ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
| [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. Meaning, when I try to open the browser, how long does it take to bring up a window and allow me to type?
IE8 is currently the reigning champion at a smooth 3 seconds.
Firefox3 pales in comparison, hovering around the ~6-7 second mark - doubly slow as its direct competitor.
Chrome is about the same as IE8 but lacks any semblance of customization, which limits my usability.
The reason I prefer Firefox to others is the types of extensions and addons I can use. Things that make it easier for me to navigate the web, like NoScript, ProxyButton, Redirect Remover, and AdBlock Plus. I'll keep using Firefox no doubt, but I'm going to stop upgrading until Mozilla fixes the load up speed. Even if I disable all addons it's still just as slow.
So....
Did 3.5 address my concern, or no?
Thanks. | |
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GILXA1226
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-29
London, OH
clubs:
| Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. You realize that MS will almost certainly win this battle because of the hooks into the OS they can make use of in IE?
6-7 seconds isn't that bad for a third party application.
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We don't give a d@mn for the whole state of Michigan... we're from OHIO! O!H! ... I!O! | |
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goalieskates
join:2004-09-12
Knoxville, TN
 ·Knology
·Comcast
| I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. That's the least of my worries. I deal with it once. What matters to me is functionality and speed once the browser's open, and FF wins that hands down.
If that's all you care about, stick with IE. | |
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DataDoc
My avatar looks like me, if I was 2D.
Premium
join:2000-05-14
Greenville, NC | Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. I used to worry about load speed, until I realized I only had to do it once a week.
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Every Kurt has his Courtney. You need a Yoko to do it right.
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Millenniumle
join:2007-11-11
Fredonia, NY | IE2 opens with about the same speed as notepad.  | |
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Traxless
Premium
join:2005-02-16
USA | Could be time for a new computer! | |
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ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
| Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. said by Traxless  :Could be time for a new computer! Not likely.
»www.gateway.com/systems/product/···8231.php
The only difference is that my version has a 1920x1200 screen. But it's a beast well capable of handling anything I throw at it.
Any browser works fantastic when it's already open. What matters to me is that it's efficient when it's first opened. If Chrome can open nearly as fast as IE8 and it's also a third party browser, it tells me that Firefox *could* open that fast. IN fact, the old Mozilla browser that Firefox morphed from used to be nice and fast. I don't buy the argument that "IE has hooks in the OS so it's always faster" - that might be true IF Chrome were also 6-7 seconds. It's not. Neither are the older offshoots like GreenBrowser and whatnot. Firefox seems like the slowest of the bunch.
I just don't want bloat on my browser - 7 seconds may not seem like much, but when you're constantly working on the web, it adds up. I also do not leave my computer on for weeks at a time, it's a laptop, it needs periods of rest every so often, so when I start it up I need to know that the browser is up with me.
It's disheartening to hear that they haven't resolved that. Maybe next time. I'm going to try the 64 bit version and see if there's any noticeable improvement. | |
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GILXA1226
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-29
London, OH
clubs:
| Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. said by ReVeLaTeD :said by Traxless :Could be time for a new computer! Not likely. » www.gateway.com/systems/product/···8231.phpThe only difference is that my version has a 1920x1200 screen. But it's a beast well capable of handling anything I throw at it. Any browser works fantastic when it's already open. What matters to me is that it's efficient when it's first opened. If Chrome can open nearly as fast as IE8 and it's also a third party browser, it tells me that Firefox *could* open that fast. IN fact, the old Mozilla browser that Firefox morphed from used to be nice and fast. I don't buy the argument that "IE has hooks in the OS so it's always faster" - that might be true IF Chrome were also 6-7 seconds. It's not. Neither are the older offshoots like GreenBrowser and whatnot. Firefox seems like the slowest of the bunch. I just don't want bloat on my browser - 7 seconds may not seem like much, but when you're constantly working on the web, it adds up. I also do not leave my computer on for weeks at a time, it's a laptop, it needs periods of rest every so often, so when I start it up I need to know that the browser is up with me. It's disheartening to hear that they haven't resolved that. Maybe next time. I'm going to try the 64 bit version and see if there's any noticeable improvement. Other thing to take into account is size... chrome is a fairly light browser. Firefox on the other hand has a lot more stuff built into it. The bookmarks are managed by a sqlite database IIRC... not that I'm knocking on firefox it's my browser of choice, but seriously, you need a full on database to do bookmarks!?!
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We don't give a d@mn for the whole state of Michigan... we're from OHIO! O!H! ... I!O! | |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
 ·Vonage
| said by ReVeLaTeD :...I just don't want bloat on my browser - 7 seconds may not seem like much, but when you're constantly working on the web, it adds up. I also do not leave my computer on for weeks at a time, it's a laptop, it needs periods of rest every so often, so when I start it up I need to know that the browser is up with me.... How many times a day are you opening and closing the browser? I find FF is a bit slower when I start it for the first time after a reboot. If I restart it after that it comes up much faster, but I don't spend the day opening and closing it or timing the seconds. I'm not in that much of a hurry to have a heart attack, so I don't let these insignificant things bother me.
Secondly, where did you get the idea that a laptop "needs periods of rest..."? 
If FF WAS just like IE (as in hooked into the OS) it would probably open much faster but thankfully, it isn't like IE.
People get grumpy about such minor things.
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You can chain my body to the earth, but still my spirit flies!
13,498 DEADLY TERROR ATTACKS SINCE 9/11 | |
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AZinOH
join:2007-04-25
Swanton, OH
 ·Windstream
| "I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed."
"The reason I prefer Firefox to others is the types of extensions and addons I can use."
Make up your mind...which is it? If it's the former-stick with IE. If it's the latter-don't get bent out of shape about a few extra seconds. Patience is a virtue.
If that just doesn't work for you, you could always build a better browser yourself. | |
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mod_wastrel
join:2008-03-28
·magicjack.com
| I run 3 or 4 instances of Fx 3.0.nn at a time and 1 or 2 of 3.5(rc)--haven't noticed much of a difference yet; 3.5 may be a little faster (meh). I always start up with a blank page; I have one instance that takes, maybe, 7 or 8 seconds (lots of history items, different mix of extensions) on average, but the others mostly take 3 to 5 seconds. (My primary PC is several years old, running XP.) So, it seldom seems slow to me, and I haven't noticed much difference with 3.5 over earlier 3.x releases. YMMV (obviously) | |
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ZPurpleHippo
join:2009-05-28
| said by ReVeLaTeD :IE8 is currently the reigning champion at a smooth 3 seconds. The reason IE opens so fast is because its preloaded with windows. Have you ever noticed why windows takes so long loading on a start up? Its because its loading a bunch of programs, such as IE. | |
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ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
| Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. said by ZPurpleHippo :said by ReVeLaTeD :IE8 is currently the reigning champion at a smooth 3 seconds. The reason IE opens so fast is because its preloaded with windows. Have you ever noticed why windows takes so long loading on a start up? Its because its loading a bunch of programs, such as IE. My Windows boots to usability nearly instantly.
Look, it should not be a matter of "choose crap speed or crap functionality". Firefox should strive to be the best of both worlds instead of forcing me to choose. I say again - I LIKE FIREFOX, I can't imagine the web without it. Just because you don't think that the 7 second open time is a big deal, doesn't mean it isn't. It's a big deal because there's no real valid reason for a browser to take that long to open up. If the bookmarks are using a database (I was under the impression they were just stored in a simple HTML file), that's ridiculous. Stupid decisions like that hinder the browser experience.
And I say again, your argument that IE is preloaded with Windows is rendered null and void by the other fact I stated which nobody has yet refuted: CHROME LOADS JUST AS FAST AS IE. Yes, it's a lighter browser, which is what I want Firefox to be because I know it can be!! Why is this hard for folks?
If I disable every plugin I have in Firefox, it should open just as fast as Chrome or GreenBrowser or IE8. It doesn't. It should. That's a problem. It needs to be addressed. Stop trying to throw more features into the browser and actually improve its performance. That's all I'm asking. Either that or make the plugins all work on Chrome and I'll just switch to that, as much as I can't stand that browser's look and feel. | |
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imtim83
You All Deserve The Economic Meltdown
Premium
join:2001-06-03
Kenner, LA |  Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed.
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| | ZPurpleHippo
join:2009-05-28
| said by ReVeLaTeD : CHROME LOADS JUST AS FAST AS IE. Yes, it's a lighter browser, which is what I want Firefox to be because I know it can be!! Why is this hard for folks? My FF 3.5 opens just as fast as Chrome does.
If you want faster, then try the Firefox Preloader which keeps FF in memory: »sourceforge.net/projects/ffpreloader/
If you want to complain about how long FF takes, then complain to the developers. They can be reached at the following places:
news://news.mozilla.org/mozilla.dev.apps.firefox
»groups.google.com/groups/search?···safe=off
but the best place to get their attention is on bugzilla: »https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/ | |
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ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
1 edit | Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. said by ZPurpleHippo :said by ReVeLaTeD : CHROME LOADS JUST AS FAST AS IE. Yes, it's a lighter browser, which is what I want Firefox to be because I know it can be!! Why is this hard for folks? My FF 3.5 opens just as fast as Chrome does. If you want faster, then try the Firefox Preloader which keeps FF in memory: » sourceforge.net/projects/ffpreloader/If you want to complain about how long FF takes, then complain to the developers. They can be reached at the following places: news://news.mozilla.org/mozilla.dev.apps.firefox » groups.google.com/groups/search?···safe=offbut the best place to get their attention is on bugzilla: » https:// bugzilla.mozilla.org/ I'm sampling the Preloader...but as I also looked at K-Meleon, I see it adds the Preloader as an option during its install. I seem to recall Netscape and Mozilla both doing the same thing, which makes me question why this app is not included with the Firefox application as an optional (recommended) install. Seems like a no-brainer to me..but whatever.
Anyway, the Preloader seems to be doing the job. I won't know though until I restart my computer which won't be for a while. I'll report back my results. At the end of the day though, users should not be forced to run a separate application to get Firefox to run the way it should run from the jump. They really need to look at lightening this browser and trimming the fat - or at least offer a "Lite" version of the browser without that database and all of that crap that a web browser really does not need. | |
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join:2009-05-28
| Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. said by ReVeLaTeD :I'm sampling the Preloader...but as I also looked at K-Meleon, I see it adds the Preloader as an option during its install. I seem to recall Netscape and Mozilla both doing the same thing, yes, it was called Quicklaunch, and SeaMonkey has it, too.
which makes me question why this app is not included with the Firefox application as an optional (recommended) install.
because they didn't want the bloat
They really need to look at lightening this browser and trimming the fat - or at least offer a "Lite" version of the browser without that database and all of that crap that a web browser really does not need. what they need to get rid of is the .sqlite files, they're constantly updating themselves, which can bog down the operation. | |
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anon0709
@megapath.net | Re: [FireFox] I only care about one thing: Initial Load speed. FYI, SeaMonkey is dropping the preloader in the upcoming version 2.0. It was deemed too buggy to keep. | |
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sivran
Long Live The Suite
Premium
join:2003-09-15
Arlington, TX
clubs: | K-Meleon ... the true speed-demon of the Gecko family. | |
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stev32k
Premium
join:2000-04-27
Mobile, AL
·Mediacom
| I was having a problem with slow loading to the point that I almost quit using firefox. It was taking 15 - 20 seconds sometimes longer to be able to type. I had another problem with ebay listings not displaying correctly and out of desperation I uninstalled and removed all firefox and mozilla files and folders from my computer.
I reinstalled Fx 3.5 and the load speed is now about 2 - 4 seconds. Which is about the same as IE. | |
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DataDoc
My avatar looks like me, if I was 2D.
Premium
join:2000-05-14
Greenville, NC
·Suddenlink
| The only version of Firefox that ever loaded in less than 15-20 seconds was Minefield (0 add-ons).
On the other hand I often run it non-stop for days, with hours of usage every day,with no problems.
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"You see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear" - The Rockman | |
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ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
| OK, so I tried it out on a rebooted laptop...and while it's not AS slow, it's still slow. So even the preloader can't help it. Didn't try without extensions, as the ones I have installed are critical to my browsing experience:
NoScript
Redirect Remover
ProxyButton
Linkification
Tempomail
Enhance Gmail 2
DownThemAll!
Download Helper
CustomizeGoogle
AdBlock Plus
As you can tell, I'm not keen on various Google ads all over the place. I'm also not keen on random scripts and redirection links sending me to where I don't want to go only to present popup windows. Right now my Firefox navigates quite solidly and I can't imagine the web without every one of those apps...with the possible exception of ProxyButton, which is basically for convenience purposes (Mozilla had the ability to add a button for Proxy, if I recall correctly.)
So here's my question. Without having to research, does anyone know any initial load issues with any of those plugins? | |
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