Slooooow (Firefox, pages with LaTeX)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around performance issues experienced by users on the Physics Forums, particularly related to slow loading times of pages containing LaTeX. Participants share their experiences, troubleshooting steps, and potential causes for the slowness, including browser performance and internet service provider (ISP) issues.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants report significant delays in loading pages with LaTeX, with one user noting a wait of about 2.5 minutes for content to appear.
  • Others mention that the slowness is not isolated to one computer, suggesting a broader issue.
  • One participant points out that the recent beta of MathJax may improve performance, while another emphasizes the importance of using the latest browser versions.
  • Several users express frustration with intermittent posting issues, where attempts to post or preview do not succeed, leading to multiple submissions.
  • Participants discuss their ISP experiences, with some indicating that their local internet speed may be affecting performance, while others report fast loading times.
  • Technical troubleshooting steps are suggested, including performing ping tests and traceroutes to diagnose connectivity issues.
  • There are mentions of antivirus software potentially impacting performance, with users sharing their preferences for security programs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the cause of the slowness, as experiences vary significantly based on individual setups and ISPs. Multiple competing views on the source of the issues remain present throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the performance issues may be related to specific times when the database is being backed up, which could affect site responsiveness. Additionally, there are unresolved questions about the impact of various browsers and local network conditions.

Fredrik
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Some pages are so slow for me now that they're essentially unusable. For example this one:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...how-do-we-exactly-define.685722/#post-4349806

I've been having a lot of problems with the computer that I'm on now, so at first I thought it had something to do with that, but I recently noticed that it's frustratingly slow on another computer. So it's probably not just this computer. Anyone else find it difficult to view that thread?

It takes about 2.5 minutes for the LaTeX in post #12 to appear. I also failed to copy the link above (from the popup that appears when I click the #12 in the thread) the first two times I tried. Something related to the slowness makes it look like you've copied it when you really haven't.
 
Last edited:
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Yeah there is a lot of tex to process in that thread. I know the recent beta of MathJax is based around performance boosts so hopefully when that is released it will help. Make sure you are using the latest browser of Firefox or Chrome. It's all javascript processing.
 
Yes, same for me.

I've noticed pages stop loading when physicsforums-bernhardtmediall.netdna-ssl.com is being fetched, at times, also in Firefox.
 
I have ongoing issue with post and preview.

Trouble is intermittent.

I click post , screen appears to acknowledge as if it were going to post , but pops back to same screen asking do i want to post or preview .

I thouhgt it was my ISP but other pages don't have the trouble

I get frustrated and click post about thirty times fast as i can
and it usually posts three of four times

sometimes if i log out and log back in it'll post

firefox, shutters7 , isp is centurylink
 
I'm using Firefox 28.0, Windows 7 Pro., isp = centurylink and loading is screaming fast here in Kansas. :olduhh:
 
dlgoff said:
I'm using Firefox 28.0, Windows 7 Pro., isp = centurylink and loading is screaming fast here in Kansas. :olduhh:
Probably my local isp then - speedtest shows only 3 meg here
vs 40 meg at kids' house in Virginia

thanks Don
 
Doing it again

i can log in. log out, view pages, edit
but cannot post or preview
 
Doing it again

i can log in. log out, view pages, edit
but cannot post or preview
 
one immediately above took ten minutes and a hundred tries, a logout and login, still more tries
but this one went fine

time for more virus scans i guess
 
  • #11
Tried it on another computer. 21 seconds in Firefox, 17 seconds in Chrome. So there's an enormous difference between the computers, and a small difference between the browsers..
 
  • #12
dlgoff said:
Which Antivirus Program do you use?

I personally like and use Microsoft Security Essentials.
I too use Security Essentials
and scan with malwarebytes weekly. It occasionally catches one that got by microsoft.
 
  • #13
Fredrik said:
Tried it on another computer. 21 seconds in Firefox, 17 seconds in Chrome. So there's an enormous difference between the computers, and a small difference between the browsers..
Takes me about 10 seconds
 
  • #14
happening again
cannot post

could it be related to those drop-downs? When i cleared "forums" it posted, but don't know if it's coincidence
will pay attention
 
  • #15
jim hardy said:
happening again
cannot post

could it be related to those drop-downs? When i cleared "forums" it posted, but don't know if it's coincidence
will pay attention
Looking at your post time you're likely posting while the database is being backed up. For roughly 5min the site is pretty jammed up.
 
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  • #16
Again at 12:15 ET , food thread
and this one too

when it finally took it did it in triplicate
 
  • #17
jim hardy said:
Again at 12:15 ET , food thread
Can you post a ping and traceroute?
 
  • #18
dont know how to copy & paste result
round trip millisec min 108 max 301 avg 172

aha there's an edit button...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\old jim>ping physicsforums.com

Pinging physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=300ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=104ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=84ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=157ms TTL=50

of course it's working now, will capture one when it's acting up

Ping statistics for 74.86.200.109:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 84ms, Maximum = 300ms, Average = 161ms

C:\Users\old jim>
 
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  • #20
Well today microsoft tells me traceroute is not a recognized command.
Before Windows you could count on a computer to do the same thing twice.

And the "edit" button no longer appears on cmd screen but ping result is similar
88 min, 283 max, 182 avg

and it's doing it again
 
  • #21
Well today microsoft tells me traceroute is not a recognized command.
Before Windows you could count on a computer to do the same thing twice.

And the "edit" button no longer appears on cmd screen but ping result is similar
88 min, 283 max, 182 avg

and it's doing it again

edit duplicated again too
 
  • #22
jim hardy said:
Well today microsoft tells me traceroute is not a recognized command.
sorry, it's tracert
 
  • #23
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\old jim>ping physicsforums.com

Pinging physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=300ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=104ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=84ms TTL=50
Reply from 74.86.200.109: bytes=32 time=157ms TTL=50

Ping statistics for 74.86.200.109:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 84ms, Maximum = 300ms, Average = 161ms

C:\Users\old jim>
C:\Users\old jim>
C:\Users\old jim>tracerte physicsforums.com
'tracerte' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Users\old jim>
C:\Users\old jim>traceroute physicsforums.com
'traceroute' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Users\old jim>
C:\Users\old jim>man traceroute physicsforums.com
'man' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Users\old jim>traceroute
'traceroute' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Users\old jim>
 
  • #24
jim hardy said:
tracerte' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
No "e" at the end
 
  • #25
Well if i learn something every day, i may eventually know something !

this looks promising

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\old jim>tracert physicsforums.com

Tracing route to physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 11 ms 4 ms 5 ms 192.168.0.1
2 6 ms 3 ms 2 ms dslrouter.westell.com [192.168.1.1]
3 44 ms 30 ms 71 ms 184-156-226-1.dyn.centurytel.net [184.156.226.1]

4 31 ms 28 ms 26 ms ce.mh.centurytel.net [209.142.143.5]
5 166 ms 86 ms 39 ms bb-nlrkargp-jx9-01-ge-0-0-9-205.core.centurytel.
net [208.110.249.81]
6 50 ms 48 ms 67 ms bb-kscbmonr-jx9-02-xe-11-1-0.core.centurytel.net
[206.51.69.18]
7 87 ms 207 ms 93 ms bb-kscbmonr-jx9-01-ae0.core.centurytel.net [206.
51.69.5]
8 99 ms 157 ms 144 ms bb-dllstx37-jx9-02-xe-11-1-0.core.centurytel.net
[206.51.69.25]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 161 ms 210 ms 97 ms dap-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [67.14.2.89]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 * * * Request timed out.
14 141 ms 208 ms 81 ms 4.59.36.94
15 106 ms 94 ms 118 ms ae1.dar02.sr01.dal01.networklayer.com [173.192.1
8.213]
16 246 ms 92 ms 211 ms po2.fcr03.sr04.dal01.networklayer.com [66.228.11
8.190]
17 109 ms 305 ms 83 ms physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\old jim>
 
  • #26
Thanks Greg
 
  • #27
jim hardy said:
8 99 ms 157 ms 144 ms bb-dllstx37-jx9-02-xe-11-1-0.core.centurytel.net
[206.51.69.25]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 161 ms 210 ms 97 ms dap-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [67.14.2.89]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 * * * Request timed out.
This appears to be a problem with your ISP. I would contact them.
 
  • #28
Another tracert

would my guess that it's Centurytel be right?
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\old jim>tracert physicsforums.com

Tracing route to physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 7 ms 3 ms 3 ms 192.168.0.1
2 8 ms 3 ms 3 ms dslrouter.westell.com [192.168.1.1]
3 40 ms 106 ms 28 ms 184-156-226-1.dyn.centurytel.net [184.156.226.1]

4 31 ms 28 ms 29 ms ce.mh.centurytel.net [209.142.143.5]
5 82 ms 204 ms 100 ms bb-nlrkargp-jx9-01-ge-0-0-9-205.core.centurytel.
net [208.110.249.81]
6 224 ms 97 ms 613 ms bb-kscbmonr-jx9-02-xe-11-1-0.core.centurytel.net
[206.51.69.18]
7 53 ms 50 ms 122 ms bb-kscbmonr-jx9-01-ae0.core.centurytel.net [206.
51.69.5]
8 250 ms 97 ms 208 ms bb-dllstx37-jx9-02-xe-11-1-0.core.centurytel.net
[206.51.69.25]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 91 ms 100 ms 204 ms dap-brdr-03.inet.qwest.net [67.14.2.89]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 299 ms * 169 ms ae-3-80.edge5.Dallas3.Level3.net [4.69.145.145]

13 * 212 ms * ae-3-80.edge5.Dallas3.Level3.net [4.69.145.145]

14 200 ms 103 ms 204 ms 4.59.36.94
15 225 ms 97 ms 211 ms ae1.dar02.sr01.dal01.networklayer.com [173.192.1
8.213]
16 84 ms 140 ms 204 ms po2.fcr03.sr04.dal01.networklayer.com [66.228.11
8.190]
17 87 ms 134 ms 184 ms physicsforums.com [74.86.200.109]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\old jim>


thanks again for your patience.

ps did it again on this post

diekb.gif
 
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  • #29
Sorry, our posts crossed in the e-wind.

Thanks Greg for the lesson...

will do

old jim
 

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