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I would like to freeze Firefox when I'm not using it. I can manually send SIGSTOP and SIGCONT signals, but obviously this is annoying if not automated. I use the i3 window manager, if relevant.

Reasoning: Firefox and the Internet in general is a horrible, CPU cycle eating monster. I'm pretty sure this would save quite some energy (=battery time).

Nobody
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  • You could possibly write a script using PowerShell and attach to a shortcut. Lowering its priority might also help. Check if you are keeping open tabs with flash, etc. Use an extension to suspend tabs when not actually in use. – Julian Knight May 23 '17 at 21:57
  • @JulianKnight Does PowerShell work in Wine? :P If I set its nice value to 19, that won't change energy usage at all, if I just change priorities then I need to use the processor time for something else if I want Firefox to get less. Of course I have tabs open with terrible websites which contain scripts which do whatever, if I didn't then I wouldn't be surfing the internet. And while I'm using FIrefox I want those scripts to work, even in background, because lots of functionality depends on them. – Nobody May 24 '17 at 08:06
  • My bad for not reading that you were running this on Linux! Powershell is available for Linux now but of course, you don't really want that. In that case, I strongly recommend you get an addin that blocks flash until you release it. Also look for an addin that suspends background tabs after a while. I don't use FF so much now but on Chrome, I use "The Great Suspender". I often have a dozen windows each with a dozen or more tabs open. – Julian Knight May 24 '17 at 09:08
  • @JulianKnight I don't want that additional complexity. While I'm using Firefox, I want stuff to *work*. Addons trying to fix what fucked up websites and browsers broke doesn't usually work well, it's like putting antivirus on some bug-riddled software, like tearing pieces of your clothing off to plug holes in a boat with infinitely many holes. I prefer to have some wet feet with dignity and instead freeze the ocean the boat floats in while I don't need it to move. – Nobody May 24 '17 at 16:12
  • Also, while right now I'm mostly after Firefox, I would also like to do this for other programs. Pretty much every window but terminal emulators. – Nobody May 24 '17 at 16:27
  • Sorry, but you can't really have it every way. Crap websites cause high background usage and current browsers don't manage that well. So you have to stop using those websites, stop keeping them open, use an addin, I can't think of any other options. You want even more, the OS you have chosen works a particular way and you don't like it. So change it, use a different OS or get a better PC, what other options do you want? – Julian Knight May 25 '17 at 08:52
  • @JulianKnight Well, exactly what I described in the question. I tried to explain to you why this is much better (for me) than the alternatives you described. Any I know it's possible, not even hard, I just hoped there would be an easy way not involving me coding it myself. – Nobody May 25 '17 at 12:11

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