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SUBMITTED (33056) - [BUG] Forum Avatars "Scrambled"


knowschad

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Understood, but I'm trying to keep this thread on topic without veering wildly off into speculationland. Please help me by avoiding such editorial comments.

No problem. In the future I will keep all suggestions and problem reports to myself to avoid the appearance of speculation.

 

But you could answer the question of what, besides posting links to the correct images, we should be doing to help you solve the problem.

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No problem. In the future I will keep all suggestions and problem reports to myself to avoid the appearance of speculation.

 

Let's not get snippy. I simply ask that we avoid filling the thread with suggestions on what the cause might be, especially when the guesses come from those who do not experience the issue. We have dedicated engineers here who know the system far better than those on the outside, and they simply need to be able to reproduce the issue to track it down.

 

But you could answer the question of what, besides posting links to the correct images, we should be doing to help you solve the problem.

 

Posting screen captures is of little help. What is most useful is indicating what OS, browser and version the account experiencing the issue is running, what images are seen and if they exist elsewhere on the same page or not, and when the incidents occur. It seems as though the majority of people reporting this have seen the issue only in the immediate period following deployment of a site update in which we have made changes to the image handler. Only a couple seem to be encountering a persistent issue. Note that even when logging in as those users and using the same browser family that they reportedly use, we cannot reproduce the problem internally.

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If anyone is up for some hard-core debugging, get Wireshark. Put it into capture mode using a capture filter of "host img.geocaching.com" and let it run while you browse around the website or the forums. Once you see an image mixed up, note its URL (right-click, view image), stop the capture and save it to a file. Then either post the file here or send it to me, or maybe someone from Groundspeak might wanna take a look at it. The capture file will show what was actually sent to the browser. As an added bonus, do all of the above just after clearing your browser cache and restarting it.

Edited by dfx
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If anyone is up for some hard-core debugging, get Wireshark. Put it into capture mode using a capture filter of "host img.geocaching.com" and let it run while you browse around the website or the forums. [...] The capture file will show what was actually sent to the browser.

While you're at it you can even put your NIC in promiscuous mode and check out what your neighbours are up to if they're not using protection. B)

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If anyone is up for some hard-core debugging, get Wireshark. Put it into capture mode using a capture filter of "host img.geocaching.com" and let it run while you browse around the website or the forums. [...] The capture file will show what was actually sent to the browser.

While you're at it you can even put your NIC in promiscuous mode and check out what your neighbours are up to if they're not using protection. B)

 

Uhm, not really. First of all, Wireshark puts the interface into promisc mode by default anyway. But unless you're on a network that isn't packet switched, which basically don't exist these days, you're not gonna see squat. You might see some stray broadcast frames, but you get those anyway, even without promisc mode.

 

Unless you're talking wireless of course, but then promisc isn't enough, you'd have to enable monitor mode on the interface.

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When talking about what could cause this mixing up of images on a page at the users side, I have to emphasise that I'm not the only one experiencing this phenoma. Maybe I'm in the focus at the moment, but I'm certainly not the only one having this issue.

Recently nothing has been altered in my system, except a regular update of my O/S (Window Vista) and browser (Internet Explorer). And the problem was showing before my most recent update.

Furtermore I cannot find any relation between having the browsercache cleaned or not.

But....I've mentioned it before....every time the page gets messed up the browser has been waiting for images to be downloaded.....and that can take quite some time. I've timed it and found delays as big as 2 minutes and 13 seconds to download the page completely. In that case the bulk of the page is loaded fairly quickly..2-3 seconds but with open spaces for the images to be displayed. The images affected are not necessarely just avatars. Also images in the postings themselves are/can be affected.

When the page loads in a flash, there can be a faulty image, but in general the page is loaded correctly, without a single fault.

I assumed I was contributing to finding a solution by posting screenshots and posting links for the images showing in those screenshots, but now I understand that this is of no value. So I'll refrain from doing that.

My thinking was that 1 picture is showing much more than many words can tell.......

If there is anything else I can do and Groundspeak appreciates my contribution, please let me know.

 

Regards

Edited by Pocileh
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The problems are ONLY being reported for GS sites.

There was a Site update at the same time the problems started.

 

Just because the symptoms cannot be replicated internally doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.

 

Whether the problem is at the User end or Site end.

At least accept there IS a problem.

 

I'm using XP Pro, IE7, Avast AV.

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No one has said the problem doesn't exist. We just need more information to try to reproduce it and fix it.

Surely, it should be SUBMITTED then.

 

No, that's not how it works. We don't enter issues into the bug database without repro steps. That, however, does not mean that the team is not aware of the issue and investigating.

 

And please refrain from posting anything in this section of the forums that does not involve a feature request, a bug report, or info that will help in tracking down an issue. Thank you for your cooperation.

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No one has said the problem doesn't exist. We just need more information to try to reproduce it and fix it.

Surely, it should be SUBMITTED then.

 

No, that's not how it works. We don't enter issues into the bug database without repro steps. That, however, does not mean that the team is not aware of the issue and investigating.

Maybe Groundspeak should be more open about what it's doing!! This is - as far as I know - the first real indication that the team is undertaking real action. All I've read so far is that GS has not been able to reproduce the problem.

As far as I understand GS is a commercial institute and we are paying customers. So may we expect GS to respond to our problem in an open and explaining way? This is not a cosy chat forum, part of a group of friends.

And please refrain from posting anything in this section of the forums that does not involve a feature request, a bug report, or info that will help in tracking down an issue. Thank you for your cooperation.

If you are in need of more info....I've tried to provide information as good as possible. That was declined by you by saying that info was of no use. Other member have reported that it's only the GS site that is affected and I - being member of quite some forums - can only say they are right.

So far I've not seen any info from GS as how we can provide the necessary info. You should give us info about the kind of info you need to solve this annoying and confusing matter instead of letting us in the dark.

Edited by Pocileh
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No one has said the problem doesn't exist. We just need more information to try to reproduce it and fix it.

Surely, it should be SUBMITTED then.

 

Just to reiterate Moun10Bike's comment, we do not submit a bug into our system until we have reproduction steps. That is the role of the lackeys who have initial contact with our users. Most of the time, the bug is reproducable but when it isn't we turn to you to help us determine the perfect storm of factors that are creating the bug. Sometimes these bugs only occur within the scope of a specific set of circumstances. We truly appreciate those that help us to pin it down.

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I wanted to post an update letting everyone know that we have both the dev team and the IT team looking into this issue. We have not been able to reproduce the issue yet, but by seeing who is affected, when they are affected, and what system they are running, we hope to be able to narrow down the circumstances that lead to the behavior. Helping us to collect that info is the best means of help that you can provide at this time; I apologize if I have been unclear about that.

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Most of the time, the bug is reproducable but when it isn't we turn to you to help us determine the perfect storm of factors that are creating the bug. Sometimes these bugs only occur within the scope of a specific set of circumstances. We truly appreciate those that help us to pin it down.

 

And the question is........?

 

So far I've not seen any questions asked by GS regarding this matter, other than general information like O/S, browser being used, but nothing to pinpoint the problem.

JHolly has made some remarks and I think he's knowledgeable ( I know him from other fora as well) but this has been turned down as being just guessing and speculation...

 

So again: And the question is........?

So we can help you to tackle this problem.

 

Regards,

Edited by Pocileh
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Pocileh, there is unfortunately not much that users can do at this point to help other than provide the data that you have already provided. Knowing who is affected and when is the primary data that we need. Our engineering teams are investigating the issue and I will be sure to pass along any questions they may have as they look deeper into the problem.

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But....I've mentioned it before....every time the page gets messed up the browser has been waiting for images to be downloaded.....and that can take quite some time. I've timed it and found delays as big as 2 minutes and 13 seconds to download the page completely. In that case the bulk of the page is loaded fairly quickly..2-3 seconds but with open spaces for the images to be displayed. The images affected are not necessarely just avatars. Also images in the postings themselves are/can be affected.

When the page loads in a flash, there can be a faulty image, but in general the page is loaded correctly, without a single fault.

 

Given that Pocileh has said that he is only seeing it after what appears to be a slowdown, the type of internet connection and speed may be useful information to have, also are others that have had this problem also seeing a delay like that before the images load.

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FWIW: I'm on ADSL-connection 8Mb down/ 1Mb up.

There are two more computers connected to this line, but in general they are switched off.

I only have this problem when visiting the GS-site.

I'm a subscribed member of 9 fora (GS is one of them).

 

Another thing I noticed today and yesterday (and probably was happening before without me noticing it) is that, when the browser is waiting for images to load, it's allways waiting for 4 or 5 images to be downloaded, never 1 or 2 or 6 or more.

And when they load they finally load in a flash, because all I see is a message like : "downloading 5 images: http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/....." staying visible for 1 to 2 minutes (sometimes even longer) and then the message disappears and the images are visable. So it's not counting down like 5 after a few seconds 4, 3, 2 and so on.

 

Regards,

Edited by Pocileh
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My ISP is XS4All if that matters.

And if the ISP is caching why does the page load quickly and correctly sometimes and not allways?

Then you would expect the same behaviour every time. And then - like the remark Technetium made - why only when on the GS and GC domains.

Don't know or it's of any importance, but Ziggo as well as XS4All are providers in the Netherlands. XS4All is available virtually everywhere and Ziggo in about half the Netherlands.

 

Cheers,

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After having no problems with this issue for almost a week, I was beginning to feel left out. Then this morning in another thread: The images were slow to load; the images that loaded correctly loaded first and the others took still longer--Moun10Bike had my avatar, technetium had Dr.Moro's and milvus-milvus had Keystone's. (These were in all posts by these individuals.) After I refreshed the page, it was exactly the same.

 

But later, everything was correct--and all loaded quickly.

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I wanted to post an update letting everyone know that we have both the dev team and the IT team looking into this issue. We have not been able to reproduce the issue yet, but by seeing who is affected, when they are affected, and what system they are running, we hope to be able to narrow down the circumstances that lead to the behavior. Helping us to collect that info is the best means of help that you can provide at this time; I apologize if I have been unclear about that.

 

This has happened to me several times, though not in past 2 weeks or so. Running FF and Vista. When it happened it seemed totally random. I was not doing anything differently as far as I know. Sometimes it lasted a few minutes and others only a few seconds and once I refreshed the screen everything was OK.

Edited by briansnat
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I did the following tests:

 

1) open IE

2) go to www.geocaching.com

3) logged the avatar that could not be loaded in the "Recent Activity moving screen" , logged the web server IE was connected to

4) close IE

5) goto step 1)

 

result:

 

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/05f8f9fa-840a-4a55-8c91-ac09b4f43842.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/495cfd72-ad09-4a2c-8167-aa2afa910a77.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg'>http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/f343ec72-63f8-4073-a2dd-22a19bf041e9.jpg'>http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/f343ec72-63f8-4073-a2dd-22a19bf041e9.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/de5718ff-0859-4058-982e-cec663c42da1.jpg'>http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/de5718ff-0859-4058-982e-cec663c42da1.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/f343ec72-63f8-4073-a2dd-22a19bf041e9.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/c7318557-0f67-4e93-9cbf-ff692c49a9b0.jpg'>http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/c7318557-0f67-4e93-9cbf-ff692c49a9b0.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/c7318557-0f67-4e93-9cbf-ff692c49a9b0.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/134911_200.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/de5718ff-0859-4058-982e-cec663c42da1.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/63ddc37f-9d5f-4111-8c00-a8aeb27b4abd.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/134911_200.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/6096baca-631a-4349-af0b-c04e65414b46.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b5fc70fc-8490-4fce-846f-84f569b08188.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/55d69a11-9a02-4499-9830-0a97e49e0eef.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/e3f3fc81-1af7-431b-8d75-f7845192ed52.jpg'>http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/e3f3fc81-1af7-431b-8d75-f7845192ed52.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/e3f3fc81-1af7-431b-8d75-f7845192ed52.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/dfaac2f1-7182-49a0-bc0d-715005d1de41.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

 

May be this test can help GS in finding the root cause.

 

If you need more or other info, let me know.

Edited by DanPan
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I've been trying to stay out of this since initiating this thread, but as a software developer with over twenty years of experience, I must say that yeah, it is great when you can duplicate your customer's problem. Then you can step & trace or do other debugging steps to determine what code was causing the problem. Being able to duplicate the problem also helps you to ascertain that you have fixed the problem instead of simply waiting to see if it happens again. BUT... sometimes you simply don't have that luxury, and the best you can do is to look at recent changes, consider the symptoms, and do your best to figure out how they may come together. I think that its obvious by now that your customers have a problem. The few that have reported it represent quite a few that have not reported it, and I think it would be great to at least hear "Please have patience...we're still working on it" once in a while.

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Try to load an avatar simultaneously in two windows.

9 times out of 10 one will hang.

If you leave it to timeout the wrong image or nothing appears.

 

However, if you stop it and Refresh, it works fine.

 

Is there some sort of access time limit ?

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/05f8f9fa-840a-4a55-8c91-ac09b4f43842.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/495cfd72-ad09-4a2c-8167-aa2afa910a77.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/f343ec72-63f8-4073-a2dd-22a19bf041e9.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/de5718ff-0859-4058-982e-cec663c42da1.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b239d28b-6461-4693-9ff0-b5740eeb91fa.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/f343ec72-63f8-4073-a2dd-22a19bf041e9.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/c7318557-0f67-4e93-9cbf-ff692c49a9b0.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/c7318557-0f67-4e93-9cbf-ff692c49a9b0.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/134911_200.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/de5718ff-0859-4058-982e-cec663c42da1.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/63ddc37f-9d5f-4111-8c00-a8aeb27b4abd.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/134911_200.jpg <!-- Server: WEB01; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/6096baca-631a-4349-af0b-c04e65414b46.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/b5fc70fc-8490-4fce-846f-84f569b08188.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/55d69a11-9a02-4499-9830-0a97e49e0eef.jpg <!-- Server: WEB06; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/e3f3fc81-1af7-431b-8d75-f7845192ed52.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/e3f3fc81-1af7-431b-8d75-f7845192ed52.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/dfaac2f1-7182-49a0-bc0d-715005d1de41.jpg <!-- Server: WEB12; Build: Web.HotFix_20111212.1 -->

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Try to load an avatar simultaneously in two windows.

9 times out of 10 one will hang.

If you leave it to timeout the wrong image or nothing appears.

 

However, if you stop it and Refresh, it works fine.

 

Is there some sort of access time limit ?

That is also my experience.

 

Indeed, if you have just one IE window/session open to www.geocaching.com it seems to work fine.

 

If you open a second IE window/session to www.geocaching.com the "recent activity" has problems with loading the avatars.

If you do a refresh in window one the "recent activity" has the same problems with loading the avatars.

 

If you have just one IE window/session open and do a refresh, same issue with loading the avatars.

 

So the issue is reproducible...

Edited by DanPan
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How to reproduce the "avatar" problem:

 

1) open an IE window and connect to www.geocaching.com

2) open a second IE windows and connect to the geocaching forums and open this topic

3) do a simultaneous refresh (F5) in both windows, the refresh will hang (timeout) on loading the avatars from the image server.

4) After the timeout: in the www.geocaching.com window no avatars are displayed in "Recent Activity"; in the forum wrong avatars appear.

Edited by DanPan
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How to reproduce the "avatar" problem:

 

1) open an IE window and connect to www.geocaching.com

2) open a second IE windows and connect to the geocaching forums

3) do a simultaneous refresh (F5) in both windows, the refresh will hang (timeout) on loading the avatars from the image server.

4) After the timeout: in the www.geocaching.com window no avatars are displayed in "Recent Activity"; in the forum wrong avatars appear.

 

Wow!!! I haven't been able to reproduce the scrambled avatars issue yet, but I sure do see what you guys mean by a delay loading the avatars!!

 

I normally use Firefox, but for this, I fired up my seldom used IE 8 (running XP, so that's the newest I can use, I believe). I am STILL stuck, after at least 15 minutes, downloading 4 items (avatars) in the forums! The cache page (log) avatars loaded fine for me at first, but I hit F5 to refresh, and not those have been stuck at downloading avatars. Neither one seems to be making any progress any more. The cache page logs do show some avatars, and they are not scrambled, but many are not showing any.

 

Both pages say "(n Items remaining) Downloading picture http://img.geocaching.com/user/avatar/<GUID> and a stuck progress bar.

 

In the time it has taken me to write this, there has yet to be any progress. The browser connected to the forum is still spinning its wheels at 4 items remaining, and the refreshed cache page is still showing 2 items remaining (although there are many more logs than 2 that are missing avatars)

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My weekly Friday update.

Intermittently, img.geocaching.com times out after a few minutes and I get confused avatars.

 

WE are now able to reproduce the error.

Open an avatar image in two windows and refresh them both at the same time.

 

I have seen the problem in IE7 AND FireFox.

 

I just tried from the office, and I am not able to reproduce the problems that I experienced last night. Still using IE8 here, as well. Everything loads reasonable fast and avatars are right where they are supposed to be.

 

What exactly to you mean by, "Open an avatar image in two windows"? Use the "View Image" menu option so you only see the avatar? By "two windows", do you mean two separate browsers, or two separate tabs in the same browser?

 

And what do you mean by "refresh them both at the same time."? Nearly the same time is possible, but at the same time is not. Not trying to be a stickler for language here... just making sure that I'm doing the same thing as you. I'm hitting F5 in one brower, switching to the other browser and also hitting F5, but by that time, the avatars in the first browser are already loaded.

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I'm seeing this not only in the list of logs for a waypoint, but in this Forum.

 

Yes, that is the issue that started this topic, actually. It was only after that that it was learned that it happens elsewhere, also. Do you happen to know how you can make it happen at will? That's really what we are looking for here.

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What exactly to you mean by, "Open an avatar image in two windows"? Use the "View Image" menu option so you only see the avatar? By "two windows", do you mean two separate browsers, or two separate tabs in the same browser?

 

And what do you mean by "refresh them both at the same time."? Nearly the same time is possible, but at the same time is not. Not trying to be a stickler for language here... just making sure that I'm doing the same thing as you. I'm hitting F5 in one brower, switching to the other browser and also hitting F5, but by that time, the avatars in the first browser are already loaded.

Just for curiosity I launched IE, opened this thread into two tabs and in another tab I had gc.com index page (with logs from all over the world). Then I rightclicked on one tab and selected "refresh all". And to my surprise it happened. The loading circle kept spinning on all three tabs, after a minute or so the forums stopped loading and there was definitely some scrambled avatars. The GC.com site showed new logs, but the avatars were empty.

 

I haven't managed this with FF.

I used IE 9.0.4 on Win7

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