BBC news "new" website
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From: Rowland McDonnell on 11 Aug 2010 11:22 David Horne <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Mark Bestley <news{@bestley.co.uk> wrote: > > [] > > Try stopping flash - thinks load much quicker. Wiyj Falsh on you can see > > the CPU pegged at 100% for some time. *Falsh on Macs is much worse rthan > > on Windows although I have not tried the newwst release) > > I'm aware of the problems with Flash, but as that's what the BBC website > uses, and I do want to do things like listen to radio/watch video, I'm > stuck with it. The problem here is that whatever the BBC did to their > news website, it sucks on older macs like mine. It's annoying because > for all the problems with Flash, I don't use any other websites as > problematic as this. It's interesting that it doesn't affect the iplayer > for example. > > The fact that they are still using Flash in a major upgrade of the > website would suggest that the BBC aren't planning on dumping it for > alternatives soon. Hmm - not relevant, really. If the Beeb is going to change that, it'll do so separately. After all, Web pages are made up of bits and style (what's been changed) is unrelated to `what software generates the style'. > I think the solution at the moment is to use Chrome for the BBC news > website, as it's interface isn't affected like Safari or Firefox, Safari and Chrome both use Webkit to render pages. Firefox uses Gecko. From that, you'd expect Safari and Chrome to give similar results. > even > if video takes as long to load. The fact that I can get virtual windows > to run it faster than OS X is a bit of a joke. Suggestion: Install the latest Flash player from Adobe. Install Applejack. Reboot into single user made, then do an: applejack AUTO While that's going on, restart whatever box of tricks you hook up to the 'net with. When Applejack's done, perform the following voodoo dance on yer Mac: Reboot into single user mode. Reboot to the login screen. Reboot and log on, log off, log on. *NOW* try it - first with Firefox, then OmniWeb, then Opera, then whatever. Rowland. P.S. Web browser engines used by different Web browsers: Webkit: Safari, iCab (v4+), OmniWeb, and Chrome. Gecko: Firefox and Camino Presto: Opera -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking
From: d4g4h4 on 11 Aug 2010 11:55 Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > David Horne <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > > Mark Bestley <news{@bestley.co.uk> wrote: > > > > [] > > > Try stopping flash - thinks load much quicker. Wiyj Falsh on you can see > > > the CPU pegged at 100% for some time. *Falsh on Macs is much worse rthan > > > on Windows although I have not tried the newwst release) > > > > I'm aware of the problems with Flash, but as that's what the BBC website > > uses, and I do want to do things like listen to radio/watch video, I'm > > stuck with it. The problem here is that whatever the BBC did to their > > news website, it sucks on older macs like mine. It's annoying because > > for all the problems with Flash, I don't use any other websites as > > problematic as this. It's interesting that it doesn't affect the iplayer > > for example. > > > > The fact that they are still using Flash in a major upgrade of the > > website would suggest that the BBC aren't planning on dumping it for > > alternatives soon. > > Hmm - not relevant, really. If the Beeb is going to change that, it'll > do so separately. After all, Web pages are made up of bits and style > (what's been changed) is unrelated to `what software generates the > style'. > > > I think the solution at the moment is to use Chrome for the BBC news > > website, as it's interface isn't affected like Safari or Firefox, > > Safari and Chrome both use Webkit to render pages. Firefox uses Gecko. > From that, you'd expect Safari and Chrome to give similar results. But Chrome and Safari are performing very differently with this website. > > even > > if video takes as long to load. The fact that I can get virtual windows > > to run it faster than OS X is a bit of a joke. > > Suggestion: > > Install the latest Flash player from Adobe. Have it already. > Install Applejack. Have it, and did what you suggest. Fixed some flash permissions- otherwise the same as before. This all the points to the new website taxing the OS X processor more- hence why my white macbook (core 2 duo) renders the video/audio in a fraction of the time. -- (*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "[Do you think the world learned anything from the first world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)
From: Rowland McDonnell on 11 Aug 2010 12:49 David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > > > David Horne <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > > > > Mark Bestley <news{@bestley.co.uk> wrote: > > > > > > [] > > > > Try stopping flash - thinks load much quicker. Wiyj Falsh on you can see > > > > the CPU pegged at 100% for some time. *Falsh on Macs is much worse rthan > > > > on Windows although I have not tried the newwst release) > > > > > > I'm aware of the problems with Flash, but as that's what the BBC website > > > uses, and I do want to do things like listen to radio/watch video, I'm > > > stuck with it. The problem here is that whatever the BBC did to their > > > news website, it sucks on older macs like mine. It's annoying because > > > for all the problems with Flash, I don't use any other websites as > > > problematic as this. It's interesting that it doesn't affect the iplayer > > > for example. > > > > > > The fact that they are still using Flash in a major upgrade of the > > > website would suggest that the BBC aren't planning on dumping it for > > > alternatives soon. > > > > Hmm - not relevant, really. If the Beeb is going to change that, it'll > > do so separately. After all, Web pages are made up of bits and style > > (what's been changed) is unrelated to `what software generates the > > style'. > > > > > I think the solution at the moment is to use Chrome for the BBC news > > > website, as it's interface isn't affected like Safari or Firefox, > > > > Safari and Chrome both use Webkit to render pages. Firefox uses Gecko. > > From that, you'd expect Safari and Chrome to give similar results. > > But Chrome and Safari are performing very differently with this website. Which implies that whatever's going on, it's strange. > > > even > > > if video takes as long to load. The fact that I can get virtual windows > > > to run it faster than OS X is a bit of a joke. > > > > Suggestion: > > > > Install the latest Flash player from Adobe. > > Have it already. Oh well. I had hoped you weren't as on the ball as you are - might have been an easy fix. > > Install Applejack. > > Have it, and did what you suggest. Fixed some flash permissions- > otherwise the same as before. Damn. Not that either. > This all the points to the new website > taxing the OS X processor more My 1GHz 768MB iMac running MacOS X 10.4.11 seems to be able to load and play the video news clips on the BBC's news website every bit as well as before - video frame rate not terribly good but okay, perfect audio, and starting up without undue delay. Honest - it does start up plenty pronto, much more pronto than you'd expect given the awful frame rate I got before I'd logged out and logged on again to free up the cached Idon'tknowwhat which had been filling the RAM. (all this is as before - that old iLamp has always struggled a bit with the Beeb's video streams for all that it's fine playing DVDs) >- hence why my white macbook (core 2 duo) > renders the video/audio in a fraction of the time. Flash seems to have trouble on PPC Macs, I have noticed that. My old 4G5 couldn't render HD BBC streams totally smoothly - it did okay until you got slow wide panning shots, which always stuttered, but: CPU load remained at about 70%/4. On my Intel iMac, HD streams work more smoothly, and CPU load goes above 100%/2. <shrug> No idea, no idea at all. I suspect you'd find that my 1GHz G4 iLamp renders the pages in question in a fraction of the time you're seeing on your sluggish Mac. I don't see any reason to think that you're up against a CPU limit here, given how my ancient iLamp performs. What *IS* the CPU in your older MacBook? Rowland. -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking
From: d4g4h4 on 12 Aug 2010 05:30 Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: [] > > This all the points to the new website > > taxing the OS X processor more > > My 1GHz 768MB iMac running MacOS X 10.4.11 seems to be able to load and > play the video news clips on the BBC's news website every bit as well as > before - video frame rate not terribly good but okay, perfect audio, and > starting up without undue delay. > > Honest - it does start up plenty pronto, much more pronto than you'd > expect given the awful frame rate I got before I'd logged out and logged > on again to free up the cached Idon'tknowwhat which had been filling the > RAM. > > (all this is as before - that old iLamp has always struggled a bit with > the Beeb's video streams for all that it's fine playing DVDs) > > >- hence why my white macbook (core 2 duo) > > renders the video/audio in a fraction of the time. > > Flash seems to have trouble on PPC Macs, I have noticed that. > > My old 4G5 couldn't render HD BBC streams totally smoothly - it did okay > until you got slow wide panning shots, which always stuttered, but: CPU > load remained at about 70%/4. > > On my Intel iMac, HD streams work more smoothly, and CPU load goes above > 100%/2. > > <shrug> No idea, no idea at all. > > I suspect you'd find that my 1GHz G4 iLamp renders the pages in question > in a fraction of the time you're seeing on your sluggish Mac. I don't > see any reason to think that you're up against a CPU limit here, given > how my ancient iLamp performs. > > What *IS* the CPU in your older MacBook? It's 2GHz Intel Core Duo with 1.5 GB RAM, running 10.6.4. My partner's machine has the same processor and only 512k RAM, but runs 10.4. It's actually marginally quicker... -- (*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate www.davidhorne.net (email address on website) "[Do you think the world learned anything from the first world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)
From: Rowland McDonnell on 12 Aug 2010 08:47
David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Rowland McDonnell <real-address-in-sig(a)flur.bltigibbet.invalid> wrote: > > > David Horne, _the_ chancellor (*) <d4g4h4(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: [snip] > > Flash seems to have trouble on PPC Macs, I have noticed that. > > > > My old 4G5 couldn't render HD BBC streams totally smoothly - it did okay > > until you got slow wide panning shots, which always stuttered, but: CPU > > load remained at about 70%/4. > > > > On my Intel iMac, HD streams work more smoothly, and CPU load goes above > > 100%/2. > > > > <shrug> No idea, no idea at all. > > > > I suspect you'd find that my 1GHz G4 iLamp renders the pages in question > > in a fraction of the time you're seeing on your sluggish Mac. I don't > > see any reason to think that you're up against a CPU limit here, given > > how my ancient iLamp performs. > > > > What *IS* the CPU in your older MacBook? > > It's 2GHz Intel Core Duo with 1.5 GB RAM, running 10.6.4. Well, a 1GHz G4 with 768MB RAM running 10.4.11 can render the BBC pages in question without sluggishness, and can play the video okay just so long as I make sure there's plenty of RAM free. Otherwise, the page loads quickly enough, audio plays fine, but the video is just a series of unconnected stills. So whatever's wrong in this case, it's *certain* that the CPU in the MacBook is not the limit in this case, given the adequate performance of my 1GHz G4 iLamp on the same pages. I mean, think about it - your problem machine has a 2GHz 64 bit two core CPU which is admittedly not as fast as a quad G5 at streaming operations, but it knocks a 1GHz G4 into a cocked hat. (yes okay so you're probably not getting any benefit from the 64-bitness in this case, but still...) > My partner's > machine has the same processor and only 512k RAM, but runs 10.4. It's > actually marginally quicker... Hmm. Coo. Not sure what to make of that - useful data, anyway. Rowland. -- Remove the animal for email address: rowland.mcdonnell(a)dog.physics.org Sorry - the spam got to me http://www.mag-uk.org http://www.bmf.co.uk UK biker? Join MAG and the BMF and stop the Eurocrats banning biking |