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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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 Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:45 am Post subject: Compile latest Firefox in less than 5 minutes |
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I buggered up my drive on my 16 year old 32bit Dell XPS laptop. It was running Win7, Debian Lenny and Debian Wheezy.
Reinstalled Windows but upgraded to 32bit Debian Jessie which reached end of life in 2018. It's running Firefox 52.8, it was retardedly slow and ugly.
So I start thinking....
Won't be able to upgrade safely to the latest Firefox though Debian package manager...
There must be a portable version out there.
Found the right link on the first search.
I already had build-essentials and kernel-headers installed, so I ran the script in my home directory, watched it download the source code and a bunch of .o and .ko flew by and the prompt returned in like a minute or two in this old 32biit machine...
Likely failed I though, yet no signs of it, there's no firefox-portable in here, so I look in /tmp and there it is along with the source, copied them over to my Public folder, right clicked on the Firefox icon in the tray and redirected it from Firefox 52 to Firefox 78 something ESR portable in my Public folder and Voila!!!
Not ugly, all the latest security features and such, was not able to install lastpass in the old Firefox but got it happening now.
Why?
Do I spend over half an hour compiling Firefox in Gentoo? |
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fedeliallalinea
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Joined: 08 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 8:58 am Post subject: |
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Because the script does not download the sources and compiles them but directly downloads compiled firefox, the name build-firefox-portable is intended to build a portable version not compiling it.
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:16 am Post subject: |
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Somehow I knew that, as the source is only somewhere around 100MB, where as Gentoo downloads the full source which last I noticed was around 350MB.
However, the secret to a smooth trouble free Windows OS is to avoid installing apps till you need them, or use a portable version.
I use both methods, love portable, even in Linux.
Does the version compiled from the full 350MB source provide something the portable don't ? |
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fedeliallalinea
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:37 am Post subject: |
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In firefox case I don't think (some tests should be done) also because -bin version is compiled with pgo+lto and my system not compile with them.
It seems, but I leave the word to the experts, that this leads to improvements but I've never inquired much since it also seems to increase the compilation time.
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:54 am Post subject: |
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In that New/old Jessie, that portable Firefox was just as fast as all Firefox on all my modern distros.
It appears to be exactly the same with all bells and whistles.
I'll give it a run in Gentoo, create a separate shortcut and compare.
No need to download an extra 250MB and create all the extra heat, pass by once in a while and hit the cool boost button while it's compiling Firefox.
EDIT: Think Global warming, you may be able to save the planet by switching to Firefox portable. |
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Hu
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Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 21633
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 3:49 pm Post subject: |
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If you don't want to compile it locally, using www-client/firefox-bin would get you a prebuilt binary, managed by Portage. That seems easier than messing with a portable version.
I have to disagree that the 78.x series isn't ugly though. I still think the hamburger menu was a mistake. |
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:37 am Post subject: |
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In Debian I went ESR because it don't need bleeding edge version that is constantly replaced with every little minor change.
I'm guessing it's the Debian way since Debian Testing is also running ESR by default.
As for the www-client/firefox-bin, I did try it early in the year and ditched it the same day. There was something different from the compiled version that I apparently couldn't tolerate.
If I'm not mistaken, it was taking around 40 seconds from time of launch till time I could start typing a search query. The bleeding edge Firefox (current 92) upgrades too often, as such spends a lot of time in compile, obviously the .bin version had to be garbage for me to prefer to compile.
However, it appears that's gonna change, I just got the chance to try the portable version in Gentoo, running version 92.0.1 64bit. It's so blazing fast it blows away pretty much any pre-compiled version I've got, which is in every Linux distro, many. And it's also faster than either version in Gentoo repos. And what I mean by fast: I click on the executable and I can start typing my query within 2 seconds.
Updating my OSs is done when I decide (on someone else's bandwidth) because I can't afford the 5-10GB a week on my plan, upgrading Firefox when I decide, is right up my alley.
Not that hard to flip through bash_history to find the build command, if one is that lazy.
I prefer to distance myself from the OS devs, I tried a different Linux that is similar to Gentoo in that the end user does the compiling, I couldn't make it my own, they pushed users to use their program for installing from source to keep things so called "Genuine" and I tried. Every time I'd try installing something it would phone home and see if I had permission as far as I'm concerned, you see it do it right in front of your eyes. Rather than just avoid their program and install on my own, I chose to ditch it, keep it Genuine. |
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figueroa
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
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Location: Edge of marsh USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:01 am Post subject: |
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| Romanticio wrote: | | ...If I'm not mistaken, it was taking around 40 seconds from time of launch till time I could start typing a search query. The bleeding edge Firefox (current 92) upgrades too often, as such spends a lot of time in compile, obviously the .bin version had to be garbage for me to prefer to compile. ... |
I'm replying primarily because I don't want readers to think that everybody agrees with you. I've used both firefox and firefox-bin recently. I reverted to running firefox-bin because even compiling the full firefox with significant optimizations (USE flags) I couldn't tell the difference without a stop watch. Firefox-bin is certainly NOT garbage. The maintainer(s) does a great job.
Same goes for Thunderbird. However, I compile my own LibreOffice to get features not in the -bin package. But, the -bin package is also great. Well done developers and maintainers.
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Andy Figueroa
hp pavilion hpe h8-1260t/2AB5; spinning rust x3
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz; 16 gb; Radeon HD 7570
amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop (stable), OpenRC, -systemd -pulseaudio -uefi |
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| figueroa wrote: | | Romanticio wrote: | | ...If I'm not mistaken, it was taking around 40 seconds from time of launch till time I could start typing a search query. The bleeding edge Firefox (current 92) upgrades too often, as such spends a lot of time in compile, obviously the .bin version had to be garbage for me to prefer to compile. ... |
I'm replying primarily because I don't want readers to think that everybody agrees with you. I've used both firefox and firefox-bin recently. I reverted to running firefox-bin because even compiling the full firefox with significant optimizations (USE flags) I couldn't tell the difference without a stop watch. Firefox-bin is certainly NOT garbage. The maintainer(s) does a great job.
Same goes for Thunderbird. However, I compile my own LibreOffice to get features not in the -bin package. But, the -bin package is also great. Well done developers and maintainers. |
That was like in December/January. The Firefox.bin was exactly like the Windows version of Firefox portable. My home page is Google, I could type a short query and hit enter and it would go, but while typing a long query and looking at the keyboard only to look up and Google won't go away because it reset somewhere and the last part of your typing was all in vain because you now need to click the search bar before anything registers.
I put up with it in Windows for too long before switching to Chrome portable which is still slow but don't reset a few seconds after appearing.
That's what made me ditch it within an hour, never seen that on Linux prior to that. |
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figueroa
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Location: Edge of marsh USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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It's helpful to change the settings. Search engine, home page, new tab page and much more; all configurable. I'm not fond of the defaults either.
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Andy Figueroa
hp pavilion hpe h8-1260t/2AB5; spinning rust x3
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz; 16 gb; Radeon HD 7570
amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop (stable), OpenRC, -systemd -pulseaudio -uefi |
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Hu
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 3:02 pm Post subject: |
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Focus policy problems are different from performance problems. Many webapps use script to direct focus to the wrong place by default, and all conforming browsers will correctly make the site painful to use.
Was your issue really that Firefox was so slow to start that it never accepted the keystrokes, or was it that the focus policy led to data loss because the focus was misdirected? |
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alamahant
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figueroa
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
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Location: Edge of marsh USA
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Installing multiple versions of Firefox can seriously mess up your profile. You can overcome that by meticulously using different profiles for each version, i.e. a profile for ESR and a profile for main upstream.
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Andy Figueroa
hp pavilion hpe h8-1260t/2AB5; spinning rust x3
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz; 16 gb; Radeon HD 7570
amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop (stable), OpenRC, -systemd -pulseaudio -uefi |
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Hu wrote: | Focus policy problems are different from performance problems. Many webapps use script to direct focus to the wrong place by default, and all conforming browsers will correctly make the site painful to use.
Was your issue really that Firefox was so slow to start that it never accepted the keystrokes, or was it that the focus policy led to data loss because the focus was misdirected? |
What I feel was happening, is that it was taking a long time to load up and get ready, as in:
Google page up and ready for input (the cursor blinking either in URL field or search field).
It seems I was able to input prior to it being fully loaded and ready and execute. Google remembers, I don't use bookmarks, keystrokes get me to my usual non password required sites within 3 to 5 keystrokes as it will learn my preferred keyword for each site will throw in the rest of the keyword or the URL and I just reach over with the right pinky and hit the return key.
But because it is not "Ready" yet when typing excess characters, it notices there's garbage coming from input (keyboard), cut's it off, clears the fields and now it's ready except no blinking cursor because the input that was preventing it from being "Ready" was cut off thus now you have to hit the TAB key to highlight a field or take your hands off the keyboard, reach for the mouse, wiggle it to find the cursor to bring it over to the search field and click on it to enable input from the keyboard.
Some 30 second have passed and I have to start over now. |
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figueroa
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
Posts: 2963
Location: Edge of marsh USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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I just timed firefox-bin. From cold start right after signing on, 13 seconds to fully usable. If I close firefox then, and relaunch, it's < 5 seconds.
Don't be impatient.
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Andy Figueroa
hp pavilion hpe h8-1260t/2AB5; spinning rust x3
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz; 16 gb; Radeon HD 7570
amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop (stable), OpenRC, -systemd -pulseaudio -uefi |
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:35 am Post subject: |
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Here's the deal, when you're not paying attention when it resets like this, you think you sent your query, you look up and see the blank Google page and think...
There must be an internet hang up and it can't connect to the server....
You sit there starring at this blank page waiting for nothing to happen, eventually you head to the back button thinking you went too far, it's blank, you're confused, can't figure out why it's not showing the hits page....
Can you see how something like this can be frustrating? |
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Romanticio
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 07 Feb 2021
Posts: 76
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:51 am Post subject: |
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If I haven't made it clear enough:
I use Firefox the same way in many OS, it generally behaves the same in all be it ESR or latest.
This behavior is not normal. |
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figueroa
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Joined: 14 Aug 2005
Posts: 2963
Location: Edge of marsh USA
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 4:32 am Post subject: |
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Of course it's normal behavior. There is a lot going on in Firefox when you first start it, and if you've just booted up, there a lot still going on in the operating system. Your expectations seem to be unreasonable. It's up to the operator to keep up with what's going on.
Are you wanting assistance with something or just venting? If you think there is something wrong with your Firefox installation, how about:
| Code: | | emerge --info www-client/firefox |
specifically for the version with which you are having issues.
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Andy Figueroa
hp pavilion hpe h8-1260t/2AB5; spinning rust x3
i7-2600 @ 3.40GHz; 16 gb; Radeon HD 7570
amd64/23.0/split-usr/desktop (stable), OpenRC, -systemd -pulseaudio -uefi |
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Tom_
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 444
Location: France
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| Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:53 am Post subject: |
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I switched to firefox-bin a while ago. I'm not looking back. Performances are ok. And I'm saving CPU cycles by not compiling Rust and Firefox 
For me that's where Gentoo shines : you can choose to compile parts of your system but also install prebuilt packages.  |
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