Responding to Terry Sarcastic's request.
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Dear Terry Sarcastic,
Over a month ago I wrote to WordPress with a problem I have, and you promptly replied. Thank you.
The problem I had was that when editing any of my four WordPress accounts (with multiple blogs in two of them) after about five paragraphs it became painfully slow to edit. I could type letters and would have to wait for them to appear. It was difficult to select text.
And, the problem is intermittent. Most times I have the problem, but not always.You wrote in reply:
Hi there,
I can see from looking at your user account that you have quite a few sites. Can you give me the URL to the one that is causing problems, or is this a problem you have with all your WordPress.com sites?
(All of them. All my accounts, the primary blogs and the sub-blogs.)
Do you have this problem only on your home network, or any wifi you connect to, such as work or a public hotspot?
(It depends. See below.)
Thanks for the additional info!Sorry for the delay but before getting back to you I chose to get more information:
1. I went to a delicatessen with internet access to see if I encountered the same problem. I did immediately. I therefore assumed that if the problem was on a different computer the problem was with WordPress.
However, their equipment was old, so I decided to avoid conclusions until I had more information.2. A friend told me he has the same problem trying to edit his WordPress blog, but only occasionally. He simply waits for the problem to pass.
3. I watched to see if I had troubles with any other program or website, but I had none. The problem only occurred when I tried to edit, or create, a WordPress post or page.
4. I chose to wait a few weeks because I would be buying a new Mac computer. (I had been using a Mac Desktop (Mac OS X, version 10.6.8). I figured the computer might be too old to take WordPress.
I bought my new computer, the latest IMAC, with version 10.9) and upgraded the system to Maverick, but I found I still had the same problem editing my WordPress posts.5. I visited the Apple store’s ‘genius bar’. Initially, the person thought it was a problem with WordPress, but I borrowed their laptop and logged in. I had no troubles editing with WordPress, which suggested WordPress wasn’t the problem.
The guy then thought it might be a software problem. (If I had the problem in my old Mac, then when I transferred the information from the old IMac to the new IMac, via an external hard drive, I might have transferred the software glitch as well. That would explain why both computers had the problem.)
So, after I backed up all the information of my new computer to the external hard drive, the guy at the genius bar erased everything on my new IMac, except the formware. Then we manually transferred information (Pages documents, pictures, Imovies) to avoid transferring the software glitch.6. However, when I got home I found that I still had the problem. Given that I had no trouble editing on their laptop, I assumed the problem still must be with WordPress.
7. But, before getting back to you, I thought I would try the Genius bar again. (Perhaps I had made a mistake when transferring the information from the external hard drive, and allowed a software glitch to be transferred.)
We erased the computer again, leaving the formware, and then we again manually transferred the files from the external hard drive back to the computer. The guy was particularly careful transferring the files to avoid transferring a software glitch.
However, before going home, this time I logged into WordPress there, and again encountered the ‘go slow’ after a few typed paragraphs.
The guy then said it must be a WordPress problem. He said that if I was not having any trouble on any other sites or programs, but had the problem with WordPress on all four of my accounts, then it must be a WordPress problem.
I asked to try a laptop. On the laptop I had no trouble editing a post. On their laptop I edited a post freely. It worked perfectly. But on my new computer I tried editing the same post, but couldn’t.
Same site, same post, but my computer was having trouble and their laptop wasn’t. The guy had to agree that my WordPress account can’t be faulty, otherwise I would have had trouble on their laptop.
Conclusion: it must be my computer.But . . .
If it is my computer, then we have to explain why:
1. I had trouble on my previous computer as well.
2. We have to explain why we have cleared the new computer twice and still have the problem.
3. We have to explain why other people with new IMac computers aren’t having my problem.
4. We have to explain why the problem only occurs after I have typed about five paragraphs.
5. We have to explain why the problem is intermittent.If WordPress is the key to the problem:
1. We have to explain why WordPress works perfectly for me when I use a laptop.
2. We have to explain why WordPress isn’t already familiar with the problem.
3. We still have to explain why the problem occurs after a few paragraphs, and why it is intermittent.8. The guys at the Genius Bar are bewildered. The can’t see how the computer can be at fault, but they can see that WordPress works when I use their laptop, so they conclude that my account with WordPress must be okay. (Plus, all four accounts can’t be faulty.)
They have taken away my computer and will have the hardware checked. It will take 7 to 10 days. Sigh.
I don’t think they will come up with something.(I am typing and sending this with my old computer, which fortunately I kept.)
The only answer they can come up with is that WordPress has, over time, become incompatible with my old IMac, 10.6.8, and has not yet become compatible with the new IMac, 10.9.
Is this possible?
Or can you think of another reason why I can’t edit my posts?I would love to have the problem solved.
By the way, the four accounts I have are:
mrbashful.com
mirkoterzic.wordpress.com
speakerscorner.org.au
mrbashfulspeaks.wordpress.comThey are the primary blogs. I have the problem with sub-blogs too, such as:
speakerarchives.wordpress.comWith warm regards,
Mark Avery.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Hey Mark!
I’m sorry you’re still having trouble. WordPress.com should be compatible with both older iMacs and the most recent versions. Can you try updating your browser to the latest version? Currently, it looks like you may be running an outdated version of Safari. Also, could you try installing a new browser like Chrome and see if the problem persists in that browser as well?
You can find out the most recent browser information here:
Let me know if that helps to solve the issue!
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Thank you Jeremey for responding!
Don’t forget, I’m using my old computer to contact you, which has the old version of Safari. My new computer is with Apple’s repair crew, getting its hardware checked, just in case the computer itself is the problem. That new computer has the latest versions of Safari and Firefox, yet I’m having troubles editing WordPress posts with both. It also has Maverick. Therefore, I don’t think the browser is the problem, and I don’t think Chrome will help. However, when I get my computer back I will download it and give it a go.
So, WordPress is compatible with the latest Imac. That means we are back to square one. (It’s unlikely Apple will find a problem with the hardware.)
Any other ideas?
I notice that in forums other WordPress users have had a similar problem, but no solution was given. Intriguing.
I’m counting on you, Jeremy!
Thank you,
Mark.
P.S. You are welcome to change the title of this exchange from ‘Responding to Terry . . .’ to something like ‘Why is WordPress editing so slow?’ so that other people can find this exchange easily. (Assuming we can solve the problem.) -
Hi Mark!
Yes, we will get to the bottom of this! WordPress.com should work fine on your old computer as well as your new one. Let’s try this:
1. Download the latest version of Chrome.
2. Make sure you’re not running Chrome with any add-ons or browser extensions
3. Try the editor
From the description of the problem (trouble editing after a few minutes), it sounds like it may start getting slow when autosave kicks in, which automatically saves the post every two minutes. Let me know if Chrome helps!
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Thank you Jeremy for your continued support!
I downloaded Chrome on this old computer and yes, I have just edited for 25 minutes without a problem! Great! I tried the same with Safari but experience the ‘slow’ problem. That suggest Chrome is the answer. However, with Firefox I could also edit without problem, and yet I couldn’t before. Remember, the problem is intermittent, so the solution isn’t confirmed yet.
Would you please wait for me to conduct further experiments before you close this dialogue? I would also like to try it with my new computer, when I get it back from Apple. (A few days.)
I promise I will get back to you.
By the way, your idea about autosave is interesting, though it still wouldn’t explain why my computers are having troubles editing with WordPress, while other people aren’t having trouble.
I tested to see if autosave was the problem, (on Safari) by updating a post every 90 seconds, so that autosave didn’t get a chance to kick-in. But the slowness still occurred.
So, please, give me a few more days and I’ll get back to you about how effective Chrome is. But so far, so good.
Thank you,
Mark. -
Hey Mark,
Yes, please keep me posted. I’ve tested on my side, and I was able to edit a post in Safari without any trouble. However, let me know what you find out!
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Hi Jeremy,
Last night I got my iMac computer back from Apple. They found nothing wrong with it, as expected. (It was almost new.) They still don’t know why I have been having trouble with WordPress.
Interestingly, this morning I have had no trouble with WordPress editing using Safari. I haven’t yet tried Firefox or Chrome. But please, don’t yet close this communication. I’m wondering if you guessed correctly – if it has something to do with autosave. Could it be that the autosave from WordPress somehow conflicts with my Time machine, which also autosaves?
I am going to edit a few more days without connecting Time Machine.
I will also refrain from connecting my external hard drive. So, please keep this communication open for a little while longer. I promise I will get back to you.
Warm regards,
Mark. -
Hey Mark,
I’m glad this seems to have momentarily resolved itself. The Autosave feature shouldn’t interfere with your Time Machine. I use Autosave while my computer is connected via Time Machine quite often. Please let me know if you run into trouble in other browsers!
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Thank you for persisting with me, Jeremy.
No, soon after I wrote to you I had trouble editing again, using Safari. And I notice it is slow to edit widgets too (the custom menus). I have been experimenting with Safari but can find no correlations.
You are right – it has nothing to do with Time Machine.
I will now try Chrome, and get back to you.
Mark. -
Hey Mark,
That’s extremely odd. When you say “slow to edit”, can you explain a bit what you mean? Is the screen slow to load at all or does the text just lag behind what your typing? If you could create a screencast (using QuickTime) to illustrate the issue, that would be very helpful as well!
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Hi Jeremy,
when it is slow to edit (text lagging, difficult to select text because it takes a while to highlight) I haven’t looked to see how slow the the other pages are to load. I simply log out. So last night I checked. Last night it became impossible to edit (in Chrome, Firefox and Safari) and so I checked, and yes, the whole site was slow. However, I get the feeling that it is not always that way. Mostly, the problem I have had is with the slow editing. I think.
A recap of the problem:
1. After a few minutes of trying to edit a post or page the text lags so much, and text is slow hard to select, that it becomes uneditable.
2. If I then move from Safari to Firefox, or Chrome, I again can edit for a few minutes, or a few paragraphs, before the problem recurs.
3. For some of those times (perhaps all of the time) the rest of the site is slow too. It’s like wading through mud. For example, there was a lag moving custom menus around.
4. A friend of mine using Linux has the same problem occasionally, but he just waits and the problem corrects itself. I haven’t been that lucky.
5. Both my Apple Macs, the old one and this new one, suffered the same problem. So also did an old IBM compatible computer at an internet cafe. However, I had no problem when using an Apple laptop.
6. Apple have checked my computer and found nothing wrong with it.From your last missive I get the feeling that you are aware of the lagging text problem. If that is the case then you are familiar with the problem. Does it have different causes?
I don’t know how to use Quick Time or create a screencast, but I tried filming it with a digital camera, with the plan to put it on Youtube. But all I filmed was the lagging text, and the slow highlighting of text, and you are already familiar with both, it seems.
If you are familiar with the lagging text, what has been the solution in the past?
It’s a shame the problem is with Chrome now. Otherwise I would only use it.
Thank you, Jeremy,
Mark. -
Hi Mark,
I’m sorry you are having this issue! Unfortunately, without direct access to you computer it’s very difficult to troubleshoot this considering that we haven’t been able to reproduce your issue. We can try a few other possibilities that may be slowing down your editor:
Can you try disabling all Dashboard widgets by going to Screen Options at the top of the page?
Also can you try temporarily disabling all firewalls?
In addition, is it only WordPress.com that is slow? During this lag, can you try going to other sites? Let us know if other sites are just as slow or if it’s just WordPress.com.
Thank you!
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Hi Grace,
I can’t test your theory properly until at least Monday, so please, don’t cancel this discussion because you haven’t heard from me. I’ll get back to you, I promise.
Mark. -
Hi Grace,
Thank you for not cancelling this discussion. The work I have done with WordPress since your request has been changing categories and post titles. But no post edits. At no time did I have trouble.
As for your suggestion, I was using no firewalls, so firewalls can’t be the problem. And when I went to screen options I found that the dashboard widgets were already disabled. So they aren’t the problem either.
Can you please leave this discussion open? There must be something I am doing, or WordPress is doing, to create this problem and I need to find out what it is. I hope to begin editing new posts soon, so the problem will probably return.
I promise to get back to you.
Mark. -
Hi Grace,
thank you for not cancelling the discussion. The reason for my delay is that I have been waiting to encounter the ‘slow editing’ problem again. But since you contacted me I have had no problem. That might be a good thing if the problem doesn’t come back. Or it’s a bad thing, because it might recur, as it has in the past, and I will have to start the whole process of finding a solution again. But, since you can’t fix the problem if it’s not happening, I guess we will leave it at that.
Most intriguing.
But thank you.
Mark. -
I guess this is the best kind of problem – when you can’t find one. :) Haha. Well I’ll keep this open, so if it ever happens again, just reply back!
Have a great weekend!
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