Sony Claims PS3 Javascript Performance Is Better Than IE7's

Scorpinox writes "According to Sony Online Entertainment, the latest 2.50 update to the Playstation 3, which added Flash 9 support, is 'not up to the level of Google Chrome,' but 'beats Internet Explorer 7' in Javascript performance. The article goes on to say 'Sony has actually been working on Flash 9 support for quite some time — as far back as late last year. To get it running on the PS3, Sony ended up customizing a separate Flash implementation that was provided to it by Adobe.'"

Comments

Sweet!

[InlawBiker]

Two proprietary platforms have teamed up to bring us the Internet! They would never steer us wrong, would they?

Re:Sweet!

[powerspike]

absolutely not, what is best for their shareholders is best for everyone.

Way to lower the goalposts

[Mad Merlin]

IE7's Javascript is painfully slow, it'd be an embarrassment if Sony couldn't do better than IE7.

Wake me up when they're on par with some useful browsers.

Re:Way to lower the goalposts

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

It might also be instructive to see what computer IE7 was running on. Most of the IE/FF/Opera performance shootouts have been conducted on a given PC(and, while I'm sure that their could be complexities there as well) comparing IE7 running on something to something running on PS3 seems slightly underspecified.

PS3 javascript better than IE7 on a screaming rig? Moderately interesting, if largely a sign of IE's suckitude. PS3 javascript faster than IE7 on an elderly Celeron? boring and irrelevant.

nonsense

[inzy]

ps3 is hardware, ie7 is software. how can one be faster than the other?

if they want to compare browser with browser, they need to do it on the same platform (hardware). if they want to compare hardware, they need to do it with the same software. too many variables, this means nothing.

Re:nonsense

[jonaskoelker]

if they want to compare browser with browser, they need to do it on the same platform (hardware). if they want to compare hardware, they need to do it with the same software.

True.

too many variables, this means nothing.

False.

Comparing PS3 + Sony Software to Dell box + Microsoft software doesn't tell you how each individual component performs, comparatively. That much is true. But it does tell you something about how each system as a whole performs, compared to the other.

As a typical end-user of those systems, is there anything that's more relevant? Great, so I can know how well IE performs on a PS3, or how well the PS3 browser performs on windows. But I'm not going to install one platform's browser on the other platform; remember, typical end-user.

Anything Can Beat IE7

[rsmith-mac]

Is the fact that something is beating IE7 really news? IE7 is not known for its stellar Javascript performance, it's basically a generation-old browser that pre-dates the modern push for high-performance Javascript execution. I would certainly hope that the PS3's browser is faster than IE7, or Firefox 2, or any other browser that old. It's like touting the PS3 is faster than the PS2 - good for you Sony, but it's supposed to be faster in the first place.

Now if they could beat the Firefox/Safari nightlies, or what the final version of IE8 can do, then that would be noteworthy, as they'd be very near the top.

Better?

[Yvan256]

The PS3 is a platform with fixed hardware specifications. Unless they got IE7 running on a PS3, well... what's the point of reference?

Re:Better?

[_xeno_]

Very good question. I was going to post the SunSpider benchmark results off my PS3 and compare them to a run on IE7 on my Vista machine, but after removing a benchmark that the PS3 couldn't handle (apparently bitwise-and several times in a row is a bit much for it - no joke), the benchmark crashed the PS3 browser.

So, uh, I'm going to have to give the edge to IE7.

Re:WTF?

[dreemernj]

That would be a Nintendo issue. Opera developers will basically put whatever features Nintendo wants to pay for. Nintendo seems to have some tight control over anything involving Opera on the Wii. Some very interesting documents posted by Opera developers about the Wii version got quickly removed at the request of Nintendo a while back. Most unfortunate.

Optimized?

[cgenman]

So a piece of software optimized for a very specific, limited platform can run faster than software written for a very general and not very well defined platform. This ought to be a no-brainer.

Re:WTF?

[moosesocks]

To get it running on the PS3, Sony ended up customizing a separate Flash implementation that was provided to it by Adobe.'"

Most users of Linux on non-x86 platforms should be twitching violently from reading that quote.

Adobe have consistently refused to give their code to anyone. They wouldn't even give it to Apple for use on the iPhone.

I wonder what changed. Are Adobe and Sony both members of the Evil League of Evil?

Re:WTF?

[AKAImBatman]

Sony's access to Adobe's software proves it once and for all: They are in league to create a new Access of Evil!

Faster than IE7?

[shutdown -p now]

Well, and I can outrun a snail. Should I be so proud of that, too?

Re:Faster than IE7?

[222]

If you're the typical Slashdot reader, yes.

Re:WTF?

[skaet]

Sony was more than likely willing to pay premium moolah for the implementation. Something that other vendors probably can't justify for the licensing costs.

Either that or Sony had some serious dirt held over Adobe's head...

Re:WTF?

[marsu_k]

Adobe have consistently refused to give their code to anyone. They wouldn't even give it to Apple for use on the iPhone.

Code, perhaps, but it seems they're happy to port the software for some $$$. At least I have Flash 9 out of the box on my Nokia N800 (Linux/ARM). I think it's Apple that doesn't want Flash...

Re:Stability of PS3 browser

[CronoCloud]

I've watched entire TV episodes and movies on Hulu with my 2.50 firmware PS3

Re:WTF?

[X0563511]

So, they can port flash to PPC and ARM, but they won't port it to x86_64.

Something seems funny to me...

Re:Why?

[wamerocity]

Sure, I can now watch stuff on hulu and the shows on nbc.com and fox.com. It's actually kind of nice, especially since circumstances have required me to get rid of cable, and I REALLY miss watching the Daily Show and the Colbert Report at home, and now I watch them through my PS3 and it's really easy to do.

BTW, people complain that you can't fullscreen anything, which is true, but you can get around that by ZOOMING in, which makes it full screen, just FYI.

PS3 becoming a nice media center

[tgibbs]

I don't buy many PS3 games, but I use the system a lot. In addition to its Blu-Ray capability, Sony has steadily improved its upscaling of regular DVDs until it is on a par with many top dedicated upscaling players. It also does a good job of streaming video from my PC to my TV screen, with good quality and compatibility with a wide range of formats. And its simple hierarchical interface is fast, clear, and easy to navigate. The ability to show Hulu video in its web browser is a nice step up, although I'd like to see support for the TV network web sites as well. I'd like to see Sony add Netflix support. The XBox 360 will soon have the ability to play my Netflix streaming queue, but not edit it; the PS3 with its integrated web browser could do both. And I hate dealing with the XBox 360's awkward user interface which sacrifices usability for flash, and from the pictures that I've seen of the new one, it looks even worse.