View Full Version : Safari is beachballing me way too often (b'ground processes?)
Hi all,
I have a Ti550 PB, running 10.2.6 with 512MB RAM.
Lately - on cable internet, Safari 1.0 (v85) has been beachballing me a fair bit and I'm getting concerned.
Looking at menumeters: currently the processes are b/n 40%-60% for the user and 5%-20% for the system ... but I'm only typing this message! It seems awfully busy - usually, when on dial up and I'm not doing anything total % of usage has hovered between 3% - 10%, I think.
I am beginning to become concerned that I may have inadvertently downloaded something that knows when I am on cable and it is running in the background.
I launched process viewer but did not notice any unfamiliar applications.
Could somebody please tell me what s/w I could d/l to protect myself from unforseen access to my computer (if this is what is occurring) or could somebody please tell me whether this is a normal level of usage or not?
Even better, does anybody know how I can find out what is causing these high levels of usage?
As always, TIA! :)
Mac+
... that's freaky, when I previewed the message my usage dropped to <6% (0-2% system and 2-4% user) ... but now, when typing, usage is 14% and 43% for system/user. Is this normal?
It is very very very very (let me repeat once more) very unlikely that you would have inadvertently downloaded something like adware or spyware that would be eating up your CPU cycles. That would be because there are zero known programs of that sort. ;)
One of the problems with Safari in 10.3 is that having any animated GIFs on the screen utterly burns CPU. With the reply page here and those smilies to the right, Safari easily chugs up half the CPU. Simply scroll past them and usage drops to nil. Perhaps there is a similar issue on the older Safari? I didn't think so, but I may be wrong.
Damn, that was fast! Spot on (as always) Brad! :) I scrolled past all those smilies and usage dropped back down. :D
Thanks for explaining this to me - looks like it also applies to the older Safari and OS X 10.2.6.
It is very very very very (let me repeat once more) very unlikely that you would have inadvertently downloaded something like adware or spyware that would be eating up your CPU cycles. That would be because there are zero known programs of that sort. ;) I thought (had hoped) as much - but b/c of this high usage/beachballing - coupled with my lack of system knowledge expertise, I began to think that maybe I had let something infect my system. Good to know that this could not have been the case! ;)
oldmacfan
2004-07-23, 02:13
Damn, that was fast! Spot on (as always) Brad! :) I scrolled past all those smilies and usage dropped back down. :D
Thanks for explaining this to me - looks like it also applies to the older Safari and OS X 10.2.6.
I thought (had hoped) as much - but b/c of this high usage/beachballing - coupled with my lack of system knowledge expertise, I began to think that maybe I had let something infect my system. Good to know that this could not have been the case! ;)
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Just for you
Damn, that was fast! Spot on (as always) Brad! :) I scrolled past all those smilies and usage dropped back down. :D
Thanks for explaining this to me - looks like it also applies to the older Safari and OS X 10.2.6.
Mac+: Just install PithHelmet (http://culater.net/software/PithHelmet/PithHelmet.php). Its main purpose is to filter out banner ads (e.g. when visiting .COM :D). But it also lets you turn off animation on any inline GIF images. You'll just have to download a slightly older version of PithHelmet to work with 10.2. The latest version only works with 10.3 and Safari 1.2.
PithHelmet makes the Web a better place!
Escher
I personally get the beachball a lot on pages without animated gifs. For me the issue is traced to any page with form elements.
I've gotten the beachball on this site a number of times when opening more than three or four tabs in quick succession. Normally I'd write this off as just a bit of an overload on my slow connection, but then again, I don't think a slow connection would cause a beachball. Also, it usually stays locked up for about a minute, far longer than it takes to load six or seven topics (my connection speed is 144 kbps). Also adding to the suspicion is that it only started doing this about two weeks ago. Prior to that, I never had problems.
I always get the beachball when I bookmark a page for the first time since start-up, and again when I delete a bookmark. WTF? Explorer didn't choke when I book marked pages, so why does Safari?!
Mac+: Just install PithHelmet (http://culater.net/software/PithHelmet/PithHelmet.php). Its main purpose is to filter out banner ads (e.g. when visiting .COM :D). But it also lets you turn off animation on any inline GIF images. You'll just have to download a slightly older version of PithHelmet to work with 10.2. The latest version only works with 10.3 and Safari 1.2.
PithHelmet makes the Web a better place!
EscherThanks Escher - I have just downloaded it and once I get off Safari I'll install it! :)
As much as I loved PithHelmet I found it to slow my page loading, giving similar to the problem that Luca is having.
Could be completely wrong [and flamed] ;)
Installed PithHelemet - can't really tell whether the pages are loading slower than before, so it can't be all that bad. I have set animated GIFs to play only once.
Thanks for the link Escher and for the feedback one and all. :)
BarracksSi
2004-07-27, 12:01
One of the recent things I've read is that Safari's AutoFill can drag down when there are a bunch of such elements on a page. Even if you're not filling out a form, it's probably getting stuff ready to auto-fill.
Tweak the AutoFill settings to what works best.
Hehe, wow thanks for the app. Now writing responses with the smilies box right in view is bearable. :-D
Thanks for the link Escher and for the feedback one and all. :)
But you are welcome, Sir Mac+. The link has been in my bookmarks for years. Can't believe it took me until now to try it out. I guess it's because Camino was my default browser since Chimera times until very recently.
As much as I loved PithHelmet I found it to slow my page loading, giving similar to the problem that Luca is having.
You know, Omega, I have noticed some strange slow-loading pages since installing PithHelmet. But I'm not 100% sure that PH is to blame. Before PH, slow-loading ads on AI would slow or even prevent rendering of the page. Now, sometimes, it seems like PH blocking certain ads slows rendering too. But the only real troublesome situations are when PH blocks interstitials (the ads that are a separate page that is interposed between the page you're on and the page you're trying to get to). Sometimes I get stuck on the blocked interstitial. But overall, PH works wonders.
Back on topic, Safari still beachballs me way too often, with or without PithHelmet, even on this slick new 1.33Ghz PowerBook with a 5400rpm drive and .75GB of RAM. :\
Escher
PXLpainter
2004-07-28, 18:30
Spinning beachball?
I always heard it was called a SPOD! (Spinning Pizza Of Death)
Well - that's what it will always be to me at least! :grumble:
My problem was that when I went to certain forums and loaded more than 4 pages at once, CPU would jump to 90%+ and Safari would give me the BoD for a minute or so.
Like Luca, on a slow connection as well (56k :( ) .
Removal of the pith stopped this from happening.
FYI, the animated GIF problem is FINALLY fixed with Safari 1.3. The smilies on the reply page are still animating and the CPU usage is low and the browser is plenty responsive.
DMBand0026
2004-07-29, 01:57
So what you're saying is...it's a simple $129 fix?
Wonderful. :grumble:
Safari 1.3 works fine under 10.3.
It's Safari 2.0 that *may* require 10.4.
So what you're saying is...it's a simple $129 fix?
Wonderful. :grumble:
I don't get it, clarify please?
He means that to get the new Safari, you'll have to buy the next version of Mac OS X, typically priced at US$129. That's what happened before with Safari. Mac OS X 10.2 users are stuck with the old Safari 1.0.
Safari 1.3 *does* work with 10.3, though, and will be available as a free download. It's the next big version of Safari (2.0) that will likely require Mac OS X 10.4.
Mac OS X 10.2 users are stuck with the old Safari 1.0. :grumble: I think I'll wait until I upgrade this PB in order to get a new OS.
On a side note, I was really tempted to go for iLife '04 - just for iPhoto and GB - but I tried GB on my sister's 867MHz 12"PB (work machine) on the weekend and it was woeful. Lord knows this baby here won't be able to handle it! :no:
:grumble: I think I'll wait until I upgrade this PB in order to get a new OS.
That's what I did. In the olden days, I used to upgrade my OS six or more months after it was released, if at all. Then -- no idea why -- I turned into an OS-upgrade hore. Software Update and OS X 10.x.x releases certainly made things worse. I installed 10.2 the day it came out. But with 10.3, I decided that my cash would be better spent on a new PowerBook.
Now that I am running 10.3 on this new PB, I'm thinking I should probably have shelled out the $70 (edu) for 10.3. It's that much better and fixes many of the little niggles in 10.2. But my wallet is glad that I waited. ;)
Just think of how much money you can save on software upgrades (iLife, OS X, GraphicConverter, etc) when you finally buy a new PowerBook! Run, don't walk, to the Apple Store, now. :D
Escher
BarracksSi
2004-07-29, 18:04
One of the recent things I've read is that Safari's AutoFill can drag down when there are a bunch of such elements on a page. Even if you're not filling out a form, it's probably getting stuff ready to auto-fill.
Tweak the AutoFill settings to what works best.
Yeah, I'm quoting myself, but I wonder if anybody else took a look at this.
Consider this post a "self-bump"... lol
Never experienced it, but I'll keep my eyes open for it. ;)
PXLpainter
2004-08-05, 02:44
10.3? When did it come out and where can we get it? I have recent versions of Panther (10.3.4) and iLife, but still only have Safari 1.2.2 :eek:
Can't seem to find a link to download it anywhere either. :err:
Any clues?
Signed,
Clueless
Nah, you're not clueless - I think he meant Safari 1.2 for OS X 10.3.x.
simple mistake. :)
DMBand0026
2004-08-05, 10:19
No, this is Brad we're talking about here. He's got Safari 1.3. ;)
The current version is 1.2.2. But I'm sure he's got 1.3 through the developers connection or something like that. Glad to hear the problem will be fixed and I hope 1.3 is out soon.
ahhh - didn't think about that. ;) I may very well stand corrected - in which case, PXLpainter, I would suggest you keep you ear to the ground for any other juicy morsels of info that Brad happens to pass on. :D
I think he meant Safari 1.2 for OS X 10.3.x.
simple mistake.No mistake. See DMBand0026's post above. :p
I said Safari 1.3 and I meant Safari 1.3.
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