4 ms·

My browsing experience is very minimalistic: I want adblock, flashblock, and speed. Firefox is bloated and slow on every platform I've used it on since Firefox

by pnathan 15y ago

My browsing experience is very minimalistic: I want adblock, flashblock, and speed. Firefox is bloated and slow on every platform I've used it on since Firefox 3. Back when Firefox was Phoenix (0.7 or so), its goal was to be "lean and mean", so I switched from Mozilla Netscape. I use Chrome because it's fast and does exactly what I need it for. If Firefox wants me back, it will have to be much faster (UI, not web-wise), and not suck memory like a vacuum cleaner. Likely it'll have to use per-process tabs with some spiff sandboxing too. Chrome continuous update is pretty awesome as well.

JonnieCache 15y ago
>and not suck memory like a vacuum cleaner. Not this again. It isn't 2003. If you want speed, then you want your browser to take up as much RAM as possible. What else is it there for? Storing recipes? Trust your kernel to manage your memory, it's cleverer and better qualified than you.
- shin_lao 15y ago
  FF consumes more memory than IE9 on my machine and is much slower. Consuming too much memory can slow down your program, especially if your memory gets fragmented. The kernel only manages the virtual memory, processes manage the heap themselves through an userland library (provided by the OS or a third party).
  - JonnieCache 15y ago
    Good points. I probably spoke a little too hastily. I have become a bit aggressive about allegations of firefox's memory 'leaks' over the years, but I guess this is one place where people are actually informed enough to make them legitimately :)
- pnathan 15y ago
  No, actually, I want my browser to take minimal CPU and minimal RAM. The browser is not the point of my computer use. Usually my editing and compilation is what my computer is for, and I hate every cycle that slows down my workflow. And, for what its worth, I clocked FF as breaking 500MB only a year or two ago, and I run under 10 tabs. Chrome does this better (or should), since it uses process-based tabs, which allow the kernel to manage memory, not the browser.
scarmig 15y ago
I've found that turning off Firebug significantly improves Firefox's performance. Have others had this experience?
- carussell 15y ago
  This is known to be the case. Every now and then there are spats about it. One of the most recent occurrences was when the Add-Ons team decided to revamp policy to block add-ons with poor performance. <http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.governance/browse_thread/thread/c3c94b856dd4d2f3&#62 http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.governance/browse_thr...;

by pnathan 15y ago

JonnieCache 15y ago

>and not suck memory like a vacuum cleaner. Not this again. It isn't 2003. If you want speed, then you want your browser to take up as much RAM as possible. What else is it there for? Storing recipes? Trust your kernel to manage your memory, it's cleverer and better qualified than you.

shin_lao 15y ago
FF consumes more memory than IE9 on my machine and is much slower. Consuming too much memory can slow down your program, especially if your memory gets fragmented. The kernel only manages the virtual memory, processes manage the heap themselves through an userland library (provided by the OS or a third party).
- JonnieCache 15y ago
  Good points. I probably spoke a little too hastily. I have become a bit aggressive about allegations of firefox's memory 'leaks' over the years, but I guess this is one place where people are actually informed enough to make them legitimately :)
pnathan 15y ago
No, actually, I want my browser to take minimal CPU and minimal RAM. The browser is not the point of my computer use. Usually my editing and compilation is what my computer is for, and I hate every cycle that slows down my workflow. And, for what its worth, I clocked FF as breaking 500MB only a year or two ago, and I run under 10 tabs. Chrome does this better (or should), since it uses process-based tabs, which allow the kernel to manage memory, not the browser.

scarmig 15y ago

I've found that turning off Firebug significantly improves Firefox's performance. Have others had this experience?

carussell 15y ago
This is known to be the case. Every now and then there are spats about it. One of the most recent occurrences was when the Add-Ons team decided to revamp policy to block add-ons with poor performance. <http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.governance/browse_thread/thread/c3c94b856dd4d2f3&#62 http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.governance/browse_thr...;