[FIX] Timeouts

[bcc]

Hi, I'm using 0.8 and a lot of users say their browser just freezes.
I see them timing out from chat.
They also say that they can't get back to the chat page without having to close the browser first, but they can browse other sites without closing it.


What can the problem be?

ADDED:

Is DCOM98 required in order for people on Windows 98 to be able to use the chat?

[phpfreechat]

I know something about using the chat on IE (windows) :
xajax library has memory leak into it so when leaving the window open too long, it will certainly crash ...

However, xajax just fixed this memory leak bug into the new version, I plan to integrate this new version into the next phpfreechat release.

Maybe there is something else wrong but this memory leak is maybe the explanation.

[bcc]

Actually, I just tried running IE6 on Win 98 and sometimes the chat doesn't start.
The page simply freezes and there is no way to type anything and the area that shows the messages is simply white without anything in it.
I checked the server logs and noticed that IE stops making requests when this happens, and naturally the user times one.
If the chat fails, it fails right from the start, so this does not seem like a memory leak problem.

BTW, do you do consulting? I need to get the chat working asap, and I could pay you something if you could check my installation and fix what's causing the immediate problem.

[bcc]

I see a bunch of people joining and then timing out one after the other.
It's definitely not natural, so I think there is something wrong with my setup.

[bcc]

Could the problems be caused because I use a directory for the URL, like
myhost.tld/chat/

and then ajax calls are made to /chat/index.php?

Should I direct people to /chat/index.php right from the start?

[phpfreechat]

Does the problem of Win98 crash occurs also on the official demo ? (http://www.phpfreechat.net/demo.en.php)
Could you give me your public url, I'll try to investiguate ?
Anyway, if you want to give some money, feel free to make a paypal donation (http://www.phpfreechat.net/contributions.en.html), it will motivate the efforts

[bcc]

Here is the URL.
I can't reproduce the problem whenever I want. It just happens sometimes.

Here is the link to my chat:

http://www.quiltedparadise.com/chat/

If you sit there for a while, you'll notice people joining and timing out.

Something is really not right.

As I said, if you can help me fix it, I would be happy to pay for your services. I really need the chat working asap.

[phpfreechat]

I can write text ... I don't understand why other can't write.
Why are you sure other peoples uses Win98 ?

[bcc]

I can write fine too, but there are a lot of people joining it and then timing out without writing anything. I also received a comple of e-mail messages from them stating that they couldn't use the chat.

[bcc]

OK, I also had a problem while using firefox. It happens really rarely, but here is a screenshot of what I get when I try to access the chat:

http://www.goudkov.com/temp/chat_problem.png

Those areas just remain blank, and there are not errors on the javascript console.

[bcc]

Here is another screenshot of the same problem, but with the demo chat on this site:

http://www.goudkov.com/temp/chat_problem2.png

This happened on a different box, but with almost identical configuration.

[Bernhard J. M. Grün]

That could be a problem problem with file lockings. Maybe the application should use semaphors. I'll have to do the same for my memory container (it does not work with more than 5 chatters with a delay like 1000). The problem is that semaphors are not available under windows, I think.

Bernhard

[bcc]

Is there something like an application context or some way to bind a data structure to memory and have it available to all instances of the script?
I don't know enough about PHP and what facilities it offers, but if it is possible then maybe you could keep the most recent N lines of chat in memory and flush it to disk on random? Something like on each invocation, if radnom<0.05 then flush or append the data to the persistent storage. Or even keep a global counter and flush on each Nth post.

And all posted content would be added to and read from that data structure for all purposes related to the front end of the chat?

[bcc]

Here is an e-mail I just received from a subscriber. Maybe it will add more clarity into what's going on:


I can't send anything on the instant chat.. it shows I'm connected but has no where to click to send.. I'd love to chat with someone.. I also noticed several "other" numbers that were connected but no one sent any messages.. I wonder if they are in the same perdicament as myself.
Thanks

[phpfreechat]

Maybe a "send" button is just missing.
User are not accustomed with the ENTER key to send a message ?
Maybe try to add a little explaination on the top of the chat page.

"To send a message, just press the ENTER key"