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Firefox coders propose fast-graphics deadline


DKT27

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Competition among browser makers is getting fiercer, and Mozilla programmers are pushing a schedule in one hotly contested area, hardware-accelerated graphics.

On Windows, this takes the form of support for Direct2D and DirectWrite, technology to tap into the graphics processing unit (GPU) to process and display graphics and text faster. Direct2D support is one of the highlight features of the upcoming Internet Explorer 9, but Firefox programmers are working on it, too.

And now the Mozilla graphics team have issued themselves a goal, according to a mailing list message: ship a developer preview version of Firefox with Direct2D support that will work on at least some machines by the end of the second quarter.

The feature should improve how fast Firefox responds to user interaction, said programmer Joe Drew in the message.

However, the goal worried Benjamin Smedberg, a Mozilla programmer who's working on the Electrolysis effort to split Firefox processes into separate memory spaces. "The current release roadmap, as I understand it, is to do a beta of 1.9.3 in mid-June with a scheduled release in October," Smedberg responded. "By targeting an alpha for these goals you're implicitly missing this release vehicle."

Other goals for the second quarter include:

• Shipping a final version of Firefox for Windows with the out-of-process plugins feature that's designed to improve stability by putting Flash Player and other plug-ins in a separate memory area. Out-of-process plug-ins are one aspect of Electrolysis.

• Shipping a beta version of Firefox with out-of-process Flash support for Macs using Snow Leopard, aka Mac OS X 10.6.

• Building support for the JaegerMonkey technology for faster JavaScript performance to the point where its performance can be tested, and supporting the EcmaScript 5 version of the standard that underlies JavaScript.

• Releasing an alpha version of Firefox with support for the Indexed DB local storage database technology.

• Turning on the HTML5 parser by default in a beta version, a move that will mean Firefox can decode Web pages written with the new Web page standard under development.

Source: CNET

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It will be great to see the performance improvements come to Firefox. Every browser (except for Internet Explorer :lol: ) is beating Firefox in performance tests.

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It will be great to see the performance improvements come to Firefox. Every browser (except for Internet Explorer :lol: ) is beating Firefox in performance tests.

Not true, it's mainly Firefox's JS engine screwing up...

In other tests they're still amongst the fastest.

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My config of Firefox is able to beat every other browser in all respects, except in the startup department. B)

Without addons, though it's a different story.

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It will be great to see the performance improvements come to Firefox. Every browser (except for Internet Explorer :lol: ) is beating Firefox in performance tests.

Not true, it's mainly Firefox's JS engine screwing up...

In other tests they're still amongst the fastest.

As majithia23 recently posted here, other browsers beat Firefox in:

  1. Startup time - single tab
  2. Startup time - 5 tabs
  3. Startup time - 8 tabs
  4. Memory usage - single tab
  5. Page load time - craigslist
  6. Page load time - Facebook
  7. Page load time - Yahoo!
  8. Page load time - Youtube
  9. NonTroppo Page Loading
  10. GUIMark HTML
  11. NonTroppo CSS Rendering
  12. NonTroppo Table Rendering
  13. Google V8 Benchmark Suite
  14. JSBenchmark (CelticKane)
  15. Mozilla Dromaeo Javascript Test
  16. SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark
  17. Futuremark PeaceKeeper
  18. Acid3
  19. Mozilla Dromaeo DOM
  20. GUIMark Flash
  21. GUIMark Java

Firefox won in

  1. Memory Usage - 5 tabs
  2. Memory Usage - 10 tabs
  3. Page load time - Tom's Hardware
  4. Bubblemark SilverLight

The Analysis and Conclusion section summarized Firefox's performance:

I already knew that Firefox was beginning to feel slow, but I didn't know how bad it had become.
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I did actually read that article but the 'places' are a little misguiding. Since when you have a look at the actual tests results (in ms) you will get a better view of things.

Yes, Firefox might be 3rd and 4th a lot, but it got fourth by minuscule increments, so even though it's not the fastest, it was damn close. The only tests in which Firefox really failed (and we all expected that, I think) were the Javascript benchmarks.

Edit: and it failed in the NonTroppo tests, which does kind of surprise me...

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DreamHaters

They need to fix the JS and do something about the memory leak.

Speed wise, i dont think there never slowed down.

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DreamHaters

When Firefox doesnt release memory that it is no longer using.

Like i could be on multiple social sites and say it be at 200mb+ and then if im jus using google, it would just stay at 200mb for a while, unless Firefox was closed and started up.

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When Firefox doesnt release memory that it is no longer using.

Like i could be on multiple social sites and say it be at 200mb+ and then if im jus using google, it would just stay at 200mb for a while, unless Firefox was closed and started up.

Ah, I see, I've experienced that.

I thought you were maybe referring to the one-tab test in which Firefox comes fourth or so.

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@DreamHaters:

Indeed I agree. Mozilla has to fix memory issues.

They haven't paid attention about this for ages now.

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