Public bug reported:
Binary package hint: kubuntu-desktop
Problem:
Logged in as root both, GIMP and Firefox were unusuable slow when a top-level
menu entry (Files...) was activated (mouse-click) though browsing was fluently
possible.
It took about 5 seconds or more until the pull-down menu content appeared and
the same time to select one of those entries (like "Open file", "Print", etc.)
The reason was that libcanberra was loaded on every trigger of a menu entry,
with every click on a menu button, looked up several symbols and then was
finalized (unloaded)
Starting firefox from console with "export LD_DEBUG=files", "firefox" showed
the time consuming action:
---quote start---
opening file=/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so [0];
direct_opencount=1
/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so: error: symbol lookup
error: undefined symbol: libcanberra_pulse_LTX_pulse_driver_open (fatal)
...
/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so: error: symbol lookup
error: undefined symbol: libcanberra_pulse_LTX_driver_playing (fatal)
calling fini: grep [0]
...
calling fini: /usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so [0]
file=/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so [0]; destroying link
map
---quote end---
Different from that is how the same activity was handled as regular
user:
---quote start---
calling init: /usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so
/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so: error: symbol lookup
error: undefined symbol: libcanberra_pulse_LTX_pulse_driver_open (fatal)
...
/usr/lib/libcanberra-0.22/libcanberra-pulse.so: error: symbol lookup
error: undefined symbol: libcanberra_pulse_LTX_driver_playing (fatal)
---quote end---
No unloading/finalisation of the library/symbols. For that non-root user
the libcanberra was loaded just once much earlier in the start-up phase
of firefox and was not finalized in conjunction with a menu-button-
click:
---quote start---
calling init: /usr/lib/libcanberra.so.0
calling init: /usr/lib/libcanberra-gtk.so.0
calling init: /usr/lib/gtk-2.0/modules/libcanberra-gtk-module.so
---quote end---
As the complete console debug-output shows, the strategy of firefox as
root is to load libraries and symbols lazy on request while firefox run
as non-root preloaded the libraries.
Workaround:
Purge the libcanberra-gtk-module package to let GIMP run as root smoothly, and
additionally to purge the canberra-pulse package to let firefox become usable
again.
Environment:
Installed ubuntu 10.04,
switched to kubuntu having root- and one user account installed,
created a new user account under kubuntu.
Audio is default pulseaudio.
The behaviour was independent of different deskstop styles, GTK-widget sets or
other tunings in the system-settings and GIMP was unused so far as root and as
non-root.
Also tried a different Firefox Theme.
There are no defect or packages or unresolved dependencies.
Setting the environment variable "GTK_MODULES" (was preset to
"libcanberra-gtk-module") to the empty string or unsetting it at all had no
effect.
The system is freshly installed, this workaround was my last action in
fine-tuning (so far).
Reflection:
The libcanberra-gtk-module is described as an automatic hook for applications
using GTK and it seems it was the origin trigger which finally caused the
repeated load/unload.
But Firefox was still was still misfunctioning without that module while GIMP
was smooth to handle again.
Both packages are marked as ubuntu supported, they caused no conflicts when
installed - and all other programs if have run so far were not affected when
run as root.
There was never a sound in conjuction with menu actions though system sounds
and audio play are working.
Lasting problems/questions:
Firefox run as root acted different in loading libraries as root and non-user.
GIMP, definitely in delivery state, acted different too.
If there should be a possibility, which i am not aware of, to configure root
vs. non-root behaviour of Firefox and GIMP this way it could be better, more
obviously, documented.
Since both applications were affected, it seems the reason is neither firefox
nor GIMP.
** Affects: kubuntu-meta (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
** Tags: canberra firefox gimp gtk pulseaudio
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Firefox, GIMP unusuable slow by root running kubuntu
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/667479
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