORD
    SECURITY
    SGI-GLX
    SHAPE
    SYNC
    TOG-CUP
    X-Resource
    XC-APPGROUP
    XC-MISC
    XFIXES
    XInputExtension
    XTEST
    XVideo
default screen number: 0
number of screens: 1

screen #0:
  dimensions: 1280x1024 pixels (361x289 millimeters)
  resolution: 90x90 dots per inch
  depths (1): 24
  root window id: 0x29
  depth of root window: 24 planes
  number of colormaps: minimum 1, maximum 1
  default colormap: 0x21
  default number of colormap cells: 256
  preallocated pixels: black 0, white 16777215
  options: backing-store YES, save-unders YES
  largest cursor: 64x64
  current input event mask: 0x72003c
    ButtonPressMask ButtonReleaseMask EnterWindowMask
    LeaveWindowMask StructureNotifyMask SubstructureRedirectMask
    FocusChangeMask PropertyChangeMask
  number of visuals: 4
  default visual id: 0x23
  visual:
    visual id: 0x23
    class: TrueColor
    depth: 24 planes
    available colormap entries: 256 per subfield
    red, green, blue masks: 0xff, 0xff00, 0xff0000
    significant bits in color specification: 8 bits
  visual:
    visual id: 0x24
    class: TrueColor
    depth: 24 planes
    available colormap entries: 256 per subfield
    red, green, blue mask...

[Satish Chandra (satish-c7)]

With the latest updates (Firefox 3.0.3), the scrolling has improved a bit, but is still noticeable in sites like: http://www.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome . The site has a menu at the top with position: fixed css property. I think that property is causing the jittery scrolling. If the position is set as relative, scrolling is smooth.

[Martin Mai (mrkanister-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

 Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue for you. Can you try with the latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

[Satish Chandra (satish-c7)]

I'm still facing the problem in ubuntu 8.04 (upto date with repos). Haven't tried it in 8.10 though.

[Tim (aardbeiplantje)]

I'm still having this problem with all software based X servers. This is e.g. Xnewt on SunRay 1g (ubuntu 8.04.1 64-bit up to the latest version except for the kernel). Also the framebuffer X server on the PS3, this is ubuntu 8.10 ppc64 latest version.

On my desktop PC, with the nvidia card, that's an ubuntu 8.04.1 (latest updates), the problem went away, probably because I upgraded the nvidia drivers to the beta 180.16. If nitpicking, you can still notice it a very tiny bit. but as there is re-rendering done (with those div css styles), it's probably ok, one would expect it to be little slower - but really, almost unnoticable.

It's probably the same problem as here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/firefox/+bug/125970, were they also state that the newest nvidia drivers solve the problem.

I've read somewhere that it might have to do with the cairo backend that uses a feature that's not implemented correctly (or badly in the case of nvidia drivers).

Note that on windows and MacOS X, firefox always ran smoothly.

[gdp77 (gdp77)]

If you have nvidia graphics, install from synaptic 180.11 or later drivers. Problem solved!!! Firefox flies now!!!

If you have ATI graphics, you are out of luck...

[Cesar Arguinzones (ceap80)]

I don't have either a nvidia or ati card, but i'm suffering the same problem.
Watching top i can see xorg increase the cpu usage while scrolling on pages like:
    http://www.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/WebHome
    http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/07/19/1449205/Earthquake-Invisibility-Cloak?from=rss

Scrolling on that pages even stop music playing from Rhythmbox 0.11.6 from a second or so.

I'm using ubuntu 8.10, 9.04 doesn't work for me because of https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/367546
so i don't have an ati or nvidia driver to upgrade ;~(

[xteejx (xteejx)]

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 the current Ubuntu version (10.10). If you can test it, and it is still an issue, we would appreciate if you could upload updated logs by running apport-collect <bug #>, and any other logs that are relevant for this particular issue.

[Satish Chandra (satish-c7)]

I am running Ubuntu 10.04 and I'm not facing this issue anymore.

[xteejx (xteejx)]

Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. I am closing it because the bug has been fixed in 10.04. Thank you again for the update and please file any other bugs you find. Good luck! :)