Subject: Re: Firefox on recent NetBSDs?
To: None <port-macppc@netbsd.org>
From: David H. Gutteridge <dhgutteridge@sympatico.ca>
List: port-macppc
Date: 12/02/2007 17:50:22
>>>Is the problem with the disappearing menus and randomly
>>>resizing/disappearing elements fixed, then?

>>Looks sane now.

>>>Firefox on macppc is a disaster.

>>The rendering bugs disappeared when Andy replaced the thread library,  so 
>>in 4.0 they're likely still present.

>The workaround for this I've used with NetBSD 3.x is to disable all
>compiler optimizations when building Firefox.  This makes Firefox
>slower, but the glitches go away.  (I had understood the glitches were
>due to compiler bugs in the GCC 3.x series.  I've been meaning to
>upgrade to a 4.0 RC but haven't done so yet, so I can't comment on if
>the newer GCC release fixes any of these troubles.)

This may not be a revelation to anyone at this point, but I've been
using Firefox built with/running on the 4.0 release candidates and I'm
no longer seeing most of the rendering glitches and menu annoyances that
were present when built under the NetBSD 3.x series with the older GCC.
I say "most" because occasionally I do see a weirdness where I have to
click to open a menu more than once before it responds, and the odd time
it makes strange choices about fonts but other than that, it seems fine.

I didn't have to tweak anything for it to behave.  Has anyone else's
experience been different?

Regards,

Dave