463341 - Overflow:auto/scroll Elements Rendered with Flicker During Scroll

Status: NEW

(Core :: Layout: Block and Inline, defect)

Description

[Bill]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4) Gecko/2008110400 Ubuntu/8.10 (intrepid) Firefox/3.0.4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.0.4) Gecko/2008110400 Ubuntu/8.10 (intrepid) Firefox/3.0.4

While scrolling a page, elements with the css rule overflow:auto or overflow:scroll are rendering with a pronounced flicker. I filed a report through the Firefox/Ubuntu Launchpad system. We uninstalled my Nvidia driver and tried the newest version of the Shiretoko version -- all with the same flickering. An additional test on my laptop using a completely different video driver also had the same results. Running the Epiphany browser in Webkit mode did not display the same flickering. Opera, Konqueror and Midori have no flickering, seemingly isolating this problem to Gecko.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Visit cyber-sandbox.com or any website with an overflow:auto element.
2. Scroll.
3. See flicker.
Actual Results:  
I whined a little, like when my girlfriend wants to spend more time at the mall.

Expected Results:  
Shown me the sweet, smooth, screen love I've come to expect from my favorite browser.

Launchpad reference: https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/292282
Note that this problem existed in FF2 on Ubuntu, but I was kinda ignoring it. It's really the only bug the causes me grief (except for the random right click action -- already reported by someone else).
Also note that Bugzilla was returning errors on every bug I clicked and that there is no Core -> Layout component as indicated in your component definition and A. Sack's email to me, so I'm listing it in General.

Comment 1

[Ria Klaassen (not reading all bugmail)]

Testing on Windows XP I do see a problem but only on trunk (Minefield). I see a peculiar movement of the scrollbar in the update box. Is that what you mean?

Comment 2

[Bill]

Ahh, sorry. I should have made it more clear that this bug is not found on Windows, only on my Ubuntu systems (I haven't tested other distros). In fact, running Firefox/Win through Wine or VirtualBox Windows eliminates this bug.

Comment 3

[Alexander Sack]

moving to Layout component for now.

Comment 4

[niklas]

this behaviour is present in windows xp too. when dragging a layer over a div with overflow auto there is sort of a "jump" over the border of the div. not very nice, and interestingly enough not present in firefox 2.

Comment 5

[daniellehuntrods]

I would like to second the comment about the behaviour occurring in Windows XP.
I am running XP with an NVIDIA Quadro display driver, and on a page I am currently developing I have encountered this problem. 

A similar effect is also displaying quite clearly here when I follow the instructions on the page and add more text: http://mihai.bazon.net/blog/firefox-slowness-identified/test.html

The page I am creating uses jQuery to slide a panel with a child box that has overflow:auto set, and when the panel slides the jumping and slow re-draw is evident. If I set the overflow to hidden the problem goes away.

Comment 6

[T.Rosenau]

Attachment: Simple testcase