bug#2223: 23.0.90; *compilation* hangs and fails to scroll

[Marshall, Simon]

This may be 2 unrelated problems.  However, I'll report them with this one email since the reproduction requires the same steps.

I have a Makefile which builds a library out of a large number of object files.  The compilation command that is output by make is 2826 chars long.  Unfortunately, Emacs hangs part-way through inserting the command into the *compilation* window and then leaves point part-way through the line even though compilation-scroll-output it t.

You will need a Makefile that is going to output a long line.  This works for me:

all:
        @echo the very long line copied from my real makefile

Now emacs -Q and eval in *scratch*

(setq compilation-scroll-output t)
(setq special-display-frame-alist nil)
(setq compile-frame-alist
      (append '((width . 150) (height . 15))
              '((left . 25) (top . 75))
              '((menu-bar-lines . 1))
              special-display-frame-alist))
(setq special-display-buffer-names
      (list (cons "*compilation*" compile-frame-alist)))

Now do Tools > Compile... RET and I see Emacs create the *compilation* window frame and:

(1) insert part of the echo output before hanging (in that the cursor stops blinking and Emacs fails to refresh any frame that you might make visible) for a few seconds, then

(2) resume inserting the echo output but leave point part way through the echo output, then

(3) hang again for a few seconds

After make has finished, point is left as described in (2).  I think the position of point when Emacs hangs in (1) is not the same position of point when Emacs stops scrolling, however that might just be an artifact of the lack of redisplay.

If compile-frame-alist is nil, so that a special frame is not created for the *compilation* window, then (2) does not occur, however (1) and (3) still do.

I also raised the scroll problem (2) with an email "[22.1.91]: scrolling occasionally stops in *compilation*" on 27 Feb 2008.  I don't have a reply archived, but I seem to remember someone saying it was fixed in the then trunk with a patch that was not easily applied to the branch.

In GNU Emacs 23.0.90.1 (sparc-sun-solaris2.8, Motif Version 2.1.0)
 of 2009-02-03 on risksun2
Windowing system distributor `Hummingbird Ltd.', version 11.0.100015
configured using `configure  '--x-includes=/usr/openwin/include:/usr/dt/include:/usr/local/include:/usr/local/X11/include' '--x-libraries=/usr/openwin/lib:/usr/dt/lib:/usr/local/lib:/usr/local/X11/lib' '--with-x-toolkit=motif' '--with-jpeg=no' '--with-gif=no' '--with-tiff=no''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: C
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
  locale-coding-system: nil
  default-enable-multibyte-characters: t

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