The answers and the original question text appears at the end.
The up shot was that the problems also occur on other platforms. Only
3 readers responded and only one explicitly answered the series of
questions, so I am unable to draw any conclusions regarding the effect
that locale and other environment issues have on the (lack of) stability
of Netscape on digital Unix.
Thank you to: Stephen Dowdy <dowdy_at_cs.colorado.edu>
Jean-Loup Risler <risler_at_genetique.uvsq.fr>
David Warren <warren_at_atmos.washington.edu>
***Original text*******
System and OS: 3000/300X 4.0B
Locale: ja_JP.eucJP
Netscape S/W: Communicator 4.05 [en]-98085
Environment: MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS=True
MOZILLA_HOME=/usr/local/netscape
A few problems:
1. a. Netscape grows in size up to 97Meg sometimes.
b. Netscape memory faults either after growing or even when freshly
started (intermittantly) while doing nntp host USER/PASSWORD
authorizations.
2. DNS lookup failures are reported on a regular basis even when no other
client has problems and dispite the "MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS=True" env variable.
3. Netscape is responsible (somehow) for Xdec also growing quite large,
although the space is (mostly) freed after netscape crashes or is exited.
4. Netscape has some real (intermittant) weirdnesses with dynamic libraries
as demonstrated by:
koibito> 18288:/usr/local/bin/netscape: /sbin/loader: Warning: dlclose: negative
open_count for Main
18288:/usr/local/bin/netscape: /sbin/loader: Warning: update_reference_counts:
negative reference_count for /usr/lib/nls/loc//iconv/sdeckanji_eucJP
18288:/usr/local/bin/netscape: /sbin/loader: Warning: update_reference_counts:
negative reference_count for /usr/lib/nls/loc//iconv/SJIS_eucJP
...several screensfull...
The questions: 1. How much trouble are you having with Netscape on Digital
Unix?
2. Are you using a locale other than "C"?
3. Are you keeping the netscape executable in location other
than "MOZILLA_HOME"?
4. Are your users using an nntp host that requires USER/PASSWORD
authentification?
I will summarize.
****************************
******answer 1**************
I see most of the same things, but not only on digital unix. I also see them on
solaris. I ha a solaris user who regularly starts up netscape 7 to 10 times
before he doesn't get an immediate core dump. We have been reporting bugs to one
of netscapes DEC folks. So far every bug we isolated has also been in othe UNIX
versions as well as on PC and MAC.
David Warren INTERNET: warren_at_atmos.washington.edu
****************************
******answer 2**************
Hi,
I can answer your first question: I am not very satisfied with
Netscape onder DU. Extremely long to load and rather unstable.
Suddendly exits without any clear reason. Sometimes totally blocks
a whole user's X-session.
I run a 2100 under DU 4.0B
Cheers,
Jean-Loup
****************************
******answer 3**************
>
> System and OS: 3000/300X 4.0B
> Locale: ja_JP.eucJP
> Netscape S/W: Communicator 4.05 [en]-98085
> Environment: MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS=True
> MOZILLA_HOME=/usr/local/netscape
> The questions: 1. How much trouble are you having with Netscape on Digital
> Unix?
About the same as any other version of UNIX, which is to say "A LOT".
I use NS 3.04 primarily. It crashes all the time on any UNIX.
> 2. Are you using a locale other than "C"?
No
> 3. Are you keeping the netscape executable in location other
> than "MOZILLA_HOME"?
Yes, using a front-end script
> 4. Are your users using an nntp host that requires USER/PASSWORD
> authentification?
No
Suffice it to say that Netscape in general (even on Windows95) crashes
often. Internet Exploder is really no better. Hopefully having source in
the world will fix these problems.
--stephen
--
Stephen Dowdy - Systems Administrator - CS Dept - Univ of Colorado, Boulder
---
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Received on Wed May 06 1998 - 22:40:50 NZST