need a "STOP" toolbar navigation button

[sandax]

As is, can only "click the X to forcibly close the tab"

need a "stop" button which, when clicked, ceases loading/rendering a page which is taking too long

example of what I mean by "too long":
attempting to view a huge "commit" details page at github.
Instead of closing the tab (will the "back" button even respond at this point) it would be preferable to "stop and I'll just look at what has been rendered so far" (or I'll stop then view-source)

another example: navigating onto an "index of" directory listing containing thousands of items

[Stefan Fröberg]

Actually there is a way currently to forcibly stop long loading page in 1.6.4.
Just press Esc button. For some reason I have forgotted to mention this in
the Appendix A. Key shortcuts.

I don't think this needs extra "Stop" button tought.
I will just change "Go" button to "Stop" button during loading.

[sandax]

thanks, sounds PERFECT...

...but I just now tested, by visiting
http://demo.prestashop.com/en/?view=front

pressing the escape key does NOT halt the javascript processing
(evident via the continually updating image slider widget)

[Stefan Fröberg]

I tried that demo and indeed, pressing Esc will not stop that updating image.
Of course I could stop the whole page loading with Esc.

As this stopping is attached to default implementation of QtWebKit then maybe it's a bug in their end? I will try to investigate more closely the default handling of page stopping in QtWebKit and maybe file a bug to Qt forum or try to find a workaround for stopping JavaScript running.

Mind you that this actually should belong to that javascript panic button thread

[sandax]

Mind you that this actually should belong to that javascript panic button thread

Yeah, separate considerations:

-- panic button to halt page loading and/or halt js/css execution
(not ideal to click Stop button, then untick General:javascript, then refresh page.

-- panic putton to toggle "offline" status (preventing any further http requests while in offline mode)

[sandax]

As you pointed out elsewhere, a given page animation may be "powered by" CSS3.

In that case, if the slider is css-powered, suppressing javascript execution wouldn't prevent it, eh.

Regardless whether operating from a loop, or responding to an event, I would hope Stop button can "stop everything, dammit!"

Already I explained the case of "uh-oh, I've wandered into a HUUUGE indexof page (or github commit page)".
Another scenario is "want to keep this tab/page open, but it contains some pesky embedded cpu-hogging element which runs continually".

A further worry:
If you programmatically "Stop" all page loading and js/css execution,
how can you ensure that execution will not be triggered by a subsequent event?

If "all stop" cannot be achieved, the immediate (privacy-centric) goal would be ability to "tick/toggle" a so-called "offline mode". Once a page has loaded, click, and prevent further xhttp requests. Click again when you're ready to continue.