EntropySink

Technical & Scientific => Software => Topic started by: KnuckleBuckett on September 09, 2008, 09:28:31 AM

Title: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on September 09, 2008, 09:28:31 AM
I thought this was interesting.  I didn't expect the CPU usages the author encountered.  Do those of you who author websites concur?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/09/03/review.chrome.ap/index.html
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 09, 2008, 09:54:02 AM
Yeah, I really dislike flash in websites.

And 40-50 tabs? I don't even run that many apps during the course of my day I don't think. Guess I'm more of a minimalist, I don't see the problem in starting up and shutting down firefox's all day long. I hate having too many windows open at the same time. It bothers me for some strange reason. And as long as the apps I use remember where I was when I left, it's really no big deal to me.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Mike on September 09, 2008, 09:56:42 AM
From the sounds of it the guy is a moron using stats he doesn't understand.  Plus, who the fuck needs 40 to 50 pages open at one time (exception:  pr0n surfing).

And here is an easy solution to flash hogging resources:  Stop going to youtube.  Seriously probably less then 1% of the pages I visit have flash embedded in them.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 09, 2008, 10:53:21 AM
From the sounds of it the guy is a moron using stats he doesn't understand.  Plus, who the fuck needs 40 to 50 pages open at one time (exception:  pr0n surfing).

And here is an easy solution to flash hogging resources:  Stop going to youtube.  Seriously probably less then 1% of the pages I visit have flash embedded in them.

DING DING DING!!
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on September 09, 2008, 11:07:32 AM
I have never had 40+ pages/tabs up in any browser.  I just can't imagine the need.   :dunno:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 09, 2008, 11:23:40 AM
I just loaded up 30 odd pages with 10 of them from YouTube using FF3.0 and Ubuntu 8.04 on a 2Ghz Dell laptop

Firefox was sluggish, but hell, it's streaming 10 links of video feed. Didnt crash and the "top" command showed it using between 75-85% CPU - not suprising and I doubt IE could do better
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Mike on September 09, 2008, 11:38:03 AM
Yeah, 75% while trying to open that many sounds perfectly reasonable.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 09, 2008, 12:32:48 PM
if i get over 10 tabs i feel claustrophobic
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: ober on September 09, 2008, 12:52:38 PM
I think the guy is an idiot.  No normal user browses with that many browser windows opened to that many tabs.  And while I agree that flash is a flaming turd on the web community, it has its uses.

And the guy flip-flopped from being an FF fan to a Chrome fan so many times in the same article that if you didn't read the conclusion, you wouldn't know what the fuck he was trying to say.  Nevermind the fact that the article started out as IE vs Chrome and ended in FF vs Chrome.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: micah on September 09, 2008, 12:54:32 PM
Quote
And the guy flip-flopped from being an FF fan to a Chrome fan so many times in the same article that if you didn't read the conclusion, you wouldn't know what the fuck he was trying to say.  Nevermind the fact that the article started out as IE vs Chrome and ended in FF vs Chrome.

...only to conclude at the end that you should just try IE8.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 09, 2008, 12:57:26 PM
imagine the amount of hate mail hes gotten
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Mike on September 09, 2008, 01:08:53 PM
I'm sure it isn't enough
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 09, 2008, 01:15:30 PM
yea but we are all way too lazy
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 09, 2008, 10:42:36 PM
I agree. 40-50 tabs? That's crazy. And I've never noticed that kind of slowdown in firefox or any web browser.

>I just loaded up 30 odd pages with 10 of them from YouTube using FF3.0 and Ubuntu 8.04 on a 2Ghz Dell laptop

Off-topic: I just installed Ubuntu on my external HD and everything seems so much smoother/quicker than windows. It might just be the fact that I've had XP installed for such a long time compared to Ubuntu, but it's got to boot up/shutdown at least 10 times quicker than XP.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 10, 2008, 03:36:01 AM
Off-topic: I just installed Ubuntu on my external HD and everything seems so much smoother/quicker than windows. It might just be the fact that I've had XP installed for such a long time compared to Ubuntu, but it's got to boot up/shutdown at least 10 times quicker than XP.

It's all I use now. I run XP through virtualbox if I want to try something, but 99% of my time in on Ubuntu these days. I used to be very interested in Windows and Windows programming but to be honest I dont miss it these days. I do what I need to do in Python and GTK

The only bugbear is games - anything from Epic or ID will usually play native (except for UT3 which is still waiting for a long promised linux installer). Other games are ok in Wine (Half Life 2, Command & Conquer 3). Still, the games that do play are amongst my favorites, so what the hell!
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 09:28:54 AM
i actually have Ubuntu sitting on a cd next to me. i love vista but im looking to drop the weight and give nix another run. Just havent made the leap. Maybe tonight.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 10, 2008, 10:02:36 AM
Ubuntu still has quirks but every release keeps getting better and better. I still have some issues with my laptop's suspend/hibernate and the networking getting mucked up. I think a lot of that would be taken care of if I got a newer laptop. But I like Ubuntu much better than Windows. The only real thing keeping me from the full switch (I dual boot right now) is multi-monitor stuff, it works but not as smoothly when I unplug and go back to the laptop, and Visio. So I'd still have to run a VM with XP or something for a couple business things.

It's worth a try. When I decide to back up all my stuff on my desktop at home, I'm going to switch that over to Ubuntu. I'd say Ubuntu is a bit like Vista right now. Works great for some people with the right hardware/peripherals but others stuggle.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 10:47:56 AM
My laptop seems to like everything. Also my Vista is 32 bit and the Ubuntu is made for my 64bit dual core so i imagine it will be 100000x faster then vista. And i dont use suspend/hibernate
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 11:12:53 AM
I'm going to do it tonight, fuck it. Will my quicklaunch buttons work? Like my laptop has my mute, volume up down, etc i would like them to still work
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 10, 2008, 11:26:52 AM
>>Will my quicklaunch buttons work? Like my laptop has my mute, volume up down, etc i would like them to still work

Works fine on my Dell

Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 11:41:59 AM
Hmm....im doing a data dump to the desktop now (since i cant image) and tonight im going to wipe this thing clean and jump in....

Wonder if opera for nix is working better then the windows version. I hate FF so i cant use that lol.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 10, 2008, 12:04:30 PM
>I still have some issues with my laptop's suspend/hibernate and the networking getting mucked up.

Yeah, suspend/hibernate won't work for me...but I'm assuming that's because I'm running on an external drive. I haven't tried to get it to work yet.

I previously had Fedora installed on it, which was a major pain just to get to boot, and setting up wireless was just as bad (plus my volume control keys didn't work). Ubuntu has been so much easier so far. Still not ready to ditch XP completely though.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: ober on September 10, 2008, 12:31:58 PM
I think I might install Ubuntu on my wife's old desktop just to give it a whirl.  We'll see.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 12:35:09 PM
I always liked slackware but it just never covered all my needs. so many people love this o/s and seem to think it does so we'll see
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 10, 2008, 01:24:23 PM
>I always liked slackware but it just never covered all my needs


Slackware is one of those minimalist distros. If you want something that covers all your needs you should try Fedora or Ubuntu.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 02:56:54 PM
Ok so i tried to install it, didnt go so well. Chose english, then chose install. Never left that screen just spun the cd and made reading noises come from my disk drive that sounded like an old 3.5 floppy. It was scary.

Popped cd out, reseated the disk just incase, rebooted and same thing. So rebooted again and chose the check disk for errors option, same thing.

what gives? i gave it like 5-7minutes each time, those sounds make me nervous. my cdrom never does that. i never heard any cdrom do that.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 10, 2008, 03:04:08 PM
ugh...corrupted cd?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 03:14:31 PM
i thought so, so i just burned another one using magic iso. same thiung
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 10, 2008, 03:17:51 PM
Tried running it live?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 03:21:20 PM
the "test" option?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 10, 2008, 03:22:44 PM
No. You can put it in the CDROM, bot it and it will have an option to run without installing.

Basically as a Live Disk
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 10, 2008, 04:17:01 PM
Somethings wonky. The whole install process should only take about 5-10 mins.

Which version of the ISO did you download?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Mike on September 10, 2008, 04:56:36 PM
Did you run the integrity test on the CDs?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 05:16:23 PM
No. You can put it in the CDROM, bot it and it will have an option to run without installing.

Basically as a Live Disk

It shows "Test Ubuntu without changing your system" and install, but neither worked.

Somethings wonky. The whole install process should only take about 5-10 mins.

Which version of the ISO did you download?

ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-amd64

Did you run the integrity test on the CDs?

Yes, it had the same result (see few posts back)
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 10, 2008, 05:25:31 PM
Stupid question but is this PC actually an AMD64 PC (or Intel 64 bit)? Maybe try the regular ISO and see what that does.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 10, 2008, 05:27:36 PM
AMD Turion 64Bit X2 2.0GHZ

Damn i was excited to finally have a 64bit system.....i guess ill try the other iso
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: jkim on September 10, 2008, 08:05:43 PM
I never have 40-50 tabs open, but recently Firefox has been crap on my computer. 

Also,
Quote
Luckily, there's a small add-on program for Firefox that lets the user prevent Flash files from running automatically when a page loads, and it turns Firefox into a stable, efficient browser.

Where do I get this?

edit: wow, Jen, way to read the other two pages of this thread.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 10, 2008, 09:41:44 PM
I never have 40-50 tabs open, but recently Firefox has been crap on my computer. 

Also,
Quote
Luckily, there's a small add-on program for Firefox that lets the user prevent Flash files from running automatically when a page loads, and it turns Firefox into a stable, efficient browser.

Where do I get this?
Well, NoScript (http://noscript.net/) does that--don't know if that's what he's referring to.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 11:48:17 AM
ok im in Ubuntu (exclusively, no windows) and so far i feel right at home lol. I'm not sure if it was the standard version that made it work or the fact i used a different program to burn the iso but it worked.

Question #1: All my files are on a desktop on the network running Vista, yet in the network i cant see it. How do i make it show up?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 12:00:53 PM
omg im loving this. FF on here is even kinda sorta maybe cool
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 11, 2008, 12:02:25 PM
You should have samba on it

Copy the command below

Open a terminal. Paste it in. Run it
Quote
sudo apt-get install samba smbfs samba-common

That should allow you to read a Windows share
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 12:17:03 PM
sweet ill try it. im trying to figure out how to install xmms. i see its not a package so i have the tar.gz in firefox but not sure where to go from there. i tried sudo apt-get install linktofilehere but that didnt work either.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 12:20:44 PM
ok ran the command, went to places -> network -> windows network still blank. There were some errors, though:

Quote
steve@CM-Laptop:~$ sudo apt-get install samba smbfs samba-common
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  smbclient
Suggested packages:
  openbsd-inetd inet-superserver smbldap-tools
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  samba smbfs
The following packages will be upgraded:
  samba-common smbclient
2 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 113 not upgraded.
Need to get 11.6MB of archives.
After this operation, 9626kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Get:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main smbclient 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5 [4863kB]
Get:2 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main samba-common 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5 [2840kB]
Get:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main samba 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5 [3840kB]
Get:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com hardy-updates/main smbfs 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5 [94.2kB]
Fetched 11.6MB in 32s (359kB/s)                                               
Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 95860 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace smbclient 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.4 (using .../smbclient_3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement smbclient ...
Preparing to replace samba-common 3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.4 (using .../samba-common_3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement samba-common ...
Selecting previously deselected package samba.
Unpacking samba (from .../samba_3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package smbfs.
Unpacking smbfs (from .../smbfs_3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5_i386.deb) ...
Setting up samba-common (3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5) ...

Setting up smbclient (3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5) ...
Setting up samba (3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5) ...
Generating /etc/default/samba...
tdbsam_open: Converting version 0 database to version 3.
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 1 (min password length), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 2 (password history), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 3 (user must logon to change password), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 4 (maximum password age), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 5 (minimum password age), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 6 (lockout duration), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 7 (reset count minutes), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 8 (bad lockout attempt), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 9 (disconnect time), returning 0
account_policy_get: tdb_fetch_uint32 failed for field 10 (refuse machine password change), returning 0
Importing account for nobody...ok
Importing account for steve...ok
Adding group `sambashare' (GID 124) ...
Done.
Adding user `steve' to group `sambashare' ...
Adding user steve to group sambashare
Done.
 * Starting Samba daemons                                                [ OK ]

Setting up smbfs (3.0.28a-1ubuntu4.5) ...
steve@CM-Laptop:~$
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 11, 2008, 12:27:15 PM
Can you ping the other pcs on the network? It might be Vista not wanting to play along. Does the Vista machine have a firewall on it? Does it show if you disable the firewall for a second?

oh...xmms:
Quote
sudo apt-get install xmms2

If you want a graphical installer: System->Administration->Synaptic Package manager

If you want an app, try using the repository first via apt-get or synaptic. If it's not there, try to get a deb file. Then go for whatetver else is available
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 12:30:19 PM
yea i googled a bit and went with sudeo apt-get install audacious instead b/c i read xmms2 has no gui :)

Let me check the vista machine but im 99% sure it has no firewall. I know i used to have to dbl click it then type in my user info to login but i assumed it would still show here.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 11, 2008, 12:42:37 PM
Before you get too far, did you try the 64 bit version again using your other burning software?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 12:48:05 PM
nah cuz im out of cd's. this one seems to be running amazingly so im good for a while.

Noted that my sister ran a windows update and the FW was on, now its off and i can see the desktop. Double clicking it never prompts for a password and shows no files, so im going to go make the desktop a full open login and see what happens
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 01:09:27 PM
Firewall is off, password removed, and all the folders have it set to allow everyone (even guests) to access them. I can open the desktop's icon on Ubuntu but no files show up...
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 01:21:47 PM
got it. in true windows fashion it needed a reboot....even tho it said it didnt.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 11, 2008, 02:17:19 PM
nah cuz im out of cd's. this one seems to be running amazingly so im good for a while.

Just FYI: it's possible to install from a USB flash drive. That's what I did. Can't remember the name of the software i used, but it downloaded the Ubuntu ISO and made it bootable automatically.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 11, 2008, 02:33:48 PM
nah cuz im out of cd's. this one seems to be running amazingly so im good for a while.

Just FYI: it's possible to install from a USB flash drive. That's what I did. Can't remember the name of the software i used, but it downloaded the Ubuntu ISO and made it bootable automatically.

Here's a good link for that - https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD/Persistence

Some tutorials just have you running a live cd from the pendrive, but this one has you set it up so that any changes you make are automatically saved between reboots and any packages you install are ready when you boot . Good for fixing downed systems
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 02:44:14 PM
Good to know :)

I must say im loving this. It's been about 2 years since i played with any distro and this one makes it pretty damn easy. I almost feel like im running Windows as far as usage goes. Also i had started watching the most recent episode of ghost hunters before i went to the dark side, and i just finished watching it now and on linux the video and audio is worlds better. I am using VLC just as i was in Vista, with the exact same file but its much more crisp and clear now.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: hans on September 11, 2008, 03:34:38 PM
Sticking with the 32bit version isn't a horrible idea either (if you don't mind it). I did the 64bit on my dad's AMD I recently built him and there were a few gotchas due to the lack of full 64 bit support in some software packages (like flash, his print driver, and a couple others). I was pretty close to dropping the 64 bit but ended up finding scripts to get stuff worked out. He likes it a lot but still has questions from time to time. Once I get him off his piano tuning software (which requires Windows due to a stupid USB dongle) life should be easier. VMWare still has some issues from time to time for him.
The thing I like about Ubuntu is the 6 month releases; with each one, I keep having fewer things to complain about or that require some obscure shell script to fix.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 03:36:02 PM
I may try the 64 bit version later but im already expecting enough issues with things im used to for windows without needing a nix and 64bit version lol
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 11, 2008, 03:47:27 PM
List of a few really decent apps to try:


And that's just pretty much what I'm running now...barely scratches the surface
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 03:51:45 PM
I love GIMP :)

I'm liking Audacious
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 11, 2008, 03:55:48 PM
Have a look at compiz fusion

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bvnQE1EAEZY

P.S. that's the avant navigator on the bottom that I talked about
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 03:57:27 PM
Not a fan. And i absolutely hate mac.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 07:20:58 PM
what are you guys using for PHP? I just bought phpDesigner so im thinking of trying that with WINE (i guess?) so i can still use it
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 11, 2008, 07:59:33 PM
also is there a way to make it so im windows in pigeon flash down on the "taskbar" like aim does in windows?

please rename this thread RoD's conversion to linux. Thnx
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 12, 2008, 02:31:33 AM
>>And i absolutely hate mac.

It's not Mac - it's sweet looking linux

>>what are you guys using for PHP?

There are millions of editors, try a few. At least that app should work fine in wine - http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=10504

>>also is there a way to make it so im windows in pigeon flash down on the "taskbar" like aim does in windows?

Dont know...try the preferences
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 12, 2008, 04:52:05 AM
yea i dont see it in the pref's. thnx for the link :)
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 12, 2008, 06:11:50 AM
Not sure then, but of you dont like pidgin download another one - they are all free
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 12, 2008, 06:16:06 AM
yea im working on getting kopete working now. following a tutuorial to get it 100% functional in gnome.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 12, 2008, 07:02:34 AM
ugh i dislike kopete way more then pigeon.....i miss my trillian i cant believe theres no linux version lol
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 12, 2008, 07:33:12 AM
There's an AIM for linux - http://www.aim.com/get_aim/linux/latest_linux.adp
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 12, 2008, 11:31:14 AM
I use "gaim" and it flashes in the task bar when I have a new message (using gnome).
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 12, 2008, 02:50:31 PM
I use "gaim" and it flashes in the task bar when I have a new message (using gnome).

I looked into gaim and was told it was renamed to pigeon, which is the one i have that doesnt flash.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 12, 2008, 05:09:02 PM
Just remembered the program I used to boot from my flash drive: http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 12, 2008, 06:46:14 PM
I use "gaim" and it flashes in the task bar when I have a new message (using gnome).

im an idiot. i right clicked the icon to set it to away 20-30 times and never once till today did i notice the "flash window" option at the bottom of the menu :lol:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 13, 2008, 10:19:27 AM
turns out that only works when someone sends u a new message for the first time (start of conversation).....lame.

Anyway here's one for ya. I have the power management settings set to never put the laptop to sleep on a/c or power, and when i close the lid to go to a blank screen. All day im long im 100% fine, but at night i shut the lid and pass out. Wake up and its always stuck on the black screen and i have to hold the power button down to shut it off. Any ideas?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 13, 2008, 10:28:53 AM
Power management is a pain. It works on my laptop fine but screws up on my desktop.

Is it really crashed or is it just the display manager - does it come back after a minute if you press Ctr-Alt-Backspace?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 13, 2008, 10:46:05 AM
it wont come back no matter what i hit. Last night when i went to bed i only left the power and network plugged in to it and still did it. And i can tell its the "blank screen" because its not totally black its the grey like when it does it during the day, and i never have a problem.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 13, 2008, 10:57:05 AM
What graphics card do you have?

If you set the power management option to "Do nothing" instead of "Blank screen" does it do anything?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 13, 2008, 11:02:24 AM
Nvidia 8600 mobile, 256mb

i can try that tonight. on do nothing it still shuts the screen off right? or does it override the hardware?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 13, 2008, 12:50:39 PM
do you guys have stability issues at all? Linux runs 10x faster then windows but i have crashes or lockups alot more often. FF/Opera go grey alot and are unuseable for 20-30 seconds probably 4-5 tims a day and limewire crashes every other time i used it. Audacity stopped working twice yesterday and i had to reboot. Cant think of any others.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 13, 2008, 12:53:14 PM
I just want to see what happens. Does it still crash?

>>do you guys have stability issues at all? Linux runs 10x faster then windows but i have crashes or lockups alot more often. FF/Opera go grey alot and are unuseable for 20-30 seconds probably 4-5 tims a day and limewire crashes every other time i used it. Audacity stopped working twice yesterday and i had to reboot. Cant think of any others.

Hardly ever. Like I said, my desktop crashes sometimes when I put it into suspend, but I'm sure that's an issue with the NVidia drivers it uses. My laptop has crashed once in the last few months - a problem with a flash video in FF.

If the display locks, you can restart it with Ctr-Alt-Backspace
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 13, 2008, 01:12:33 PM
do you guys have stability issues at all? Linux runs 10x faster then windows but i have crashes or lockups alot more often. FF/Opera go grey alot and are unuseable for 20-30 seconds probably 4-5 tims a day and limewire crashes every other time i used it. Audacity stopped working twice yesterday and i had to reboot. Cant think of any others.
Yeah, I've had FF lock up on me a couple times so far.

Had the display lock up on me once, but I didn't try Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 13, 2008, 03:13:11 PM
Alright tomm if its locked up still i'll try that. I havent been able to leave it sit long enough today to try and recreate it. I wonder if it could be the Nvidia drivers.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 15, 2008, 11:26:43 PM
update:

it did it this mroning and twice today. CTRL + ALT + Backspace brings it to the login screen at least. wish i could stop it from happening at all
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 16, 2008, 02:00:30 AM
Weird...
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 16, 2008, 10:30:07 AM
Very much so. I also had issues last night. Pigeon kept loosing sound for no reason, and every other message i would send caused the program to just exit on me. Several reboots until the problem went away. Audacitiy also has a habit of not playing songs. I'll open it, select one and nothing. Reboot and its fine. Same thing with VLC, sometimes it wont start a video unless i reboot.

I love linux but its the little things driving me nuts. Like my IM windows on the taskbar dont flash on new messages, program crashes, etc. Hell last night i even had a point where all the windows were missing from the taskbar except opera. That happened twice.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 16, 2008, 11:06:49 AM
That's linux, man. If you dont like messing with it to get it perfect then you wont enjoy it
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 16, 2008, 11:52:52 AM
Your using Audacity as an audio player? That's sort of like using a wrecking ball to hammer a nail into a wall. Audacity is awesome for recording and all kinds of audio processing, but there are more stable and lightweight apps for general media playing.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 16, 2008, 11:54:11 AM
i meant audacious, my bad.

I dont mind screwing with it i just dont see anything i can do about it lol. I'm out of my element.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 16, 2008, 11:56:40 AM
>I dont mind screwing with it i just dont see anything i can do about it


download the source and get hackin!
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 16, 2008, 11:57:52 AM
ugh.....lol

i wonder why your's blinks and mine doesnt.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 16, 2008, 11:58:00 AM
I can try help a little, but first of all:

http://www.linuxforums.org/

http://ubuntuforums.org/

Cant live without spending time on these
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 16, 2008, 01:25:43 PM
ugh.....lol

i wonder why your's blinks and mine doesnt.

I'm using Gaim 1.5.1. They probably just changed it in newer releases. You could always try to find an old tarball (though it doesn't quite look as nice, seems to work fine with MSN, gmail, and Jabber protocols though).
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 16, 2008, 02:18:09 PM
I can try help a little, but first of all:

http://www.linuxforums.org/

http://ubuntuforums.org/

Cant live without spending time on these

Thanks man.

ugh.....lol

i wonder why your's blinks and mine doesnt.

I'm using Gaim 1.5.1. They probably just changed it in newer releases. You could always try to find an old tarball (though it doesn't quite look as nice, seems to work fine with MSN, gmail, and Jabber protocols though).

Hmm, ill see what i can come up with. I would sacrafice pretty for functional (seems to be the linux way :lol:)

commies.

:rolleyes:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 16, 2008, 02:30:58 PM
:lol: wtf
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 17, 2008, 01:49:30 PM
Just an update:

If i leave the lid open over night, the computer has NO issues. Wakes right up from the mouse like i never left. So its something with closing the lid.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 17, 2008, 04:20:15 PM
I can try help a little, but first of all:

http://www.linuxforums.org/

http://ubuntuforums.org/

Cant live without spending time on these
Have those forums actually helped you? I tried asking about getting suspend/hibernate working on my system and on ubuntuforums, it got buried in about a minute with no response, and on linuxforums, the only people who replied don't seem to know how to read.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: micah on September 17, 2008, 04:26:33 PM
so all this talk about Ubuntu and I decided last week to install it on an old laptop I've had lying around.

I downloaded the latest version, went out and bought some blank CD-R disks and then tried to install. It just hung forever.  After a while I googled the problem and learned that you can't install it without at least 256MB RAM.  Apparently that laptop only has 128.  Go figure!  its running windows XP  but it can't install Ubuntu. LOL.

I really like the interface of Ubuntu, but I need windows on my primary PC (and can't do a duel boot because I'm using about 95% of my hard drive already).  Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait until someday when i can afford a new computer.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 17, 2008, 04:30:46 PM
I can try help a little, but first of all:

http://www.linuxforums.org/

http://ubuntuforums.org/

Cant live without spending time on these
Have those forums actually helped you? I tried asking about getting suspend/hibernate working on my system and on ubuntuforums, it got buried in about a minute with no response, and on linuxforums, the only people who replied don't seem to know how to read.

I've hardly ever had the patience for posting questions. Probably posted a dozen in all the time I spent on boards, I use the sites to search for other posts
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 17, 2008, 04:41:07 PM
so all this talk about Ubuntu and I decided last week to install it on an old laptop I've had lieing around.

I downloaded the latest version, went out and bought some blank CD-R disks and then tried to install. It just hung forever.  After a while I googled the problem and learned that you can't install it without at least 256MB RAM.  Apparently that laptop only has 128.  Go figure!  its running windows XP  but it can't install Ubuntu. LOL.

I really like the interface of Ubuntu, but I need windows on my primary PC (and can't do a duel boot because I'm using about 95% of my hard drive already).  Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait until someday when i can afford a new computer.

The community docs say that the minimum is 64meg, but that's bare minimum and you'd probably have to slim it down to make it happy. If you want linux on that machine, try Xubuntu which uses a different display manager and is a little happier on low spec systems.

As to that laptop running WinXP - that OS is 7 years old now but the Ubuntu distro your trying to install is this year's - hardly surprising if it likes a bit more RAM than XP. Remember that Vista starts its demads at 1/2 a Gig of memory and anyone who uses it knows that it isn't too happy unless it has 2 Gig
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 17, 2008, 05:46:22 PM
i THOUGHT i needed windows, but i didnt :P

And i dont post much on mass forums like that. I scan and if i dont find what i need i run to google and if that fails, im here.

Today im fighting with my wireless card, but im loosing. Next on the list is getting Sopcast and TVants working so i dont have to suffer this week when football is on.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 17, 2008, 08:20:38 PM
GAIM definitly looks better, i actually prefer the look. Still doesnt blink though. The little icon by the clock does, but so did pigeon. I need the im windows to flash on the taskbar or i cant keep track
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Perspective on September 18, 2008, 10:30:37 AM
>Still doesnt blink though.


That's some crazy shit.. mine most definitely blinks in the task bar, even when I'm on a different desktop. Maybe it has something to do with the older version of gnome I have or something. My whole box is pretty outdated.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 11:16:03 AM
yea this is 2.0 beta i think. i tried a few right ups that are supposed to make it blink, nothing. I used a plugin to get it to ammend "- NEW" to the window which helps some for now. Some people even say gnome cant blink windows but thats obviously not true.

maybe i will try an older version today.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 11:39:26 AM
GOT IT!!! It requires the Message Notification plugin (which i had) and the setting "window manager alert URGENT" to be enabled :)
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: JaWiB on September 18, 2008, 02:30:04 PM
Someone with my same probably finally replied to my thread on linuxforums, so I take back what I said. Looks like there's probably an issue with the drive not powering up right away, though I don't know how to fix it yet.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 02:39:12 PM
Its the little things that bother you. For example i just got done watching a show on VLC, and i close it. Now my sound on gaim doesnt work. Happens all the time a program using audio gets closed and then the others have no sound. Like the device gets wrapped up or something.

Linux crashes alot less then windows, its x10 fast, etc. BUT i have never had to reboot this often in my life.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 18, 2008, 03:01:51 PM
I have the same sound problem. I fixed it once in the past on another install, but I havent got around to fixing it again yet. When I do I'll tell you how I did it.

The main problem linux has is that 90% of the hardware manufacturers build devices for a windows target as their main goal. Linux developers are then left with incomplete specs or nothing at all when they want to use the device with linux, so there's a lot of guess-work and "suck-it-and-see" hopefullness. There was an effort by linux developers to offer their driver-building services for free to manufacturers in exchange for complete specs and a little co-operation.

Things are getting better...
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 03:08:54 PM
yea its making me want to learn more about programming lol. Yea when u remember the fix let me know, im dying here :lol:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 18, 2008, 03:16:04 PM
yea its making me want to learn more about programming lol. Yea when u remember the fix let me know, im dying here :lol:

Lol! That took about 60 seconds

Quote
sudo apt-get install libflashsupport

Restart firefox and any app that plays sound. Just tried it and played vcl, rythmbox & a vid from youtube with sound from each app.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 03:38:29 PM
i used to program its just so time consuming. but im having fun tinkering with linux lol.

I'll try that and see what happens, thnx.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 03:39:59 PM
i will say i got bored last night and this disturbs me.....lol

Quote
steve@CM-Laptop:~$ make love to me
make: *** No rule to make target `love'.  Stop.
steve@CM-Laptop:~$ dont tell me to stop bitch
bash: dont: command not found
steve@CM-Laptop:~$ suck my cock
The program 'suck' is currently not installed.  You can install it by typing:
sudo apt-get install suck
bash: suck: command not found
steve@CM-Laptop:~$ exit
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 18, 2008, 10:19:18 PM
OH MY GOOODDDDD!!!

I can rearrange the windows on the panel at the bottom!!!! im in love....

The audio works great now, thanks man :) Now if i can get my wireless and the tvants/sopcast streams working ill be stoked.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 19, 2008, 02:31:27 AM
Whats up with the wireless?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 09:04:28 AM
I followed all the directions for setting it up (downloading the drivers, configuring ndiswrapper, etc) and it shows a wireless device on wan0 and says its in scan mode or whatever but it doesnt pick anything up. And when i hit the switch to turn the wireless on or off the light never goes blue (active) just stays orange (off) so i can only assume linux isnt handling something right.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 19, 2008, 10:11:33 AM
What wireless adapter is it?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 11:06:54 AM
crap its a broadcom but its not a 43xx. whats the command that shows all the installed pci devices? i forgot and i cant find it....was like lpn something i think
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 11:35:10 AM
found it (lspci). Interesting though, i ran this before i did anything to find what exactly it was for a model, and it was a 9000 something.....now:

03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN (rev 01)

I'm going to pull the spec sheet for the laptop and see what it is real quick, because i think the terminal is wrong. And the instructions i followed werent for a 43xx series either.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 11:38:24 AM
it's a

Broadcom BCM94311


edit: im an ass, its on the restricted list. lemme reboot and see what happens.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 11:50:04 AM
The driver on the restricted list is a B43, which i dont have. I enabled it for kicks and rebooted, but it disabled itsself. It says "in use" but its unchecked.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 12:52:45 PM
omg i plugged in my printer and it was like ok, you can use it now! my god this rocks
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 19, 2008, 01:28:07 PM
The printer works or the wireless works?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 05:50:25 PM
the printer. it required no effort on my part what so ever. on windows it was a 20 minute installation.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 19, 2008, 10:52:25 PM
Hey Dumah, do you have a program in particular you like for creating images for backup? I like to do all my backups by creating an image once or twice a week. For windows i used Acronis, and it was always reliable. I have been reading into it for Ubunutu but before i go with something i want to get some feedback on it :)

Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on September 20, 2008, 03:23:00 AM
Yeah...I use "sbackup"

http://www.debianadmin.com/backup-and-restore-your-ubuntu-system-using-sbackup.html

The "s" stands for simple. It does what I want but there are some features it could do with (least of all it doesnt notify me that the backup was done and all's fine, so I have to manually check), but it works well and is able to schedule, selectively backup and does incremental backups.

Have a go with it. If you need something more beefed up, have a look around on the web, there are a few alternatives
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 20, 2008, 09:25:59 AM
Thanks =]

I'm glad i made the leap. There's kinks and stuff here and there but except for one (wireless) they are all worked out. The crashes are very rare, speed is phenominal, theres just no downside. Should have done this years ago :)
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on September 30, 2008, 07:17:08 PM
Ok i got my wireless working. After many many failed attempts, i got it working using the following writeup:

http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43

Just an update incase you guys run across a need to get a B43XX card working.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 04, 2008, 10:37:20 AM
Just an update Dumah i took your advice. I'm not using advant (dont see a need for the toolbar) but i am using fuzion. im loving the cube. I rarely used the second desktop until today and in the last 3 hours i added to a total of 4 desktops and im bouncing around like a fucking kangaroo :lol:

not sure im liking bouncy windows yet. My only complaint is the "title bar" on all windows is an ugly ass maroon and i cant find a place to change it. and if i disable window decoration i loose the close/minimize/maximize buttons
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on October 04, 2008, 12:02:38 PM
Right click Desktop -> Change Desktop Backgrounds -> Themes. Change the theme and change the colours
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 04, 2008, 12:16:25 PM
yea i tried that the title bar refuses to change
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 04, 2008, 07:21:44 PM
the color is growing on me lol....

These bouncy windows are amusing haha. I'm loving the enhanced multiple desktop management though. I hated that my touchpad would constantly flip between my two workspaces becaose of the scroll on it, and now thats gone. and i never really used the multiple desktops before but now with the fast switching and all i have gone from 2 up to a total of 6.

i think im in love all over again
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 04, 2008, 08:53:47 PM
ok heres a stupid question (seems easier to just contain them in this offtopic thread)

I have a few fonts i need from 1001fonts to do a website, so i need them in gimp. Where do i put these damn .tiff files in ubuntu? Google bounced back a few outdated hits that dont work for me.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on October 05, 2008, 03:21:27 AM
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=112227
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 05, 2008, 09:01:05 AM
 :dblthumb2:
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 06, 2008, 01:14:56 AM
Can i stop mount icons from showing up on the desktop? I'm incredibly anal with the desktop and anytime i put a cd in, usb drive, or connect via ftp it makes an icon on the desktop. They all go away except the ftp, which i have to unmount myself. Can i just not have them?
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Dumah on October 06, 2008, 02:35:33 AM
Took me some time to find this...

Open a terminal and type "gconf-editor"

apps-> nautilus -> desktop. Unclick "volumes-visible"
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 06, 2008, 09:05:27 AM
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I couldnt find that for the life of me and i get major OCD over the desktop.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: ober on October 06, 2008, 09:06:43 AM
OMG.. create another thread already...
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 06, 2008, 09:07:53 AM
Really? I kept this one going instead of having like.....30 threads. Figured it was cleaner and less annoying that way.
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: KnuckleBuckett on October 06, 2008, 09:14:31 AM
OMG.. create another thread already...

Thank you!!
Title: Re: Article on browser CPU resources...
Post by: Steve on October 06, 2008, 09:17:43 AM
Fine ill start threads lol. Sorry for trying to keep it clean :P