Firefox 4 Beta released

[dback]

I have noticed that some of the FF add ons increase the memory consumption and affect the speed of boot up. I now add them carefully and only if I need them. I do enjoy Ad-block plus.

 

[dback]

Just found this site that has "optimized" builds of FF. These builds are not branded as FF, but rather Namoroka.

I just downloaded it and I do see an increase in load time.

 

[Reality]

I'm confused. It's evolution, but you don't want other browsers to pick up on what is supposed to be better? They should just meander with a worse UI cause Chrome had it first?

You should check out FF4, it's actually pretty nice and quick. Doesn't feel bloated.

heh and Chrome stole tabs (and I'm sure a boat load of other stuff) from Firefox who stole them from Opera. Actually, most browser UI innovations appeared in Opera first. Then everyone else stole them.

Opera IMO has far and away the best UI. It's not even close. You can customize the hell out of it. Their problem is they are so suck on standards and IE is so lax in many cases that non-standard markups are created and end up having issues displaying in Opera. (which is why I use both Opera and FF) Firefox renders everything. Even stuff that Chrome has issues with. ...which is why I don't use Chrome.

Between Opera and Firefox I've got the best of both worlds. Of course, not everyone has two monitors that makes using two browsers at the same time so simple.

I will check out FF4 when it gets released after beta. I will point out though that features are not nearly as important to me as speed and low memory/cpu footprints.

Oh I agree about Opera .. it was the best browser for many years yet outside of the mobile market it rarely gets noticed which is a shame.

I like Chrome so much because it is very lightweight and has a clean user interface. It seems that FF4 finally cleaned up its UI a little which is an improvement but I think they do so much to try to make FireFox so powerful that they forget that a lot of users prefer small resource usage and fast performance.

Chrome lacks some features that would be nice to have but none that push me to use another browser as my primary browser. In any case, I always have FireFox, IE, Safari and usually Opera as well installed for development and testing purposes.

I really hope FireFox realizes that Chrome is the browser they need to be more worried about rather than IE. IE is losing market share to Chrome every day and eventually the main battle in the browser was will be between Google's Chrome and FireFox. FireFox's user base has not really been affected by Chrome though I have several friends who have switched to Chrome. At least for the foreseeable future, I think both companies will continue to eat into IE's market share rather than each other's.

-Reality

 

[Reality]

I experimented with Chrome for about a month before returning to Firefox. The main problem with Chrome is that it takes forever to scroll through your favorites if you have a lot of them.

That's true .. it's like they copied that from IE which also sucked in that area.

I really wish the browsers would create a better bookmark system.

One of my favorite Chrome features the bookmark sync system that allows me to keep all of my bookmarks sync'ed across several computers.

-Reality

 

[YosemiteSam]

I have heard exactly what you are saying and have seen all of the video comparisons, but I have not noticed it in the basic browsing that I do. I meant to say the speed advantages of Chrome compared to firefox are not that noticeable. I am sure that will change though as FF continues to grow and incorporates new features.

I also have not yet tried FF4b.

Where Chrome generally really stands out is on rendering heavy AJAX websites. (lots of Javascript)

If you're loading sites that don't have a lot of Javascript, you generally won't notice too much difference. (though this is where threads are making more noise too)

FF4 has JägerMonkey JIT compiler which should make the Javascript race become very interesting. All of the browsers are making javascript speed priority one. It has to be with HTML5 coming.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

The biggest issue I have is opening the browser. FF used to be extremely quick. Now it takes as long, or longer, to open as IE.

This is why I think I will start using Chrome.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

I downloaded it last night and I didn't like it.

It is not faster then Chrome and I wish they would have just gotten rid of the search bar and just have the URL bar.

Anybody else notice that every time you open it up, there appears to be a small window that opens up in the background for a split second, probably searching for new updates?

Once Chrome gets a plugin like NoScript, I will ditch Firefox totally and will only use it when I am testing my Web Applications.

 

[theogt]

I downloaded it last night and I didn't like it.

It is not faster then Chrome and I wish they would have just gotten rid of the search bar and just have the URL bar.

Anybody else notice that every time you open it up, there appears to be a small window that opens up in the background for a split second, probably searching for new updates?

Once Chrome gets a plugin like NoScript, I will ditch Firefox totally and will only use it when I am testing my Web Applications.

Agreed. I'll stick with Chrome for the speed. But I don't see any other window opening with FF.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Yeah, that just may be the the first tab inside of the browser maximizing for a split second.

BTW, I am all for companies mimicking their competitors ideas, if that is what consumers like, there is no shame in that.

I also don't want IE to go away. I want as many browsers options as possible. If Chrome somehow becomes antiquated in the future, I would like the option of looking at other browsers.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The biggest issue I have is opening the browser. FF used to be extremely quick. Now it takes as long, or longer, to open as IE.

So far I haven't had a single issue or crash with FF4 beta. As for start up time with FF4, it takes less than one second.

Now that could be different on different systems of course. This machine I use at work is a quad core 2.4ghz with 4GB memory and WinXP.

I take that back, I've had one issue with it. I have two VMWare 2 instance and the web UI doesn't render in FF4. Actually, it didn't render in FF3.6 either. Last one it rendered in was FF3.5 and it wouldn't consistently render in that version either.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Yeah, that just may be the the first tab inside of the browser maximizing for a split second.

BTW, I am all for companies mimicking their competitors ideas, if that is what consumers like, there is no shame in that.

I also don't want IE to go away. I want as many browsers options as possible. If Chrome somehow becomes antiquated in the future, I would like the option of looking at other browsers.

I'm with you there. To me, it's all about options. My only issue I've ever had with so many different browser options all started with IE though. The fact that they would make technology inconsistent with the standards. (like when they created broke-*** JScript instead of just using the standard JavaScript)

Forcing web developers to make several versions of their page or sites just not work in other browsers if they didn't. (since IE was the most used browser, they could do that)

 

[JonJon]

I'm stuck with IE because that's what all of our web apps are built on. I tried the IE addon in FF but it didn't work most of the time.

You poor soul...

This is why I think I will start using Chrome.

Chrome is tops. Even though Firefox has made some updates, it is still behind Chrome in terms of speed, and I used to be a Firefox "fanboy." Ever since I switched, I don't see myself going back.

If you're using a mobile browser, Opera Mini is the way to go.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

You poor soul...

Chrome is tops. Even though Firefox has made some updates, it is still behind Chrome in terms of speed, and I used to be a Firefox "fanboy." Ever since I switched, I don't see myself going back.

If you're using a mobile browser, Opera Mini is the way to go.

I don't use Mobile...I freaking hate cell phones.

 

[JonJon]

I don't use Mobile...I freaking hate cell phones.

Really? Cell phones have come a long way over the last two years. I use my phone browser more than my laptop nowdays. Do you even have a cell phone now?

 

[YosemiteSam]

Mozilla just released an interesting update. The new Javascript engine "JaegerMonkey" that is replacing "TraceMonkey" should be completed and make it into FF4 by it's release date of September 1, 2010. (it's in the beta)

Apparently, they are aiming to be the fastest Javascript engine on the market. Which is helped by the fact that it is a complete re-write and doesn't contain as much fluff as some of the older Javascript engines allowing for tighter machine code.

This should be interesting to watch and a big bonus with HTML5 coming.

Check out this new proof of concept HTML5 game called Galactic Plunder.

LINK

===========================

Mozilla’s New JavaScript Engine Shows Its Teeth: Launch On September 1
By Kurt Bakke on 13th July, 2010

Mozilla has reached an important Milestone as its new JavaScript engine “JaegerMonkey” is now faster than the current “TraceMonkey” in a key benchmark. Mozilla wants JaegerMonkey to be faster than the competition and launch on September 1, which means that JaegerMonkey will make it into Firefox 4.0.

It isn’t faster by much and it is only faster in the V8 benchmark 6829 ms vs. 6841 ms. In Sunspider, JaegerMonkey is still behind TraceMonkey – 754 ms vs. 718 ms. The new engine is well behind the competition as well: The Webkit browsers Chrome and Safari are below 400 ms and Google is even close to break the 300 ms mark. Opera is also in the low 300s.

When JaegerMonkey was first announced earlier this year, the goal was to hit 500 ms in Sunspider. That isn’t good enough anymore as even Microsoft’s IE9 is now below 500 ms. Mozilla still says that JaegerMonkey’s goal is to be as good or better than the competition, which means that Mozilla has to aim for 300 ms straight.

The good news is that JaegerMonkey does not carry any baggage as it is written from scratch and the improvements Mozilla has made over the past 8 weeks is considerable. Mozilla said that it is “generating pretty good machine code at this point.”

However, the schedule is somewhat tight: “Over the next six weeks, we’ll be polishing JägerMonkey in order to land by September 1,” Mozilla said. And there is a lot left to do as JaegerMonkey has still weaknesses. For example, its function calls are about “10X slower than the competition,” Mozilla said.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Really? Cell phones have come a long way over the last two years. I use my phone browser more than my laptop nowdays. Do you even have a cell phone now?

No...I have no use nor desire for cell phones. Uggh I get irritated with people at work that have them as well.

Love electronic gizmos and so on but cell phones just get on my nerves...I think it was bearable until you seen everybody with one and then kids texting each other while sitting right next to each other and so on. Just annoying.

I also hate seeing people complaining how they are having trouble paying their bills and making ends meet yet these tools will make sure to get the latest Iphone and plan.

The whole thing just irritates me for a number of reasons.

I am just thankful that my job does not require me to have one...that might be the only reason I would keep on.

I had one for about a month and never used the thing...luckily I did not pay for it, it was one of the wifes old ones...maybe that makes it even worse because she feels the need to get a new one every couple of years even though the old ones work. At least she does not go and pay crazy prices for Iphones and services.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I am just thankful that my job does not require me to have one...that might be the only reason I would keep on.

Ummm yeah, I'm going to need to to get a cell phone. Oh and I'm also going to need you to work on Saturday. Can you do that for me? Thanks.

:laugh2:

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Ummm yeah, I'm going to need to to get a cell phone. Oh and I'm also going to need you to work on Saturday. Can you do that for me? Thanks.

:laugh2:

What if - and believe me this is a hypothetical - but what if you were offered some kind of a stock option equity sharing program. Would that do anything for you?

 

[YosemiteSam]

What if - and believe me this is a hypothetical - but what if you were offered some kind of a stock option equity sharing program. Would that do anything for you?

It might make it move.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I experimented with Chrome for about a month before returning to Firefox. The main problem with Chrome is that it takes forever to scroll through your favorites if you have a lot of them.

I agree. And unless I'm missing something, it's harder to sort them on the fly. (Edit, guess I was remembering wrong on that... Never mind.)

I also don't really like them being on the right, as minor as that is. There's probably a way to change that, but I haven't looked into it. I just always end up back at Firefox.