Serious CPU consumption issue "Warning: Unresponsive script"

[kitscuzz]

Hi all,

I've been a happy user of noscript for the last 4 years or so, and I'm having some issues with the most recent updates. I'm currently running Firefox 12 on Ubuntu 10.04 (kernel version 2.6.32-41 (with core2 optimizations) i686 GNU/Linux). I'm planning to update in the next month to Ubuntu 12.04, but until then I'm hoping to get this resolved.

So I'm getting ~40% CPU usage any time there are a mix of allowed and disallowed scripts on a page. The more scripts, the worse the usage (sometimes getting upwards of 60% usage). And recently, I have started to get "Warning: Unresponsive Script" with some pages. This error has been pretty intermittent, but the fact that it's happening at all has been an issue.

I'll try and track down some pages which cause the issue for me (I know it cropped up here once (click search with nothing in the textbox):
www digi key .com ), and see if the PPA I'm getting my version of Firefox from is properly up to date.

Just wanted to bring the information to someone who might be able to provide some insights.

Thanks!

--Kit

[Tom T.]

Can't reproduce with Fx 12.0 on Win XP, NS 2.4.2rc1, either here or at your link (which I'll sanitize, so that no one would have the slightest suspicion of spam -- I know you didn't intend that.)

Not a *nix person myself, but IIUC, Ubuntu did/does have some severe memory issues, which could cause increased CPU usage. Do I remember correctly?

Try searching this forum for "unresponsive script", for several ideas.

In the meantime, it never hurts to check for extension conflicts or profile corruption. To do this:

Please create a clean profile from scratch. Install only NoScript, leaving all the defaults.
Does the problem still exist? If not, NoScript is not the culprit.

Try adding back your extensions, one at a time, until you find the one that causes the issue.
Then remove all the others, pairing only the suspected one with NoScript, to confirm that the remaining one is the issue.
If the problem is solved even with all add-ons reinstalled, then the previous profile was probably corrupt. Problem solved.

Let us know, thanks.

[Giorgio Maone]

It also might be a conflict with another extension.
Could you try Standard Diagnostic?

Could you also copy & paste here the exact message you get in the unresponsive script alert? Usually there's an indication of the hanging script there.

[Tom T.]

It also might be a conflict with another extension.
Could you try Standard Diagnostic?

We must have cross-posted? I did suggest the clean-profile test...

[kitscuzz]

I'll try and get you more information. I should point out that it's generally only after very prolonged periods (i.e. 30 to 40 minutes with that tab open) that I get the unresponsive script error, and the reason I posted it here is because it was a noscript file (or at least there was the word noscript in the name). I have a friend on a similar Ubuntu 10.04 setup who got the same message on digikey the other day.

When the message next pops up I'll post the offending file here (sorry, feeling a bit dumb for not having written it down or getting a screen shot earlier).

@Tom T. : Ubuntu does have it's issues but this has specifically been a FireFox issue. I.e. everything is fine if firefox is closed. I removed a bunch of my add-ons (I needed to clean those up anyway), and my usage has dropped, but with just "Adblock Plus 2.0.3", "NoScript 2.4.1", and "Ubuntu Firefox Modifications" I still get 20% usage from firefox when sitting idle (no tabs with flash open).

I'll do some more severe tests in the next few days (i.e. clean profile)

[dhouwn]

and see if the PPA I'm getting my version of Firefox from is properly up to date.

Isn't it a PPA maintained by https://launchpad.net/~mozillateam?

I personally can't report any such problems whenever I am on my Ubuntu installs. I am always updating to the newest Ubuntu versions (even non-LTS ones) pretty soon and I am using the Firefox Beta PPA. I also don't remember having such issues back when I was using 10.04 (though I believe I didn't get my Firefox from a PPA back then).

[Tom T.]

I located this thread, in which Giorgio distinguishes between two types of "unresponsive script" warnings: those from a site (resource), and those from Firefox internals. As you'll see there, the nature of the message distinguishes the two.

Those from a site (I get them on rare occasions from Yahoo Mail) can merely be stopped, and the page continues to function. The others suggest the extension conflict, as noted in this thread.

@Tom T. : Ubuntu does have it's issues but this has specifically been a FireFox issue. I.e. everything is fine if firefox is closed. I removed a bunch of my add-ons (I needed to clean those up anyway), and my usage has dropped, but with just "Adblock Plus 2.0.3", "NoScript 2.4.1", and "Ubuntu Firefox Modifications" I still get 20% usage from firefox when sitting idle (no tabs with flash open).

I watched the CPU meter for some minutes with two tabs open, Ymail and this one, while doing nothing myself. CPU ranged between 0-8%, with an occasional random spike to 10-20%, probably from a system background process, anti-virus, etc. (or Yahoo?)

Just out of curiosity, how much is saved by disabling ABP temporarily?

I'll do some more severe tests in the next few days (i.e. clean profile)

Looking forward to that, and to the copy or screenshot of the message if reproduced. In that case, also please open Firefox Error Console (Ctrl+Shift+J), click "Errors", and copy any red Error messages and paste them here. Also please click "Messages", and post here any messages relating to NoScript, thanks.