On my new Gentoo installation I experience quite slow xdvi startup (7seconds). This has come as a surprise to me, as the machine is generally faster than the previous one. A strace on xdvi on startup reveals thousands of polls like: rt_sigreturn(0x1d) = 1 read(3, "\1\0k\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0", 4096) = 32 read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN|POLLOUT}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLOUT}]) writev(3, [{"1\0\n\0\1\0\35\0", 8}, {"*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-ISO8859-5", 29}, {"\0\0\0", 3}], 3) = 40 poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLIN}]) --- SIGIO (I/O possible) @ 0 (0) --- rt_sigreturn(0x1d) = 1 read(3, "\1\0l\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0", 4096) = 32 read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN|POLLOUT}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLOUT}]) writev(3, [{"1\0\n\0\1\0\37\0", 8}, {"*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-ISO8859-5", 31}, {"\0", 1}], 3) = 40 poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLIN}]) --- SIGIO (I/O possible) @ 0 (0) --- rt_sigreturn(0x1d) = 1 read(3, "\1\0m\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0", 4096) = 32 read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN|POLLOUT}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLOUT}]) writev(3, [{"1\0\v\0\1\0!\0", 8}, {"*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-ISO8859-"..., 33}, {"\0\0\0", 3}], 3) = 44 poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLIN}]) --- SIGIO (I/O possible) @ 0 (0) --- rt_sigreturn(0x1d) = 1 read(3, "\1\0n\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0", 4096) = 32 read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) read(3, 0x20f5b24, 4096) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable) poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN|POLLOUT}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLOUT}]) writev(3, [{"1\0\v\0\1\0#\0", 8}, {"*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-ISO885"..., 35}, {"\0", 1}], 3) = 44 poll([{fd=3, events=POLLIN}], 1, -1) = 1 ([{fd=3, revents=POLLIN}]) which seems there is a search for tons of (not present?) fonts. This behaviour is independent of the .dvi file in question. $ emerge --info Portage 2.1.9.30 (default/linux/amd64/10.0/desktop/kde, gcc-4.5.2, glibc-2.12.2-r0, 2.6.36-tuxonice x86_64) ================================================================= System uname: Linux-2.6.36-tuxonice-x86_64-Intel-R-_Core-TM-2_Duo_CPU_T9600_@_2.80GHz-with-gentoo-2.0.1 Timestamp of tree: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 08:30:01 +0000 distcc 3.1 x86_64-pc-linux-gnu [enabled] app-shells/bash: 4.1_p9 dev-java/java-config: 2.1.11-r3 dev-lang/python: 2.6.6-r1, 2.7.1, 3.1.3 dev-util/cmake: 2.8.3-r1 sys-apps/baselayout: 2.0.1-r1 sys-apps/openrc: 0.6.8 sys-apps/sandbox: 2.4 sys-devel/autoconf: 2.13, 2.68 sys-devel/automake: 1.8.5-r4, 1.9.6-r3, 1.10.3, 1.11.1 sys-devel/binutils: 2.21 sys-devel/gcc: 4.4.5, 4.5.2 sys-devel/gcc-config: 1.4.1 sys-devel/libtool: 2.4-r1 sys-devel/make: 3.82 virtual/os-headers: 2.6.36.1 (sys-kernel/linux-headers) ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="amd64 ~amd64" ... LINGUAS="de en cs" eix -cI texlive [I] app-text/texlive (2010@12/12/2010): A complete TeX distribution [I] app-text/texlive-core (2010@12/14/2010): A complete TeX distribution [I] dev-texlive/texlive-basic (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Essential programs and files [I] dev-texlive/texlive-bibtexextra (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Extra BibTeX styles [I] dev-texlive/texlive-documentation-base (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive TeX Live documentation [I] dev-texlive/texlive-fontsextra (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Extra fonts [I] dev-texlive/texlive-fontsrecommended (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Recommended fonts [I] dev-texlive/texlive-fontutils (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive TeX and Outline font utilities [I] dev-texlive/texlive-formatsextra (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Extra formats [I] dev-texlive/texlive-genericextra (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Extra generic packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-genericrecommended (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive Recommended generic packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-htmlxml (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive HTML/SGML/XML support [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langcjk (2010@12/14/2010): TeXLive Chinese, Japanese, Korean [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langcyrillic (2010@12/14/2010): TeXLive Cyrillic [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langczechslovak (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Czech/Slovak [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langenglish (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive US and UK English [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langgerman (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive German [I] dev-texlive/texlive-langukenglish (2009@11/08/2010): TeXLive UK English [I] dev-texlive/texlive-latex (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Basic LaTeX packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-latex3 (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive LaTeX3 packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-latexextra (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive LaTeX supplementary packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-latexrecommended (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive LaTeX recommended packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-mathextra (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive Advanced math typesetting [I] dev-texlive/texlive-metapost (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive MetaPost (and Metafont) drawing packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-omega (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Omega [I] dev-texlive/texlive-pictures (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Graphics packages and programs [I] dev-texlive/texlive-plainextra (2010@11/21/2010): TeXLive Plain TeX supplementary packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-pstricks (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive PSTricks packages [I] dev-texlive/texlive-science (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive Typesetting for natural and computer sciences [I] dev-texlive/texlive-texinfo (2010@11/22/2010): TeXLive GNU Texinfo [I] dev-texlive/texlive-xetex (2010-r1@11/22/2010): TeXLive XeTeX packages
Please substitute the cat/pkg in the Summary with the provider of the xdvi executable you are referring to.
Version used is app-text/xdvik-22.84.16
Problem does not exist anymore with app-text/xdvik-22.87.03 Ticket can be closed
