[plt-scheme] Re: new bug test results for the intermittent file explorer hanging problem previously reported

On Wed, 9 Dec 2009 09:00:07 +0100, Laurent
<laurent.orseau at gmail.com> wrote:

>You are not alone ;)

Thank goodness!  For many, many months, it was unclear whether my
computers were the only computers in the world with this problem, or
whether they were common to other computers running non-English
versions of Windows XP Professional.  (The discussion gradually turned
into a controversy, which eventually turned in a mini flame war on
another newsgroup a few months ago, with one prominent member of this
mailing list and I exchanging various critical messages.  Whew!  I'm
glad to learn, finally, that my computers were not the only ones with
this problem.)

>I have exactly the same problem on a HP laptop with Vista SP1 (french) and
>whatever version of DrScheme.
>On my XP SP2 or SP3 though, there is no problem.

I see.  Unfortunately, the problem continues with the Japanese version
of XP Pro with SP2 and SP3, on at least three different computers that
I have tried.  If you come up with a solution to the Vista SP1
(French) bug, could you please post it in this thread (or in a private
e-mail message if this thread eventually gets deleted)?  Perhaps a
solution to the Vista (French) problem will work for the XP SP3
(Japanese) problem as well.  Then I can use all the features of
DrScheme without worrying about losing my flow of concentration every
time I need to load or save a different file.

-- Benjamin L. Russell

>
>Laurent
>
>On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 05:01, Benjamin L.Russell <DekuDekuplex at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
>> This is just a polite, but detailed, bug report reporting the results
>> of trying out DrScheme v4.2.3 on a different computer than before (a
>> laptop this time), with a different set of drivers installed, running
>> the same version of the same OS on which the intermittent file
>> explorer hanging problem had appeared before.
>>
>> (For those new to this issue, the "intermittent file explorer hanging
>> problem" mentioned above (first reported in the thread "annoying
>> hanging behavior when saving files on DrScheme version
>> 3.99.0.13-svn26feb2008, english" [1] (see
>> http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-March/023922.html),
>> and subsequently reported in the threads "Any tips for avoiding
>> intermittent freezing when navigating file system directories with
>> mounted network volumes in DrScheme?" [2] (see
>> http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-August/026608.html),
>> "hint for debugging file navigator freezing bug in DrScheme 4.1.1,
>> english, on Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2" [3] (see
>> http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-October/027717.html),
>> and "a possibility for the intermittent file explorer hanging problem
>> in DrScheme" [4] (see
>> http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2009-March/031373.html))
>> refers to a bug that had previously appeared when running DrScheme
>> v372 and later on my desktop Wintel computer (at work) running the
>> Japanese version of Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 3, in which
>> the "Select a file" dialog box would periodically freeze for a few
>> seconds every eight to fourteen seconds or so while navigating through
>> folders in a hierarchical directory.  It had also previously appeared
>> in the same dialog box when running DrScheme on another Wintel
>> computer at a previous job, also running the Japanese version of the
>> same OS (with Service Pack 2 then).  This bug cannot be replicated on
>> the English version of the same OS, and there had been some
>> controversy on this mailing list and on the comp.lang.scheme newsgroup
>> about whether this bug only occurred on my computer (the opinion of
>> one member of this mailing list), or whether it only occurred when
>> running the Japanese version of Windows XP Professional, Service Pack
>> 2 or later (my opinion).)
>>
>> This time, I borrowed a laptop (a different computer from my desktop
>> last time) set up by my employer (the same employer as last time) for
>> work use at home, but running the same OS (the Japanese version of
>> Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2 (which I immediately upgraded
>> to Service Pack 3)), which, according to the "System" control panel
>> applet, has the following software and hardware specifications:
>>
>> System:
>>  Microsoft Windows XP
>>  Professional
>>  Version 2002
>>  Service Pack 3
>>
>> (Hardware:)
>>  Lenovo Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU
>>    T5500 @ 1.66 GHz
>>  980 MHz, 504 MB RAM
>>
>> This computer had no mapped network drives and no shared network
>> folders, and only had a cable Internet connection.
>>
>> Then I downloaded and installed DrScheme, version 4.2.3, english.
>>
>> However, the same bug appeared after navigating through several layers
>> of folders in the "Select a file" dialog box that appears when
>> clicking on the "File -> Open..." menu item.
>>
>> As an aside, the only other software added to all three computers that
>> I can remember was Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office (Japanese version)
>> (Office 2003 in the case of this laptop), Cygwin, Tweak UI (a Windows
>> tweaking utility) (available among the "Powertoys for Windows XP"),
>> and PLT Scheme (at least one of the versions from among v371 or later)
>> itself.
>>
>> Therefore, it seems likely that this bug occurs on a given Wintel PC
>> with this set of applications installed, running the Japanese version
>> of Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2 or above, when running
>> DrScheme, English, version 371 or above, but not when running the
>> English version of the same OS (and not just on "my computer" as has
>> been claimed before).
>>
>> That's the only additional information that I have to offer right now,
>> only because I had the occasion to borrow a company laptop.  If I have
>> the occasion to use a different computer, then I could try out
>> DrScheme on that computer at that time as well.
>>
>> Has anybody else tried out the file explorer in DrScheme on a
>> different computer also running the Japanese version of Windows XP
>> Professional, Service Pack 2 or above?  I'm the only person who uses
>> DrScheme in my company, and my home computer is a Macintosh G4
>> PowerBook (currently inoperative due to defective RAM), not a Wintel
>> machine, so I am unable to diagnose this bug on any additional
>> computers at the present time.  This bug is significant because the
>> intermittent difficulty in navigating through directories on all three
>> machines interrupts the flow of concentration when trying to program
>> in Scheme in DrScheme.
>>
>> -- Benjamin L. Russell
>>
>> [1] Russell, Benjamin L. "annoying hanging behavior when saving files
>> on DrScheme version 3.99.0.13-svn26feb2008, english." Online posting.
>> 28 Mar. 2008. 9 Dec. 2009.
>> <http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-March/023922.html>.
>>
>> [2] Russell, Benjamin L. "Any tips for avoiding intermittent freezing
>> when navigating file system directories with mounted network volumes
>> in DrScheme?" Online posting.  18 Aug. 2008. 9 Dec. 2009.
>> <http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-August/026608.html>.
>>
>> [3] Russell, Benjamin L. "hint for debugging file navigator freezing
>> bug in DrScheme 4.1.1, english, on Windows XP Professional, Service
>> Pack 2." Online posting.  9 Oct. 2008. 9 Dec. 2009.
>> <http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2008-October/027717.html>.
>>
>> [4] Russell, Benjamin L. "a possibility for the intermittent file
>> explorer hanging problem in DrScheme." Online posting.  17 Mar. 2009.
>> 9 Dec. 2009.
>> <http://list.cs.brown.edu/pipermail/plt-scheme/2009-March/031373.html>.
>>
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