xfce whisker menu is launching a bit slow - how to improve speed? [SOLVED]

[harishpathangay]

I am not Linux expert. I do have many DE installed.[Plasma,Gnome,Peppermint,XFCE,LxQt,Cinnamon,Mate]
Lot of applications provided by individual DE are sitting there.
Also, the session startup  I might have unintentionally unchecked some background daemon.
I have no idea. I am not that expert. that is why I was asking.

let me know if any command output or configuration setting that I should look for. I can paste the results.
Also PCMANFM is managing my desktop and not Nemo. will this impact?

thanks,
harish p

[PCNetSpec]

I take it when you log onto the GUEST session pcmanfm isn't controlling the desktop (and yet whiskermenu is still slow) ? .. or have you uninstalled nemo altogether ?

The point is there's a trillion things you could have done that are interfering with it, and only you know what you did prior to this occurring ?

What's the output from

Code: [Select]

ps aux | grep xfce

[harishpathangay]

i did not uninstall nemo. it is still there. i only changed default file manager to pcmanfm instead of nemo. please find the below output taken as user harish.

harish    1680  0.7  0.3 388636 25648 ?        Sl   17:44   0:00 xfce4-panel
harish    1707  0.3  0.2 369676 19196 ?        Ssl  17:44   0:00 xfce4-power-manager
harish    1709  0.0  0.0  47644  4864 ?        S    17:44   0:00 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/xfconf/xfconfd
harish    1713  0.4  0.2 366212 23896 ?        Sl   17:44   0:00 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/notifyd/xfce4-notifyd
harish    1741  0.4  0.3 381784 27144 ?        Sl   17:44   0:00 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/wrapper-1.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/plugins/libwhiskermenu.so 7 23068721 whiskermenu Whisker Menu Show a menu to easily access installed applications
harish    1750  0.3  0.1 170304 16152 ?        S    17:44   0:00 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/wrapper-1.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/plugins/libsystray.so 6 23068724 systray Notification Area Area where notification icons appear
harish    1751  0.7  0.3 554572 29832 ?        Sl   17:44   0:00 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/wrapper-2.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/xfce4/panel/plugins/libpulseaudio-plugin.so 1 23068725 pulseaudio PulseAudio Plugin Adjust the audio volume of the PulseAudio sound system

[harishpathangay]

hi,
please find my default applications for lxsession settings:

https://imgur.com/a/EsAFA
http://imgur.com/a/mlT0D
http://imgur.com/a/DqXMx
https://imgur.com/a/FVSaN

Thanks,
Harish Pathangay

[harishpathangay]

Laptop : HP 15 ac 168 tu
Pentium 3825U 1.9GHz 1.9GHz
8GB RAM

thanks,
harish p

[Slim.Fatz]

Hi harishpathangay,

I'm sorry that your issue has yet to be resolved. But, as PCNetSpec has stated,

there's a trillion things you could have done that are interfering with it, and only you know what you did prior to this occurring

I, personally, do not see anything suspicious in your posted information.

However, I think you need to answer the question posed by PCNetSpec:

...when you log onto the GUEST session pcmanfm isn't controlling the desktop (and yet whiskermenu is still slow) ?

Also, you need to try the suggestions made by PCNetSpec in his Reply #14.  It might be the solution, but unless you try it we will never know. Please try it and let us know if it helps.

Finally, in your Reply #15 you state that

I am not Linux expert. I do have many DE installed.[Plasma,Gnome,Peppermint,XFCE,LxQt,Cinnamon,Mate]

I might suggest that given this situation, and if none of the suggestions made by PCNetSpec help, you might only be able to solve this by re-installing the system.  I also personally believe that such large, complex DEs (such as Plasma, Gnome, etc.) are best used in Linux distros that have been designed from the start to work with them. Peppermint Seven is a hybrid that has been built and finely "tuned" to work optimally with the DE that is found when you do a fresh installation. It has not been tested, designed and "tuned" to work (optimally) with any of these other DEs. It might, and probably will, work with them -- but not optimally.

Regards,

-- Slim

[harishpathangay]

Hi Slim,
I have answered that question of guest account already. may be you did not see it, because of lot of replies. I will repeat even in guest account it is taking 5-6 sec to load the menu for the first time. second click is fast.
I do not want to re-install OS that is why I am posting it to forum.

I did not do trillion changes to Peppermint OS. I did only one change - instead of nemo I am using pcmanfm to manage my desktop. that is not a trillion change.
Yes I have lot of desktop installed. But when I log in into Peppermint Session it is only peppermint session in memory, no body else out there.
even if some unwanted libraries are out there, I am having 8GB RAM Pentium 3825U 1.9GHz (4 Threads - Dual Core) very decent CPU, to launch menu 6 sec is not good.

I am only asking for debugging steps and help. I am more willing to do and share results. but as I said I am no expert in Linux, so do not know the steps to switch on debug flags and how to look into the issue. My initial suspect is time taken to build the menu during click of button. or is it like pre-built?

Only if time allows people can help. But if some thing turns out after debugging it could be a special case for improvement also. Circumstances like these can provide opportunity for improvement also. I have shared my thoughts. how much support people will provide me is not in my hands.

Thanks,
Harish P

[harishpathangay]

I have even posted the same in xfce forum too. they are pointing to peppermint os.
For a minor inconvenience I do not want to re-install os. that is why. it is all set with Win10 dual boot. Really do not want to disturb the setup.

[harishpathangay]

I tried one more thing. Added a normal XFCE Applications Menu in the Panel which brings up traditional menu or old menu style.
Even that menu is taking 6 sec on first click. Second click zippy.

This is such a bad thing. Is it only happening to me? Any body please share how their time taken is during menu launch. Do they also see my observation.

thanks,
Harish Pathangay

[Slim.Fatz]

Hi harishpathangay,

Sorry, I guess I do not see that you tried the guest account -- I only see that you said no guest account was present (in which case you need to set one up and try it).

However, I don't see anywhere that you tried the suggestions of PCNetSpec in his Reply #14.    Or have I missed this too?

I realize that you do not wish to re-install. That is why I am asking you to try the suggestions in Reply #14 and to tell us if they work. If this works it could be a quick and easy solution that avoids a re-install.

Since you are the only person with this extremely slow menu problem, I would say that it does not necessarily seem to be directly a problem with Peppermint Seven (although it might turn out to be that way). I will admit that the first opening is the slowest on my computers as well, but not as slow as yours -- and my computers are much less modern than yours.

Regards,

-- Slim

[harishpathangay]

Hi Slitaz,
you know what  - I even went to the extent of installing PM 7 in a Virtual Box. Fresh Install PM 7 in VM, gave 3GB RAM CPU - 1 Core with 2 Threads.
You do not believe What I saw. I myself do not believe what I saw.

A sub second response time to launch the menu. Not even one sec - 0.7 to 0.8 sec the whisker purred like an intimidated cat.
Time and Again "My Favourite OS cannot be wrong". Yippe!!!!!

I some how conclude that slow menu is only because of huge number of applications installed in the PM 7 HDD install. All DE have their own list of default applications/software.  I have gedit,pluma,mousepad,kate,kwrite,leafpad. you see the redundancy I am talking about. I have given only text software. Same applies to graphics,internet,accessories,system tools etc...
I am not a technical Linux person to assertively say that is the reason. But I think huge number of applications are the culprit here.

How can I set like show only these set of applications in Peppermint Session? I do not want some KDE/Gnome App to get displayed in Menu when I am in Peppermint Session. How do I do that. Even if I do that, still it does not prevent the parsing of huge number of application ".desktop" files?

I did try that suggestion of auto start the whisker menu by creating desktop file - in .config/autostart/applications. here I create a .desktop file with exec entry as xfce4-popup-whiskermenu -h
It does not work. It takes the same amount of time - 6 sec. I do not know even if I am doing this correctly.

I will not further bother this group. But one thing to keep in mind is Does a huge list of applications cause Pop-Up delay in Menus?
You are the Linux Experts. Leave it to you to analyze. Never allow such thing to happen in Peppermint OS please.

If you think I should know anything else please let me know.

PcNetSpec has always been helpful. I cannot thank him enough.

Thanks,
Harish P

[Slim.Fatz]

Hi harishpathangay,

Your assumption (huge number of items in the menu tree) is what I am beginning to think is the problem.

You say that you created a file in

Code: [Select]

~/.config/autostart/applications
but did you include the correct exec command? You said that it contained this:

Code: [Select]

xfce4-popup-whiskermenu -h
but that is not what PCNetSpec told you to put into it. It should be:

Code: [Select]

xfce4-popup-whiskermenu -h && exit
And he also said that you should try this different command to see if it helps:

Code: [Select]

xfce4-popup-whiskermenu && xfce4-popup-whiskermenu
Did you try this?

Before trying the final thing that you mentioned (making only the DE-specific menu items appear in the currently running DE), try these suggestions -- they are less time-consuming than editing all of the *.desktop files.

Regards,

-- Slim

[harishpathangay]

Hi Slim,
Sorry i got your pseudonym wrong. Later only i realized Slitaz is itself is a Linux OS.My Bad.

Now i have tried all 3 variations of command using auto-startup as mentioned in earlier posts.Not any change.

Also, i did additionally one test different from above.
Modify exec = /home/harish/plwm.sh
In the file plwm.sh i put the commands for popup menu.[xfce4-popup-whiskermenu && xfce4-popup-whiskermenu]
Still no improvement.

Thanks,
HP

[GNULINUX]

Just a thought...

I read on another forum a thread about the same issue you seem to have and there the solution was to change the icon theme. It was something about png/bmp (fast loading) and svg icons (slow loading).

So my questions:
- Does changing the icon theme (Peppermint Settings Panel > Customize Look and Feel > Icon Theme) gives you different opening speeds?
- Are some of the added programs from other DE's using svg icons?

It may indeed be the sheer amount of installed applications but maybe using "light" icons could make the whisker menu faster?

My guess...

[close]

Greets! 

[harishpathangay]

Hi Gnulinux,
thanks for your comments and inputs.
I am kind of okay now with the issue. I think a long list of applications is to blame.
I am using Peppermint Icons that comes pre-installed, not sure if it is svg. it's just a minor inconvenience. I do have so many DE's. as you said nothing much can be done now.

As long as some body has got the attention of the issue that is fine with me. if it is critical they will eventually fix it or if it could be a non-issue which is just a behavior of installing too many.

I thank every one for helping me out with valuable inputs and comments.
consider this thread closed.

thanks,
hp