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Started using Firefox in the early days and have used it as main browser for a long time. Under Windows, where I used it a lot until approximately 2011, I generally seldom had problems with it. Crashes was far and long apart. Perhaps once every 6-7 months.

Now, – under Linux, where I have been more active the last years it has steadily been extremely unstable. It is by far the most unstable software, size (as in market etc.) and impact pulling up a lot, I have ever used.

It has not been on only one computer, but 3 - 4. I have also done extensive memory and HDD tests over the years on all machines.

My question:

Is this the normal for Linux? (I have mainly been on Debian and derivatives.) Is there a common cause for the problems causing crashes (thinking codebase and design) – or is it all over the place?

Are the changes, over the years, in website design (a lot more scripts and content mashups) a factor?

As an example here are some of the times of crashes over the last months:

06/16/2013 09:50 PM
06/12/2013 04:31 AM
06/10/2013 09:28 AM
06/08/2013 06:02 AM
06/06/2013 02:28 AM
06/02/2013 11:51 AM

05/31/2013 04:42 PM
05/22/2013 08:16 PM
05/18/2013 12:39 PM
05/14/2013 03:40 AM
05/12/2013 03:14 AM
05/04/2013 03:50 PM
05/02/2013 09:14 PM
05/01/2013 04:17 PM

04/30/2013 03:44 AM
04/29/2013 08:56 AM
04/26/2013 07:23 PM
04/26/2013 07:56 AM
04/23/2013 07:34 PM
04/18/2013 11:12 PM
04/08/2013 10:06 PM
04/03/2013 11:23 PM

Edit:

This is native FF. (Not Iceweasel). I also keeps add-ons, plugins and tweaks to a minimum. Mainly dictionaries. Used to use Web Developer Toolbar and Firebug, but with the now built-in tools I have no need.

I instead uses some custom profiles with plugins on demand like tampering with requests etc.

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  • Is this Firefox proper or IceWeasel? Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 20:44
  • How often do you use Firefox? Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 22:05
  • @IgnacioVazquez-Abrams: Proper. Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 22:22
  • @EvanTeitelman: Daily and many hours a day. Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 22:23

3 Answers 3

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No. This is not normal. What do you expect from your question? Your problems might come from your specific environment...

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  • What I expect is some answer on if this is expected behaviour or not. If others experience the same type of instability etc. If anyone know a more general cause for this etc. (As in if it is more or less usual). "Is this the normal for Linux? Is there a common cause for the problems causing crashes (thinking codebase and design) – or is it all over the place? Are the changes, over the years, in website design (a lot more scripts and content mashups) a factor?" Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 22:31
  • @Zimzalabim FireFox is the standard-browser in many distributions. If frequent crashes were normal this would not be the case. Commented Jun 17, 2013 at 12:42
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An improperly or poorly coded site can cause a browser to crash or hang. Generally, you say yours crashes about once a week, so that seems pretty stable and you should be looking for a solution other than your browser.

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Your comparison of Firefox-from-years-ago on Windows to Firefox-today on Linux is not really fair. Spend a month using a modern version of Firefox on Windows and I expect you'll see the same behavior. Firefox has, in the last few years, sacrificed a lot of its classic leanness and stability for becoming bloated with features.

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  • It was not meant as a fair comparison. Only a quick cap of usage history. I also suspect the bloatedness (in lack of a better word) that has been established. Also meant to ask if anyone uses FF under Windows on a daily basis experience the same issues. (But at the time it seamed out of place to ask about here.) Commented Jun 16, 2013 at 23:27

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