Is there a way to stop a browser page dead in its tracks

[NickFitz]

adblock plus = will stop most ads (or other things you decide to include)
ghostery = stops cookie based tracking (won't help much with what you're describing)
if you want to go hardcore = noscript (half the interwebs won't work anymore if you just turn it on, takes a lot of tweaking to make the user experience acceptable, but it has the potential to pragmatically make your browser stop executing code from pages, that means pretty much an html/css only experience)

No, Ghostery blocks ads too. Hence my recommendation to use it for ad blocking

[gixxer1k]

adblock plus = will stop most ads (or other things you decide to include)
ghostery = stops cookie based tracking (won't help much with what you're describing)
if you want to go hardcore = noscript (half the interwebs won't work anymore if you just turn it on, takes a lot of tweaking to make the user experience acceptable, but it has the potential to pragmatically make your browser stop executing code from pages, that means pretty much an html/css only experience)

[NickFitz]

If it's advertising crap causing you grief, install Ghostery. I can even visit my local newspaper's website now! Previously that crippled my browser with dozens of sodding advertising and tracking scripts.

https://www.ghostery.com/our-solutio...ser-extension/

FWIW, hitting the Esc key is the equivalent of the prominent "Stop" button browsers used to have back in Netscape Navigator days; but nowadays, if the scripts have started, it's probably too late already.

[OwlHoot]

If you use process explorer you can suspend a process if that helps.

But would that still allow one to view a page in the browser, and use the slider bar to reposition it?

Ideally I'd like a solution where the browser was still displaying the page, with basic controls (including link-clicking) still available, but no "autonomous" activity beavering away at the same time.

[Platypus]

Also...
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1103127
How to Stop Auto-Playing HTML5 Videos in Your Web Browser

[Platypus]

Adblock?

[VectraMan]

If you use process explorer you can suspend a process if that helps.

[OwlHoot]

I am fed up with video-laden pages constantly churning away and caning the bollox off my browser, often to the extent that it fades out with the "Not Responding" message for seconds at a time (Firefox anyway - Chrome seems somewhat better in that regard.)

So I wondered if there is some browser app, or even Windows system app, that could stop the rendering of a page and suspend all related process after a configurable interval from when the main page was first requested.

It can't be that difficult surely. I mean, given enough time and effort, I could probably cobble together some sort of browser myself from various bits and pieces of open-source software.

As well as easing the viewing of these rogue pages, I imagine a stop/start facility like this (or more generally a "slow-motion rendering" mode) might be useful for web development.