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Question about Safari's progress bar
- Thread starter Yr Blues
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Progress bar means your page is loading. In other words, Safari is "talking" to the server of the page you are attempting to load. If it stalls, it simply means communication between the server and Safari has stalled.
The "pinwheel" isn't about browser-to-server and back communication. When you see the pinwheel, it means your system is busy. I.E. either RAM, Cache, Processor, read/writing to the HD, or any combination of them is experiencing a "traffic jam" (for lack of a better term).
One (the pinwheel) means the computer itself is busy. The progress bar indicates computer-to-server communication is (or is not - if it's stalled) occurring.
EDIT: If you stop seeing the pinwheel when you switch to another program it means the "traffic jam" is only affecting Safari, but it's pretty common to start seeing it in other programs too if you don't wait for it to go away first. If you keep trying to get things to work in other programs while one program is busy, it can cause the pinwheel to appear constantly, perhaps even locking up the entire OS, forcing a hard shut down, so patience is best.
The "pinwheel" isn't about browser-to-server and back communication. When you see the pinwheel, it means your system is busy. I.E. either RAM, Cache, Processor, read/writing to the HD, or any combination of them is experiencing a "traffic jam" (for lack of a better term).
One (the pinwheel) means the computer itself is busy. The progress bar indicates computer-to-server communication is (or is not - if it's stalled) occurring.
EDIT: If you stop seeing the pinwheel when you switch to another program it means the "traffic jam" is only affecting Safari, but it's pretty common to start seeing it in other programs too if you don't wait for it to go away first. If you keep trying to get things to work in other programs while one program is busy, it can cause the pinwheel to appear constantly, perhaps even locking up the entire OS, forcing a hard shut down, so patience is best.
thanks, that's the first time I've ever seen it explained. the "pinwheel" seems to take forever sometimes, especially Gmail. Chrome does the same, maybe because of webkit. Firefox seems to be more stable and reliable even though it's getting old in the tooth.
Actually, I just realized you're talking about the "spinning thing" in the tabs, aren't you? Not the multi-colored "pinwheel" you sometimes see when the system itself is temporarily stuck.
That's not the same thing. The one in the tabs is a little different. It's just an indicator that communication between the browser and server is still occurring. Sometimes the progress bar will stall, but that spinner keeps spinning. The one is just letting you know communication has "stalled" but if the spinner is still spinning there is still a connection.
It's really nothing more than a "feel good" thing to placate users. A lot of users don't like to see "nothing happening" because it makes them feel as though nothing is, when in reality your computer and the server are still connected. It's kind of like being on the phone with someone who's on the phone with a dozen other people, but they're talking to them, not you for a while. Think of the spinner as kind of "hold music" that's only there to let you know the connection is still good.
That's not the same thing. The one in the tabs is a little different. It's just an indicator that communication between the browser and server is still occurring. Sometimes the progress bar will stall, but that spinner keeps spinning. The one is just letting you know communication has "stalled" but if the spinner is still spinning there is still a connection.
It's really nothing more than a "feel good" thing to placate users. A lot of users don't like to see "nothing happening" because it makes them feel as though nothing is, when in reality your computer and the server are still connected. It's kind of like being on the phone with someone who's on the phone with a dozen other people, but they're talking to them, not you for a while. Think of the spinner as kind of "hold music" that's only there to let you know the connection is still good.
Hey, Riverside, thanks.
I, too, had wondered why the loading bar would stall, but the spinning gear would continue.
So now a related question: sometimes the loading bar completely fills and the blue line disappears, but the page is not filled and the spinning gear is still going.
Is that essentially the same situation? i.e. even though the loading bar is clear, the connection between the computer and the server is still good but the loading is just temporarily stalled?
I, too, had wondered why the loading bar would stall, but the spinning gear would continue.
So now a related question: sometimes the loading bar completely fills and the blue line disappears, but the page is not filled and the spinning gear is still going.
Is that essentially the same situation? i.e. even though the loading bar is clear, the connection between the computer and the server is still good but the loading is just temporarily stalled?
Last edited:
Hey, Riverside, thanks.
I, too, had wondered why the loading bar would stall, but the spinning gear would continue.
So now a related question: sometimes the loading bar completely fills and the blue line disappears, but the page is not filled and the spinning gear is still going.
Is that essentially the same situation? i.e. even though the loading bar is clear, the connection between the computer and the server is still god but the loading is just temporarily stalled?
this is actually what I'm essentially asking. the blue progress bar finishes, but the spinning thing keeps going for a while.