Benchmarking Firefox 3.5

[Nik]

Originally posted by: F1refly
Are you guys debating in hopes others will switch browsers or succumb to the idea that your 100% right? I mean anyone can point out the positives and negatives of each but its still a personal preference. There is no wrong in a preference.

Originally posted by: Nik
Who needs all that crap? It's useless bloat that you spend more time customizing than you do actually browsing the web. And for what? A fucked up page layout on some sites because the site is expecting certain things to be in certain places that you end up blocking? It's just an advertisement, people. Ignoring it is much faster and much more efficient. Why bother disabling Java and Javascript when there's no real need to outside of browsing websites run by assholes? If you routinely browse malicious websites, I can see where you'd want to disable them. I'm not that dumb and Chrome handles Java and Javascript just fine anyway.

i need it. That is, i prefer it, apparantly alot of people feel they need it or at least want it. I have yet to ever have a problem with a website from things i've blocked.

in fact, it makes browsing the web faster the next time i visit. If i use "remove it permanetly" addon for FF. I can remove anything on any page i dont want to see the next time i visit which saves me some scrolling time and i can get down to reading what i'm looking for. Ignoring it may be faster for you..thats you though, not anyone else.

Excellent first post. Welcome to Anandtech. Yes, I am right and everybody who disagrees with me is wrong.

I do like not seeing advertisements; I know how awesome it is to see a long CNN article with no interruptions and not have to feel like I'm running through a maze trying to follow the article because it's got adverts everywhere. I do like that you can block one thing on one website, go to a new website, and ads may automatically be blocked there too. However, it's not enough of a trade off for speed to me. I used FF starting just before 2.0 and up through 2.6 or whatever version came right after 2.5. The more I did with it, the more addons I dumped into it to ease my browsing, the slower and more bloated it got. Then you have to deal with stupid shit like the giant memory leak that didn't get fixed until, what, last year? Good lord. You have to put up with a LOT of crap to use FireFox.

Yes, this is all about opinion and nobody can be right or wrong. But this is Anandtech, and we'll argue anything and everything retarded until we're clawing and screaming at each other

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: JujuFish

Originally posted by: Nik

Originally posted by: JujuFish

Originally posted by: Nik

Originally posted by: lxskllr

Originally posted by: Nik

Chrome's 1 click > FireFox's 3 clicks

They're both 2 clicks.

Chrome invented it. Just like FireFox, too, to just steal ideas from other browsers because they can't think of anything worth-while on their own.

So someone invents something worthwhile then another browser "steals" it and it's a bad thing? I guess we should all be running on a command line interface because Xerox invented the GUI and therefore they should be the only company allowed to have such a feature. :roll:

I'm still waiting for your dissertation on internet security, sir.

In case you have a hard time comprehending things, I already stated that I won't waste my time. Chrome is better for you, Firefox for me. As Chrome develops (it is still a beta software after all), I may very well move to Chrome as it gets the features I desire. I've used and like Opera as well, and would probably use it if it weren't for a few small things that cause Firefox to edge it out for me. I don't see why you feel the need to bash anything that's not Chrome.

As for that prior statement, it wasn't necessarily directed specifically at you, but the general feeling people have about people "stealing" features. Your statement just happened to be the one I chose to comment on.

You effectively said I don't know what I'm talking about. Unless you can prove I don't, your argument is full of shit and lies. So what'll it be? Prove me wrong by posting your master's thesis on internet security or STFU about what you think I know and don't know.

Choose.

 

[JujuFish]

Originally posted by: Nik
But this is Anandtech, and we'll argue anything and everything retarded until we're clawing and screaming at each other

And we won't have it any other way, so don't even think about trying to change us!

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: Nik

Originally posted by: JujuFish
Let's have an impartial third party decide which sounds like the fanboy: one person talking about features or another person talking about excuses why those features don't matter.

Neither one of them are fanboys. One of them is feature-dependant because they have a screw loose or have nothing better to do than configure settings instead of actually browsing while the other person is non-feature-dependant because all they really need is a connection to the internet and a browser to render fucking webpages.

Yes, because every FF user spends all their time configuring their browser and addons.

With FF, I can customize the browser to my heart's content, and once that's done, you leave it alone. You gotta put a little (emphasis on the little) work into it, but big deal.

 

[SunSamurai]

Nik is on a mission to let everyone know what an asshat he is.

Is working Nik. The word is spreading.

 

[dguy6789]

Chrome is the fastest loading and lightest resource usage browser there is. That's really awesome. But it definitely is missing a handful of features. I love using Chrome for my slow laptop, it makes it much much more usable. Turning the laptop on and opening Chrome >>>>>> turning the laptop on and opening Firefox. I still prefer Firefox's UI and base feature set and customization options over IE and Chrome. On any system that is relatively recent, I don't see a reason to consider Chrome. There is no performance difference that the eye can see. That said, Adblock extension alone trumps everything good every other browser can do and would still make Firefox my preferred browser even if it was worse in every way from all of the other browsers.

tl;dr garbage + Adblock > any web browser without adblock. Firefox + Adblock is a no brainer to me.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: fatpat268
Yes, because every FF user spends all their time configuring their browser and addons.

With FF, I can customize the browser to my heart's content, and once that's done, you leave it alone. You gotta put a little (emphasis on the little) work into it, but big deal.

Is the concept of tongue-in-cheek foreign to everybody on the internet but me? I even explained that earlier in the thread. Jeez.

Originally posted by: SunSamurai
Nik is on a mission to let everyone know what an asshat he is.

Is working Nik. The word is spreading.

Do you have anything to contribute to the conversation or are you just going to troll and prove yourself guilty of that which you charge others?

 

[F1refly]

Originally posted by: Nik
The more I did with it, the more addons I dumped into it to ease my browsing, the slower and more bloated it got. Then you have to deal with stupid shit like the giant memory leak that didn't get fixed until, what, last year? Good lord. You have to put up with a LOT of crap to use FireFox.

have you tried 3.5 beta of FF? its suppose to be "Almost" as fast as chrome. I didnt notice the memory leak issue last year, but i got 4 gigs and dont really look at my resources. So in all honesty i never had to put up with anything negative since i started using it in the early 2.xx versions.
I can understand it to some who feel it gets slower with addons, but in my case, i'm not in that big of a hurry and its maybe 2-3 seconds to load up (3.0 that is)

Yes, this is all about opinion and nobody can be right or wrong. But this is Anandtech, and we'll argue anything and everything retarded until we're clawing and screaming at each other

well i can understand that, it makes for entertainment. maybe i'll join in one of them for no other reason than to just tick someone else off

 

[Nik]

I haven't tried FF since the late 2.x. The pre-2.5 versions didn't have memory leaks. 2.5 introduced a MAJOR problem with it. It wasn't even fixed in the 2.6 release, but it did get fixed later. I'm not interested in FF anymore, though, which is why I haven't tried 3.5 beta.

 

[pcslookout]

The strange thing about firefox is on one of my pcs it never seems to have a memory leak but on my other pc it does. It is really puzzling. Maybe it is because I use one pc more than the other and don't notice it? I don't know.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: pcslookout
The strange thing about firefox is on one of my pcs it never seems to have a memory leak but on my other pc it does. It is really puzzling. Maybe it is because I use one pc more than the other and don't notice it? I don't know.

As was said, a plugin that you have installed on one could be part of it.

Additionally, how do you know you have a memory leak. Just because the browser's memory allocation is growing doesn't necessarily mean that it is a memory leak. Flash or other animations could be requesting more resources or Flash/Java could have a leak of its own.

Most major software, I would venture a guess, has a bunch of small memory leaks that nobody bothers to fix (ie: A couple bytes here and there).

In C++ using the MS compiler, I happen to know that one of the MFC classes has a memory leak of 0x19 bytes - Not worth my time (Also not worth the pain of trying to figure why the MS Framework has a leak).

 

[QueBert]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
IE8 gets destroyed on the Acid3 compatibility test:
http://acid3.acidtests.org/

IE8 score : 20/100
FF 3.5 score: 93/100

Acid 2 test:
FF 3.5 : Passed
IE8 : Fail


I don't care how fast a browser is. If it can't render pages properly it is useless to me.

Also Safari is worth taking a look. It is very fast and passes the Acid test 100%

QFT, I don't care about add-on's and bullshit plug-ins. Safari is the fastest on my system by a noticeable amount. And nothing renders pages more correctly, 100% on the Acid test is win for Safari, no other browser can claim 100%. Chrome is better than IE and maybe even Firefox, but Safari's the only browser I use now.

 

[zerocool1]

Originally posted by: frostedflakes
Yeah Chrome is pretty amazing, just seems to be light years ahead of all the other browsers out there. I'm so attached to FF and a handful of addons, though, which makes it difficult to switch.

adblock plus
gtdinbox
better gmail
better greader
better youtube

 

[bonkers325]

i love FF, its much better than IE. although i do use chrome at work.

 

[natto fire]

These threads are always funny, especially because the best browser has not even been mentioned yet.

 

[SP33Demon]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to this website Chrome does have Adblock+ and most of the addons that FF does... can someone clarify this?

Text

I don't use Chrome but if this is true then I'm switching.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to this website Chrome does have Adblock+ and most of the addons that FF does... can someone clarify this?

Text

I don't use Chrome but if this is true then I'm switching.

It has an ad blocker but it isn't the same one FF uses.

 

[lxskllr]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Correct me if I'm wrong, but according to this website Chrome does have Adblock+ and most of the addons that FF does... can someone clarify this?

Text

I don't use Chrome but if this is true then I'm switching.

It has an ad blocker but it isn't the same one FF uses.

From what I've read, it doesn't block the ad servers either. You're still downloading the ad, but not displaying it. That defeats the whole purpose for me. I don't mind seeing ads. I don't like waiting for laggy ad servers though.

 

[pcslookout]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: pcslookout
The strange thing about firefox is on one of my pcs it never seems to have a memory leak but on my other pc it does. It is really puzzling. Maybe it is because I use one pc more than the other and don't notice it? I don't know.

As was said, a plugin that you have installed on one could be part of it.

Additionally, how do you know you have a memory leak. Just because the browser's memory allocation is growing doesn't necessarily mean that it is a memory leak. Flash or other animations could be requesting more resources or Flash/Java could have a leak of its own.

Most major software, I would venture a guess, has a bunch of small memory leaks that nobody bothers to fix (ie: A couple bytes here and there).

In C++ using the MS compiler, I happen to know that one of the MFC classes has a memory leak of 0x19 bytes - Not worth my time (Also not worth the pain of trying to figure why the MS Framework has a leak).

They both had the same plugins installed though.

 

[Gamingphreek]

From what I've read, it doesn't block the ad servers either. You're still downloading the ad, but not displaying it. That defeats the whole purpose for me. I don't mind seeing ads. I don't like waiting for laggy ad servers though.

Just run host server file at browser start up.

They both had the same plugins installed though.

That is weird - are you sure it is a memory leak. How much memory does it eat up over time? Is the hardware the same on the system? OS?

If you all want to get down to it:
Linux running under a limited account (ie: No access to admin or root), with Firefox with a host server file blocking, is probably more secure than any of them

UAC is a huge step forward, but don't kid yourself - there are ways around it.

-Kevin

 

[NaOH]

I'd like to say, firefox takes up a lot more memory than chrome with the same pages open. But I have adblock and the twitter app on. 90mb for FF and 19mb for chrome

 

[NaOH]

nm, i take that back, about 60mb for chrome.

 

[F1refly]

Am i the only one here using more than 1 gig of ram or something? I just cant figure out why anyone with a decent amount of ram would be conserned and choose a browser based on how much memory its using. Even if one used 500mb's, most of todays computers can handle it, if not then all i can say is, Ram is cheap, Buy It!

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: brandonb

Originally posted by: SunSamurai

Originally posted by: brandonb
I used IE8 for awhile now. People at work talking all kinds of game about FF. I tried it out at work for a few weeks, and got ad redirected too many times. Never happened with IE8. One second I'm on a page, and boom, I'm somewhere else, and I'm left scatching my head saying "WTF...."

I don't care if FF Java is 50% faster or whatever, because honestly it takes a few seconds for a page to load and what is a millisecond difference in Java tests?

For me:

IE8 > FF

(that's all I've used since Netscape days and those don't count anymore)

So basically IE > FF because you're ignorant. FF is king because of its addons. Noscript = That doesnt happen. If you want the fresh default web experience, you could of just turned off pop-up blocked while you were at it.

Originally posted by: schneiderguy

Originally posted by: TridenT
Firefox is what I am going to use until Chrome or another truly superior browser has Adblock Plus.

cool

awsome

Yep I'm ignorant. /boggle. Its absolutely obsurd to think that a Microsoft browser could actually be more safe than a competitor! Maybe you should check yourself into a psychologist to figure out why you have brand loyalty. Because you shouldn't.

:Q

 

[Gamingphreek]

check yourself into a psychologist

Didn't know you could check yourself into the actual person.

Also - sorry, you are wrong. IE is not more secure.

-Kevin