Firefox 3.5: Quicker than your quick

[AYHJA]

Firefox 3.5: Need for Speed

The just-released version 3.5 of Firefox is a winner, offering significantly faster Web browsing, better tab handling, a host of interface tweaks and, like just about every other browser on the planet, a "porn mode." If you already use Firefox you'll want to upgrade right away. If you're not a Firefox user, this version represents a very good opportunity to give the browser a test run.

For many people, the browser wars are all about one thing: speed. There's no doubt that version 3.5 of Firefox is significantly faster than version 3. Pages load noticeably more quickly for a number of reasons, not least because Mozilla built a new JavaScript engine called TraceMonkey for this version of Firefox.

How much faster is open to debate. Mozilla says it ran the industry-standard SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark, which measures how quickly browsers render JavaScript, on versions 2, 3 and 3.5 of Firefox, and asserts that the newest version is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3 and more than ten times as fast as Firefox 2 on the test. Other testers have reported similar results.

The new version of Firefox has some nice interface tweaks as well. Primary among them is the ability to re-open tabs or windows that you've previously closed -- functionality that was previously available only through add-ons.

More/Source: http://snipurl.com/laebs

To get the fox, follow the Firefox link on ADC

[¡ñ±£¿®∆L Ф¶†ïς@п]

I just heard about this in passing today. I'm excited. Hopefully it will boast a much-improved initial start time, because i don't have the luxury to stare blannkly into my screen for two minutes waiting for it to finally load.

I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to install it tho, 'cause I want to get rid of all the unused extensions in my current version, see where my bookmarks are exactly, and I want to familiarize myself with the total size that will be needed to accomodate the browser, initially.

[AYHJA]

When a new version comes out, I just create a new profile, and install the extensions as needed...By doing that, just in case something fucks up, or I realize I can't do without a certain functionality, or can't remember my xmarks login, I can revert back to my old version without any problems...

In version 2 I had it big time, but in version 3, I haven't had many problems with start up time...Usually, an extension is at fault for that...

[¡ñ±£¿®∆L Ф¶†ïς@п]

That's an idea. New profile, I'll try that as soon as I get started.

Thanks for the tip (and if indeed some extensions are causing my FF's excessive loading time, I may know exactly which two culprits are to blame.)

[AYHJA]

Well, starting over can be a great and wonderful thing...

To any others that are expecting the do the same, I'd make a couple of suggestions...

The first one is to create your Firefox folder somewhere it is easy accessible to you...For instance, I have a Firefox folder on my C drive that I use to create new profiles...Also, install it to a new directory, don't let it overwrite any older files...

eg: Install to C:\Program Files\Firefox 3.5 and create your new profile folder @ C:\Firefox\ThreePointFive

Don't start out with any extensions, and disable anything on the browser that it tries to do on start...For one, I don't want Firefox checking for updates to my extensions and the browser when it boots...That should shave more than a few seconds off your time for sure...Doing this helps you set the bar...If Firefox takes 8 seconds to start from a Vanilla install, that's a measure of how it is going to perform on your system...

I would say run it for as long as you can before you install any extensions whatsoever...I can't tell you how many extensions I have that are just 'cool' rather than really functional...There are a few I almost always look to install right away, and others that I have just because I think it rocks, to be honest...

I guess we can use this thread to chat about our FF3.5 new beginnings, and what extensions we can't live without...Right off the bat, I think I'm going to install Ad-block, All In One Side Bar, Tab Mix Plus, and DTA...Gonna test out the load times now and edit my post...

-- edit --

W
O
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Off of a vanilla install, Firefox 3.5 loads almost instantly on my machine...Literally, I click the window and it comes up right away...I am using my task manager to verify that the application is indeed closed before restarting it, and it is literally coming up within a second of my clicking the button to start it...I have done nothing except the few tweaks that I mentioned earlier...A

Also, its booting up to the AYHJA homepage, consuming about 22 MB...I'll keep an eye on it, see how much it goes up and down, but so far so good on starting and shutting down...

[5829]

Well FF 3.5 beta 4 comes with Fedora 11, hopefully they will update soon because beta 4 has some things that I noticed. I have nothing installed in it except flash. It does abend every once in a while, can't reproduce or predict when or why (it does try to restore where you left off, but no question as to if you want to or not). It does not save the exceptions to allow pop-ups. If I click on the desktop/panel icon when FF is open it does open a new window, just a tab in the current window. Ctrl-n or shift-left click works. If I set 'when firefox starts' to 'show a blank page' it will show a directory list of my home directory on my hard drive. There is no longer an 'ask' before clearing history, etc with I close ff, it is either do it or don't.

I have not fooled around with it too much but these are some of the things that I noticed.

Can somebody tell me if the above works the same way in the released version.

It is hard for me to tell if it is faster because I have not tried it on anything but Fedora 11 yet and I have not tried previous versions on Fedora 11.

[AYHJA]

I'm not Nix user, but I haven't noticed anything shitty about 3.5 yet...I have about 9 extensions installed now, none that have impacted the speed in which the browser opens thus far...Realistically, I only have about 2 or 3 more that I can think to install, which is a thrilling prospect for me...I have dreaded clicking on links after I close Firefox sometimes because it would be like pulling teeth for it to come up...For now, that seems to have gone away...

Still don't know if my whitespace issue has been fixed, but that's one dedicated greasemonkey script away from being done...

[bd55]

I installed it yesterday. Does seem quite better than the last version, as fast as chrome, but with more control over it.

[jdog]

FF 3.0 already was fast. FF 3.5 is just butter!