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eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:40 pm
by ttf_BillO
5-10 minutes on eBay will cause my browser (Firefox) to go catatonic.

This has been happening for about a week now.

Is anyone else experiencing this?



eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 9:52 pm
by ttf_jalapeno
I've had no problems on my phone

Or at work

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 4:40 am
by ttf_Tbonedude
Ebay has never given me problems on Firefox.

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 8:29 am
by ttf_JohnL
Maybe a Flash issue?

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 8:34 am
by ttf_Geezerhorn
That and/or too many "safety" extensions and blockers running. If we don't allow this, that and the other thing from running, then sometimes no web site for us and that is often the catch-22 of it.

...Geezer

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 8:35 am
by ttf_BGuttman
I've had many cases of Shockwave crashing.  Usually it simply posts a message asking if I want to reload (I usually say yes) and we go on.

One particular problem with Ebay is when you are watching an auction or several on My Ebay it updates prices frequently; sometimes several times a minute.  The overhead of all this activity can overload a modest machine or one that has so many programs running that it is low on memory.

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 8:49 am
by ttf_robcat2075
I have my browser set to always ask before running any Flash content and I don't get any Flash requests while on ebay.

I would think most commerce sites have moved away from Flash ever since Apple refused to support it on iOS.

Maybe you're just buying too much!  Image

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 10:08 am
by ttf_Matt K
Quote from: Geezerhorn on Dec 24, 2016, 08:34AMThat and/or too many "safety" extensions and blockers running. If we don't allow this, that and the other thing from running, then sometimes no web site for us and that is often the catch-22 of it.

...Geezer

You aren't wrong, but to clarify what you're saying: it isn't the number of security addons thats directly the problem. Its having too many addons that have overlapping functionality.  I run AdBlock Plus, NoScript, Flashblock, Ghostery, WOT, and a few others that I'm drawing a blank on because on not on the machine that runs FireFox.  Works great, faster even than vanilla because of how I have it configured.  But when you run into trouble is when you have even just two addons installed when they conflict. For example, Ghostery and MyPrivacy are both extensions that handle the toggle that tells firefox not to let websites trackyou if they ask as well as both handle cookies.  Problem being that one can remove something that the other expects to be there so that IT can remove it.  You can run into some serious compatibility issues. 

Every few months I go ahead and wipe all my browsers out and reinstall everything, although to troubleshoot you shouldn't need to do anything that extreme. If you enter FireFox in safe mode and it doesn't cause the problem, its an addon. If it does, then its probably some kind of call thats being made external to the applications like Flash. Although I don't think eBay uses flash at all.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of an up to date list of Firefox addons. Lifehacker used to have a good list, but some of the stuff is pretty out of date on it (updated in 2014).  In general I try to have one that blocks malicious ads, one that controls the scripts that run (although this can be very annoying for the average person), one that maintains privacy settings continuously across the web, and one that has some kind of indication of maliciousness of the site itself (such as WOT mentioned above).  Anything beyond that is fine, but not necessary and can cause problems if you aren't particularly savvy or patient enough to want to diagnose browser problems. At least thats my 2c.

EDIT: Autocorrect decided 'addon' wasn't a word.

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 10:59 am
by ttf_BillO
No, this has nothing to do with a blocker, checkers or AV.  No other website causes the problem.  However, it did begin after the last Firefox update (50.1.0).

When I get a chance I'll see if I can back it out and try again.

TO Bruce -- I just finished cooking up a big batch of latkes.  I don't eat them, but the rest of the family does.  You mentioned them the other day and I let it slip in conversation that we'd not had them in a while.  I roped myself into that one.

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 11:20 am
by ttf_BGuttman
Latkes is why I like McDonald's breakfast.  The "home fries" taste like a latke (although a McDonald's Latke, if you understand my drift).

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 5:21 pm
by ttf_SilverBone
Quote from: BillO on Dec 24, 2016, 10:59AMNo, this has nothing to do with a blocker, checkers or AV.  No other website causes the problem.  However, it did begin after the last Firefox update (50.1.0).

When I get a chance I'll see if I can back it out and try again.

TO Bruce -- I just finished cooking up a big batch of latkes.  I don't eat them, but the rest of the family does.  You mentioned them the other day and I let it slip in conversation that we'd not had them in a while.  I roped myself into that one.

I'm running FF 50.1.0.  I check eBay every day and haven't seen a problem.  If there were a FF problem with eBay, I'd expect it to be detected and corrected very quickly.  So, I'm in the camp that this is likely an interaction with something else on your system.

Do the hangs occur if you run FF in safe mode?  If they still do occur, the next (scary) steps to try are temporary disabling AV and/or firewall.  If you're behind a firewalling router, it's slightly less scary.  What I prefer in situations like this is to test the issues in a Virtual Machine (I use Oracle's VBox).  Another thing to try would be to see if the hangs occur with a different browser.

OLC (Obligatory Latke Comment):  This is the first year I can recall that Erev Chanukah and Christmas Eve are the same evening (and I've burned 2772 Chanukah candles in my life).  Chappy Cholidays to everyone!

eBay - killing browser !!?

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 5:21 pm
by ttf_SilverBone
Quote from: BillO on Dec 24, 2016, 10:59AMNo, this has nothing to do with a blocker, checkers or AV.  No other website causes the problem.  However, it did begin after the last Firefox update (50.1.0).

When I get a chance I'll see if I can back it out and try again.

TO Bruce -- I just finished cooking up a big batch of latkes.  I don't eat them, but the rest of the family does.  You mentioned them the other day and I let it slip in conversation that we'd not had them in a while.  I roped myself into that one.

I'm running FF 50.1.0.  I check eBay every day and haven't seen a problem.  If there were a FF problem with eBay, I'd expect it to be detected and corrected very quickly.  So, I'm in the camp that this is likely an interaction with something else on your system.

Do the hangs occur if you run FF in safe mode?  If they still do occur, the next (scary) steps to try are temporary disabling AV and/or firewall.  If you're behind a firewalling router, it's slightly less scary.  What I prefer in situations like this is to test the issues in a Virtual Machine (I use Oracle's VBox).  Another thing to try would be to see if the hangs occur with a different browser.

OLC (Obligatory Latke Comment):  This is the first year I can recall that Erev Chanukah and Christmas Eve are the same evening (and I've burned 2772 Chanukah candles in my life).  Chappy Cholidays to everyone!