Help computer. Stop all the javascriptin.

August 21, 2008 8:38 AM

FireFox. MetaFilter. A script on this page has stopped responding, do you want to stop the script, debug the script, or cry. Anybody else seeing this on Firefox 2.x?

Only started occuring the past few weeks for me. Happens regardless of the site (Ask, MeFi, MeTa). I pulled all my addons out and tried a new profile. Still busted. Any recent changes to the script?

I'm not too good at reproducing it yet. It's not happening every time, but it doesn't seem like a memory issue -- I get it sometimes when I have freshly opened the app, and sometimes only after I've had several tabs open.

posted by cavalier to bugs at 8:38 AM (19 comments total)

That was happening to me a few weeks ago using Firefox 2.something. I bought a new computer, using the same version of Firefox and it doesn't happen anymore. That's not the ONLY reason I bought a new computer.
posted by marxchivist at 8:49 AM on August 21, 2008

Metafilter: Not the ONLY reason I bought a new computer.
posted by yeoz at 9:28 AM on August 21, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I get that whenever I load a monster thread. I usually just get annoyed and tell it to stop the script. Never had it happen anywhere other than metafilter, though.
posted by merelyglib at 9:31 AM on August 21, 2008

Debug the script. Then tell us which one it is.
posted by Plutor at 9:35 AM on August 21, 2008

No.
posted by boo_radley at 9:38 AM on August 21, 2008

I noticed on a couple of occasions on start up when the long boing thread was round. Mind you I'm kind of surprised the street lights didn't dip when that thread was loading.
posted by tallus at 10:03 AM on August 21, 2008

I have never seen this, and I run Firefox 2.x on Windows and OSX.
posted by heatherann at 10:18 AM on August 21, 2008

Never seen it on MeFi, but I work with a script-heavy page which triggers that error frequently. Usually it's because the connection has slowed, not because there's anything wrong with the script. The script doesn't complete in the time FF is allowing, so you get that dialog. It clears if I just wait. We should both take a look at this.
posted by sageleaf at 10:30 AM on August 21, 2008

i see it once in awhile, here, there and the other place - i don't know if it's a real problem, though
posted by pyramid termite at 10:33 AM on August 21, 2008

Happened every time I tried to load the BoingBoing thread, FWIW.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:56 AM on August 21, 2008

I got it yesterday on some random thread.
posted by smackfu at 11:12 AM on August 21, 2008

cavalier: FireFox. MetaFilter. A script on this page has stopped responding, do you want to stop the script, debug the script, or cry. Anybody else seeing this on Firefox 2.x?

Ah, that problem. I've found that if I just go ahead and cry for four or five hours, everything ends up okay.
posted by koeselitz at 11:16 AM on August 21, 2008

Being a non-nerd, I have been puzzled by that script thingie, but I figures it was just Mr. Gates punishing me for using Firefox.
posted by Cranberry at 11:20 AM on August 21, 2008

Bill made me write 'figures' instead of 'figured'.
posted by Cranberry at 11:21 AM on August 21, 2008

I've found that if I just go ahead and cry for four or five hours, everything ends up okay.

As an emotional cripple who is incapable of human emotion, this option isn't available to me. But I've discovered that if I make someone else cry for a couple of hours, I get to feeling pretty good.

Wait... what were we talking about again?
posted by quin at 1:00 PM on August 21, 2008

I've never had this problem with Metafilter, but sometimes it shows up in Gmail. Gmail also likes to make Firefox completely seize up, frequently, for a good half-minute, even in the most recent versions.
posted by JHarris at 1:41 PM on August 21, 2008

It sounds to me like you guys just need more cybermegs™. I'm not using all of mine; Paypal me ten bucks and I'll email you some.
posted by Plutor at 2:07 PM on August 21, 2008

happens all the time to me on Firefox 2.0.0.14 on WinXP at work. never seen it on Firefox 3.0.1 on Ubuntu Linux at home.
posted by quonsar at 2:18 PM on August 21, 2008

I have seen this a few times, usually when I am on the train (unreliable connection).
posted by dg at 2:25 PM on August 21, 2008