673265 - (about:config) config editor takes a very long time (minutes) to start if disabled the warning

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Toolkit :: Preferences, defect)

Description

[Matěj Cepl]

(originally filed as https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=639102)
Description of problem:
When I open the thunderbird's config editor, the application stalls hard for a
minute or so.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
thunderbird-3.1.4-1.fc14.x86_64

How reproducible:
seems to be 100% for me. if you close the window and click the button again,
you get the same long unresponsive wait.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Preferences -> Advanced -> General
2. Click "Config Editor"
3. stalled!

-------------------
I just upgraded to thunderbird-3.1.11-1.fc15.x86_64 and the problem is still
present.

1) yes, it repeats with -safe-mode
2) firefox.com doesn't have Thunderbird downloads :-P
  (ok, ok, I'll check the upstream binaries when I have more time)
3) yes, but only on the second time. When you first load the Thunderbird config
editor there is a dialog that says "This might void your warranty." That dialog
has a checkbox to disable the warning and a button labeled "I'll be careful, I
promise!" In my profile I had already disabled the warning.

In a fresh profile, if I /don't/ disable the warning, then the problem does not
seem to repeat, no matter how many times I open and close the config editor. If
I /do/ disable the warning, then I always hit the problem when I open the
config editor the next time.

---------------------------------

I tried with thunderbird-7.0a2.en-US.linux-x86_64.tar.bz2 (and a fresh profile
and -safe-mode)

I do not get quite the same behavior, but there is still a noticeable
sluggishness when closing the config editor that only seems to occur after
disabling the warning (actually on the second load after disabling the
warning). The delay varies a bit, generally in the 1-3 second range, which is
not nearly as long as I was seeing previously.

Comment 1

[Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul]]

can you try to sample what's taking so much time ?

Comment 2

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

(In reply to Ludovic Hirlimann [:Usul] from comment #1)
> can you try to sample what's taking so much time ?

well, that would require the reporter to be engaged, which typically aint happening via downstream bug reporters.


I had something like this happen a long time ago (years?)

Comment 3

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

I've pinged Mike, the reporter, in the redhat bug report.

(In reply to Wayne Mery (:wsmwk) from comment #2)
> I had something like this happen a long time ago (years?)

If my memory isn't entirely faulty, what I experienced long ago was slowness when typing into the filter of the config editor. But I'm not finding any bug report on that.

Comment 4

[mikem]

Hello, I am the original reporter. The stall would happen upon clicking the "Config Editor" button. Note that it would only happen after disabling the "This might void your warranty" dialog. The entire app would freeze for several minutes (in 5.x). I never got as far as typing in a filter.

When I tried to replicate with an upstream prerelease, I got different, much less problematic behavior. The dialog would load fine, but there would be a noticable lag of about 1-3s when closing it _only if_ the warranty-void dialog was disabled.
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=639102#c4

When I try now with the current Thunderbird in Fedora 15 (6.0.2-1.fc15.x86_64), I get the same less-bad behavior.

So it appears my original complaint is fixed in 6.x on, but the smaller lag problem is suspicious continues. It seems very odd that disabling the warranty-void dialog should cause such a thing.

Comment 5

[mikem]

err.. should be "but the smaller lag problem is continues"

Comment 6

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Closing WFM for the original issue