Windows 7 Firefox starting on Multi-processor support

[loathe]

Heres some good news for all you Firefox fans. Seems they have started on a multi-process web browser.

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"Like Chrome or Internet Explorer 8 which have implemented this behavior to some degree, the main benefit would be the increase of stability: a single tab crash would not take down the whole session with it, as well as performance improvements in multiprocessor systems that are progressively becoming the norm."

MozillaWiki Content Processes

 

[Camride]

Good to hear. I love Chrome because of this feature. However I never use it because it lacks FF's add-ons. This will make me very happy as a FF user.

 

[Kyle]

Firefox doesn't really need multiprocessor support. It runs fine on one core, IMO.
It'd be like giving Windows Live Messenger multicore support.

 

[Camride]

Firefox doesn't really need multiprocessor support. It runs fine on one core, IMO.
It'd be like giving Windows Live Messenger multicore support.

It's not that the browser needs more cpu power, it's what allows it to run multiple instances of the process. So that if you're on a page that locks up the page it won't crash the entire browser, just the pages that are running off that process. Have you tried Chrome? If you haven't you should. Install it, open up a bunch of different pages then go into task manager and kill one of the processes. It'll only kill the tabs that are running off that process, not the entire browser.

 

[loathe]

It's not that the browser needs more cpu power, it's what allows it to run multiple instances of the process. So that if you're on a page that locks up the page it won't crash the entire browser, just the pages that are running off that process. Have you tried Chrome? If you haven't you should. Install it, open up a bunch of different pages then go into task manager and kill one of the processes. It'll only kill the tabs that are running off that process, not the entire browser.

I agree if Chrome had all the add-ons Firefox does I would be using it.

The title isnt really acurate, its not a multi processor version, but a multi process browser

 

[Kylethedarkn]

Hmm, sounds good except how would you know which tab=which process. If I want to force end the lagged out tab I won't be able to find it.

At least now when that happens you can just end the process and then restore session, but if its split up into multiple it would be somewhat more difficult to fix.

 

[loathe]

Hmm, sounds good except how would you know which tab=which process. If I want to force end the lagged out tab I won't be able to find it.

At least now when that happens you can just end the process and then restore session, but if its split up into multiple it would be somewhat more difficult to fix.

Good question. Im sure they have that in mind though.

 

[Kylethedarkn]

Good question. Im sure they have that in mind though.

Yeah hopefully.

 

[Kyle]

It's not that the browser needs more cpu power, it's what allows it to run multiple instances of the process. So that if you're on a page that locks up the page it won't crash the entire browser, just the pages that are running off that process. Have you tried Chrome? If you haven't you should. Install it, open up a bunch of different pages then go into task manager and kill one of the processes. It'll only kill the tabs that are running off that process, not the entire browser.

... I've only ever had firefox lock up on me once, and it was because I was trying (52 tabs of youtube videos).
I've never had to 'kill' firefox, so the point is moot.

 

[loathe]

... I've only ever had firefox lock up on me once, and it was because I was trying (52 tabs of youtube videos).
I've never had to 'kill' firefox, so the point is moot.

You right its not often I have a crash with Firefox, but hey, they dont ask you to pay for it and they have goals like this in development. Its only going to improve its performance, so good on them.

 

[Kylethedarkn]

... I've only ever had firefox lock up on me once, and it was because I was trying (52 tabs of youtube videos).
I've never had to 'kill' firefox, so the point is moot.

True but do you go on a lot of sites that are designed horribly and try to open like 10 pdfs at once? I know I visit a lot of those kind of sites and usually they end up crashing firefox. Also I usually use 10+ tabs at all times with high usage stuff on all the pages. So if you think of it from a user like me then this is a great idea.

 

[Camride]

... I've only ever had firefox lock up on me once, and it was because I was trying (52 tabs of youtube videos).
I've never had to 'kill' firefox, so the point is moot.

I do, but it's almost always because of an issue similar to the one described below.

True but do you go on a lot of sites that are designed horribly and try to open like 10 pdfs at once? I know I visit a lot of those kind of sites and usually they end up crashing firefox. Also I usually use 10+ tabs at all times with high usage stuff on all the pages. So if you think of it from a user like me then this is a great idea.

For some reason pdf's are almost always the reason FireFox locks up for me. And when it does it'll kill the 20+ tabs that I have open. Session manager will bring them back (I actually use Tab Mix + but the concept is the same) but if the pdf is the problem it will just end up locking up FF again and I have to start fresh. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does it's highly annoying. I'll usually have a bunch of tabs open to research an issue I'm working on and when I follow a link with a bad pdf on it I have to open up all those tabs again. It's really frustrating when you're trying to fix a clients downed Exchange server or something else that's fairly time critical.

Either way it's a good thing. It'll allow FF to better manage resources and it'll save my ass a bunch of time when the occasional lockup does occur.

 

[Master Chief]

So is multi-process support going to be added within the next few updates of Firefox 3, or is it going to debut in Firefox 4?

 

[Ppchkn]

actually, i don´t care -too much- that FF plays with my 4 cores...

so let´s hope that FF don´t use 4 times the usual ram =S





-and actually i don`t care, i carry 4 gig of those =p-