ARM/N900/Browser project

• build fennec according to these build instructions
• don't follow these outdated instructions, e.g. there are no patches needed
• before you wonder, the build is a out-of-sourcedir build, but using a directory on the same level as your sourcedir, so if you have the sources in ~/projects/mozilla-central, you will have the binaries in ~/projects/mozilla-central-mobile-qt-obj
• you can run the browser without installing:

~/projects/mozilla-central-mobile-qt-obj/mobile/dist/bin
./run-mozilla.sh ./fennec

• we can get extra info:

NSPR_LOG_FILE="mozdebug.log" NSPR_LOG_MODULES="all:5,timestamp" ./run-mozilla.sh >/dev/null 2>&1 ./fennec

observations

• there are lots of warnings and assertions, need to figure which of those are critical
• on x86 (Intel Core Duo) startup in a build with loggin enabled is about 4 seconds:
  • there are a few things that seem to be slower than usual ->

    Error creating thumbnail: Invalid thumbnail parameters

    

    fennec-qt startup trace

NSPR_LOG_FILE="mozdebug.log" NSPR_LOG_MODULES="all:3,timestamp,sync" ./run-mozilla.sh ./fennec
sort mozdebug.log >mozdebug.log2
moz-plot-timeline.py mozdebug.log2 -o mozdebug.png

• can't get my own build to work so far: home:ensonic:branches:devel:browser

to check in builds

• do we have the recent version in the n900 repo?
  • the package in Trunk:Testing/devel:browser (seems the same) is two weeks old
  • the n900 images are using devel:browser
• Is the package using a proper mozconfig.
• my build above used these items in mozconfig:

ac_add_options --enable-debug="-g3"
ac_add_options --disable-optimize
ac_add_options --enable-logging
ac_add_options --disable-elf-dynstr-gc

• some potentially interesting options

ac_add_options --enable-mobile-optimize
ac_add_options --enable-optimize="-O2"
ac_add_options --enable-faststart

• are we using the bundled jpeg/png/zlib/bz2 libs, if not would that help?
  • our system libpng is too old (we have: 1.2.44 - Jun 26 2010, we need >= 1.4.X, upstream has: 1.5.2 - Mar 31 2011)
  • our system sqlite is too old (we have: 3.7.2, we need: >= 3.7.4, upstream has: 3.7.5)
  • our system cairo has no "tee" support (cairo need to be build with "--enable-tee")

ac_add_options --with-system-jpeg
ac_add_options --with-system-png
ac_add_options --with-system-zlib
ac_add_options --with-system-bz2
ac_add_options --enable-system-hunspell
ac_add_options --enable-system-sqlite
ac_add_options --enable-system-cairo
ac_add_options --enable-system-pixman

• what about disabling certain subsystems

ac_add_options --disable-installer
ac_add_options --disable-crashreporter
ac_add_options --disable-javaxpcom
ac_add_options --disable-printing

measurements

• test the AboutStartup (developer page) extension on the device.
  • need to set the date, otherwise fennec warns about expired certificates
  • right now this extensions seems to require => 4.0b4 and we have "Firefox/4.0b8pre Fennec/4.0b3pre"
  • we can work around that:
    1. Type about:config into Firefox’s address bar and click the “I’ll be careful, I promise!” button.
    2. Right-click on the Firefox window. Select New > Boolean.
    3. When asked to enter the preference name, type extensions.checkCompatibility and click OK.
    4. Make sure false is selected/highlighted and click OK. The end result should look something like the image below.

I did some 'stop-watch' meassurements for the time being:

• meego-handset-armv7hl-n900-1.1.99.1.20110404.5-mmcblk0p.raw.bz2
• first startup
  • after 10 sec. the spinner over the icon disappeared
  • after 25 more sec. the UI was in place
• second startup
  • after 10 sec. the spinner over the icon disappeared
  • after 12 more sec. the UI was in place