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Firefox Gets Massive JavaScript Performance Boost

Posted by Soulskill on from the firefox-has-a-caffeine-buzz dept.

monkeymonkey writes "Mozilla has integrated tracing optimization into SpiderMonkey, the JavaScript interpreter in Firefox. This improvement has boosted JavaScript performance by a factor of 20 to 40 in certain contexts. Ars Technica interviewed Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich (the original creator of JavaScript) and Mozilla's vice president of engineering, Mike Shaver. They say that tracing optimization will 'take JavaScript performance into the next tier' and 'get people thinking about JavaScript as a more general-purpose language.' The eventual goal is to make JavaScript run as fast as C code. Ars reports: 'Mozilla is leveraging an impressive new optimization technique to bring a big performance boost to the Firefox JavaScript engine. ...They aim to improve execution speed so that it is comparable to that of native code. This will redefine the boundaries of client-side performance and enable the development of a whole new generation of more computationally-intensive web applications.' Mozilla has also published a video that demonstrates the performance difference." An anonymous reader contributes links the blogs of Eich and Shaver, where they have some further benchmarks.

7 of 462 comments (clear)

  1. The Greatest Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I have just the thing for bovine America.

    Every major highway should have a huge HUGE billboard with a full-color photo of a big fat chick. I'm talkin', can't tell where her tits end and her stomach begins fat. I'm saying ROLLS OF DISGUSTING FAT. And the huge, easily legible caption should say "WADDLING: It's only cute when ducks do it." Whattya think?

    1. Re:The Greatest Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Microsoft needs to embrace fast, cross-platform Javascript and here's why: because better Javascript use means more responsive, rich-content, user-customizable, next-gen web platforms. To meet the challenges of today's globalized, fast-changing environment, business needs to find ways to improve productivity while making better use of resources. That means more state-of-the-art service provision for Slashdot users eat mare pussy fuck all yall

    2. Re:The Greatest Idea by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: -1, Troll

      Microsoft hates the idea of fast, cross-platform Javasript.

      Expect this discussion to be full of astroturf, red herrings and trolls.

      It won't be just from the Windows side - a good chunk of Linux-heads hate anything but static black text on plain white backgrounds. So this should get interesting...

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:The Greatest Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Mod parent up. He is absolutely correct that Microsoft needs to embrace fast, cross-platform JavaScript. And here is why: AJAX applications are only going to evolve in time, and slow JavaScript is a hindrance. Worse yet, JavaScript is slowest on the most popular platform for its use. Even Firefox, the most bloated of the modern browsers, is faster now. The sooner Microsoft can get on board with a fast JavaScript engine, Slashdot readers eat boxes of raw pig anus for fun.

    4. Re:The Greatest Idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Microsoft wants a slow javascript. Why? Well, they'd prefer you use custom Active-X controls, Silverlight, or even Flash (the Windows flash player is faster than ports to other OSs). You have to realize that slashdot readers like to felch sperm out of other dudes asses and that cross platform technologies breaks their monopoly.

  2. DIGG! by furry_wookie · · Score: 1, Troll

    WHOOPIE!!!

    Digg.com will almost be usable now...hehe.

    --
    -- Given enough time and money, Microsoft will eventualy invent UNIX.
  3. Re:As fast as C code??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Where'd you learn about C?

    C is a mid to low level language. You're mistaking it for high-levels like C++ pr, God help us all, C#. Forget much that C is frequently used as a stage between higher level languages and machine language, or that C is frequently used in low-level situations?

    C *is* faster in most cases to the languages that descend from it because it's a lot closer to the hardware when compiled, doen to memorry allocation and system routines. Show me an actual interpretor for C? Oh wait, there isn't any. Translation is a BS answer. You could fucking translate assembly into something high-level if you're willing to do it manually, it means jack-shit.

    Do some research before posting your so-called "knowledge" on C. Go back to programming in Visual Basic, dumbass.