Is it the same old fallacy that consumed memory is somehow bad? What if they use it for efficient caching?
By now I think it's well-known to every Firefox user that in the case of Firefox, the memory used is mostly leakage.
Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
21–30 of 101 posts
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#22I'm glad they are doing this because they need to do something about memory usage, but there are some problems with this approach. -websites change over time. If a site gets redesigned, it'll throw off test results unless they're rerunning the tests on old builds too -this still doesn't capture how users actually use browsers so could miss some serious leaks. What about clicking around on the same site, opening links…
nethercote discuss their actions about extensions memory leaks
http://blog.mozilla.com/nnethercote/
he also published some notes about the history of memory analysis in firefox http://blog.mozilla.com/nnethercote/2012/01/17/notes-on-redu...
pdf direct download : https://wiki.mozilla.org/images/9/93/LCA2012.pdf
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#23Not yet, but getting there. Also the bazillion extension that exist for Firefox are not really helping. A "task manager" to be able to keep on eye on all extensions memory consumption (and be able to kill the extension from the browser) should really be helpful.
Try about:memory, it's pretty good.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#24Nowhere on the page does it say what TP5 stands for. Google has also been unhelpful? Can someone explain?
As I recall, T stands for Talos, which is the name of the Mozilla performance suite. TP5 is the 5th version of one particular benchmark which takes pages from the "current" eb (hence the need for new versions every few years). I guess 'P' is for performance, but I forget.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#25I'm glad they are doing this because they need to do something about memory usage, but there are some problems with this approach. -websites change over time. If a site gets redesigned, it'll throw off test results unless they're rerunning the tests on old builds too -this still doesn't capture how users actually use browsers so could miss some serious leaks. What about clicking around on the same site, opening links…
Extensions should be given an aggressive memory limitation to work with, and a profiler should be made so that extension developers can see what they're using and where it's spent. Constraints are good things.
For various reasons this cannot be done for most traditional extensions that introduce advanced functionality (e.g. AdBlock Plus), since they can override the browser's functionality without limitation. Add-on SDK extensions are another matter but those are comparatively very limited in what they can do.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#26I used to have loads of problems with Firefox, it was so slow... took several minutes to close, it would freeze regularly etc. I got so sick of having to clear the cache every few weeks. Then one day I noticed their hidden profile manager, created a new profile and used it instead. A few months on and everything is still working like it should. No need to clear caches, it quits within seconds, no crashes and so on. I…
A corrupted sqlite database file could do that.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#27A nice manifestation of the idea "What we can measure we can fix." See also: http://arewefastyet.com/
Also:
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Platform/AreWeFunYet
http://areweplayingyet.org/ (from SoundCloud)
The irony (or maybe that's the point) of using this meme is that you'll never get to the end of the rainbow. A browser's work is never done.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#28This is exactly the type of thing the Firefox team needs to do.
Measuring memory usage causes engineers to focus on it.
Making the data available piques the curiosity of geeks who historically drive change (in a "you should use this browser" way).
Having a few charts comparing with other browsers (chrome in particular) would be a good idea too, especially once they start beating chrome (if ever obviously).
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#29A nice manifestation of the idea "What we can measure we can fix." See also: http://arewefastyet.com/
Our engineering team's motto is "if you measure it, it will improve".
The funny thing is that it's almost true by default. The mere fact of measuring something is often enough to drive improvements.
A couple of years ago, I installed the RunKeeper app on my phone and started tracking how long it took me to walk places. Over the course of a few months, my walking speed increased from a pokey 5 km/h (3mph) to 8 km/h (5 mph). I didn't install the app with the goal of walking faster; it just happened as a side-effect of regular feedback on how fast I was walking.
Re: Mozilla: Are We Slim Yet?
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Our engineering team's motto is "if you measure it, it will improve".
The funny thing is that it's almost true by default . The mere fact of measuring something is often enough to drive improvements. A couple of years ago, I installed the RunKeeper app on my phone and started tracking how long it took me to walk places. Over the course of a few months, my walking speed increased from a pokey 5 km/h (3mph) to 8 km/h (5 mph). I didn't install the app with the goal of walking faster; it j…
Same here, with eating. Simply writing down and calculating what I was eating ended up with me eating more (which I'm aiming for).
Now measure all the things?