Opening a file (either by typing Ctrl-x f, AKA Find File) or by typing f on that file in Dired mode), is painfully slow in working directories that have a .git subdirectory.
Even the simplest file (50 lines with mostly comments) could take up to 8 seconds to open.
The same file, in a different directory not managed by Git, opens in a jiffy, immediately.
Why is this happening and how can I fix this without disabling vc-mode? (since one of the main reasons I use Emacs is its M-x ediff-revision)
UPDATE 1: Thanks to @sanityinc's answer below, I ran ELP Profiling and this is what I received (for a very small file, 69 lines, 59 of which are plain comments):
Function Name Call Count Elapsed Time Average Time
------------- ---------- ------------ ------------
vc-call-backend 11 23.023 2.093
vc-find-file-hook 1 8.757 8.757
vc-mode-line 1 7.812 7.812
vc-default-mode-line-string 1 7.345 7.345
vc-state-refresh 1 6.921 6.921
vc-state 1 6.921 6.921
vc-default-state-heuristic 1 6.921 6.921
vc-registered 1 0.945 0.945
vc-backend 1 0.945 0.945
vc-git-registered 1 0.912 0.912
vc-working-revision 1 0.4240000000 0.4240000000
vc-find-root 4 0.0990000000 0.0247500000
vconcat 623 0.0220000000 3.53...e-005
vc-bzr-registered 1 0.016 0.016
vc-check-master-templates 2 0.014 0.007
vc-default-registered 2 0.014 0.007
vc-rcs-registered 1 0.008 0.008
vc-sccs-registered 1 0.006 0.006
vc-svn-registered 1 0.002 0.002
vc-cvs-registered 1 0.001 0.001
vc-sccs-search-project-dir 1 0.0 0.0
vc-kill-buffer-hook 6 0.0 0.0
vc-find-backend-function 11 0.0 0.0
vc-default-find-file-hook 1 0.0 0.0
vc-possible-master 6 0.0 0.0
vc-file-clearprops 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-setprop 3 0.0 0.0
vc-file-getprop 5 0.0 0.0
vc-make-backend-sym 15 0.0 0.0
This is great information but I am not an Emacs/elisp expert, so how where do I go from here?
UPDATE 2: After putting this problem on the back burner for a while, I came across this great blog post: Cygwin slow start up: the culprit discovered! which essentially suggests starting bash completion in the background. I quickly implemented it and re-ran the ELP profiling test:
vc-call-backend 11 14.489 1.317
vc-find-file-hook 1 5.488 5.488
vc-mode-line 1 5.118 5.118
vc-default-mode-line-string 1 4.719 4.719
vc-state-refresh 1 4.282 4.282
vc-state 1 4.282 4.282
vc-default-state-heuristic 1 4.282 4.282
vc-working-revision 1 0.437 0.437
vc-registered 1 0.37 0.37
vc-backend 1 0.37 0.37
vc-git-registered 1 0.34 0.34
vc-find-root 4 0.088 0.022
vc-bzr-registered 1 0.015 0.015
vc-check-master-templates 2 0.013 0.0065
vc-default-registered 2 0.013 0.0065
vc-rcs-registered 1 0.007 0.007
vc-sccs-registered 1 0.006 0.006
vc-cvs-registered 1 0.001 0.001
vconcat 623 0.001 1.60...e-006
vc-svn-registered 1 0.001 0.001
vc-sccs-search-project-dir 1 0.0 0.0
vc-kill-buffer-hook 6 0.0 0.0
vc-find-backend-function 11 0.0 0.0
vc-default-find-file-hook 1 0.0 0.0
vc-possible-master 6 0.0 0.0
vc-file-clearprops 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-setprop 3 0.0 0.0
vc-file-getprop 5 0.0 0.0
vc-make-backend-sym 15 0.0 0.0
It's great to see vc-call-backend going down from 23 seconds to 14 seconds, but this is still unacceptable (finding a CVS-controlled file takes less than a split-second!).
UPDATE 3: Unable to solve the mystery, I tried my luck by upgrading to the latest cygwin (1.7.9-1). That didn't help.
So, I decided to try moving the sandbox (along with its .git subdirectory) from the Samba share to local storage (C:UsersWinWinDocuments). I then re-ran the ELP profiling test:
vc-call-backend 11 2.082 0.1892727272
vc-find-file-hook 1 0.897 0.897
vc-git--call 7 0.8929999999 0.1275714285
vc-git-mode-line-string 1 0.78 0.78
vc-mode-line 1 0.78 0.78
vc-default-mode-line-string 1 0.655 0.655
vc-git--out-ok 5 0.6519999999 0.1304
vc-git-state 1 0.53 0.53
vc-state-refresh 1 0.53 0.53
vc-state 1 0.53 0.53
vc-default-state-heuristic 1 0.53 0.53
vc-git-working-revision 2 0.25 0.125
vc-git-registered 2 0.2239999999 0.1119999999
vc-git--run-command-string 1 0.18 0.18
vc-working-revision 1 0.125 0.125
vc-registered 1 0.1169999999 0.1169999999
vc-backend 2 0.1169999999 0.0584999999
vc-git--empty-db-p 1 0.11 0.11
vc-find-root 3 0.003 0.001
vc-git-root 2 0.002 0.001
vc-check-master-templates 2 0.001 0.0005
vc-sccs-registered 1 0.001 0.001
vc-default-registered 2 0.001 0.0005
vc-bzr-registered 1 0.001 0.001
vc-rcs-registered 1 0.0 0.0
vc-sccs-search-project-dir 1 0.0 0.0
vc-kill-buffer-hook 5 0.0 0.0
vc-default-find-file-hook 1 0.0 0.0
vc-possible-master 6 0.0 0.0
vc-cvs-registered 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-clearprops 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-setprop 3 0.0 0.0
vc-file-getprop 5 0.0 0.0
vc-svn-registered 1 0.0 0.0
vc-make-backend-sym 2 0.0 0.0
Wow! That lowered vc-call-backend from 14 seconds to 2 seconds. This is great but not wonderful, because with Emacs/CVS I am able to visit a file in less than 35ms -- on the same Samba share where the sandbox originally resides:
vc-call-backend 5 0.031 0.0062
vc-find-file-hook 1 0.031 0.031
vc-registered 1 0.031 0.031
vc-backend 1 0.031 0.031
vc-rcs-registered 1 0.016 0.016
vc-check-master-templates 1 0.016 0.016
vc-default-registered 1 0.016 0.016
vc-insert-file 1 0.015 0.015
vc-cvs-get-entries 1 0.015 0.015
vc-cvs-registered 1 0.015 0.015
vc-cvs-state-heuristic 1 0.0 0.0
vc-cvs-parse-sticky-tag 1 0.0 0.0
vc-kill-buffer-hook 1 0.0 0.0
vc-find-backend-function 1 0.0 0.0
vc-cvs-parse-entry 1 0.0 0.0
vc-mode-line 1 0.0 0.0
vc-default-find-file-hook 1 0.0 0.0
vc-possible-master 3 0.0 0.0
vc-cvs-mode-line-string 1 0.0 0.0
vc-default-mode-line-string 1 0.0 0.0
vc-state-refresh 1 0.0 0.0
vc-working-revision 1 0.0 0.0
vc-state 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-clearprops 1 0.0 0.0
vc-file-setprop 5 0.0 0.0
vc-file-getprop 7 0.0 0.0
vc-make-backend-sym 2 0.0 0.0
This raises 2 questions:
- What in the combination of git+cygwin makes it so sensitive to
network speed?
- How can I make git go down to less than 50ms? After all, it is call
"the fast version control system"
Update when using msysgit 1.7.8:
vc-call-backend 11 0.626 0.0569090909
vc-find-file-hook 1 0.281 0.281
vc-mode-line 1 0.2189999999 0.2189999999
vc-default-mode-line-string 1 0.1879999999 0.1879999999
vc-state-refresh 1 0.157 0.157
vc-state 1 0.157 0.157
vc-default-state-heuristic 1
