microsoft/Terminal

WT should start up fast: profile the startup path and trim anything that takes a while

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#5,907 opened on May 14, 2020

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Area-PerformanceHelp WantedIssue-TaskProduct-Terminal

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Description

Steps to reproduce

  1. Click to launch Windows Terminal

Expected behavior

Windows Terminal should be ready instantaneously like windows console, or like Sublime Text. Windows Terminal can't be slower than windows console.

While Windows Terminal is fast compared with other tools like Visual Studio, or iTunes, it is still not fast enough for a Terminal application.

Actual behavior

It takes too long to startup. It is not ready instantaneously. It's not as fast as windows console.

maintainer note: hijacking OP for task list:

  • Use exactly one ColorPickerFlyout for all tabs, and just redirect it to whatever tab activated it.
  • Delayload the ColorPickerFlyout.
  • Add a setting to disable ALL fragments / dynamic profiles. The app catalog search is expensive.
    • Maybe we can just skip loading dynamic profiles on initial launch, unless we discover that the defaultProfile is a dynamic one... Nah, cause what about for defterm launches that end up matching a dynamic profile.

Contributor guide

Research direction
Profile the startup sequence using tools like Windows Performance Analyzer. Look for slow loading of dynamic profiles and expensive catalog search. Then, implement a setting to disable dynamic profiles or defer their loading.
Tech stack
None
Domain
desktop
Issue type
Performance
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
C++Windows Application Development
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60