New Firefox Project Could Mean Multi-Processor Support

suraj.sun writes with this excerpt from Mozilla Links "Mozilla has started a new project to make Firefox split in several processes at a time: one running the main user interface (chrome), and another or several others running the web content in each tab. 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. The project, which lacks a catchy name like other Mozilla projects (like TaskFox, Ubiquity, or Chocolate Factory) is coordinated by long time Mozillian, Benjamin Smedberg; and also integrated by Joe Drew, Jason Duell, Ben Turner, and Boris Zbarsky in the core team. According to the loose roadmap published, a simple implementation that works with a single tab (not sessions support, no secure connections, either on Linux or Windows, probably not even based on Firefox) should be reached around mid-July."

Comments

Re:Finally!

[ShadowRangerRIT]

The web is changing - full of in-browser videos, web apps, and other resource intensive content, and firefox has had trouble catching up.

Of course, with add-ons to Firefox like Adblock Plus, FlashBlock and NoScript, all that crap becomes Opt-In. Aside from occasional problems with the Java plugin (which I need for a specific site), I've never felt that Firefox was slowing me down. Chrome felt slower despite handling JavaScript faster, because it had to run the JavaScript, period.

Feature was not "badly" needed

[bogaboga]

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.

While I believe this feature would improve Firefox in a big way, I also believe it was not badly needed at present because I have found Firefox to be pretty stable on all systems I have used it.

What I would have wanted to see is implementation of uniformity across all platforms especially Windows and Linux. Its user experience on Linux is still wanting from configuration options in unfamiliar places to that "old weird look and feel" one gets on the Linux platform.

Since QT 4.5 is not LGPL...how about re-creating its interface using QT like folks at VideoLan did. This would go a great way in improving the user experience.

I guess such a move would break compatibility with the thousands of extensions now available for Firefox, but folks, we must move on from time to time.

Am I wrong and unrealistic?

LOL! You Have To Be Joking...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Will Chrome mature to have a nice system of plugins to match the advantages of Firefox before Firefox rearchitects this very low level code?"

Chrome already has plugin support well along in development.

And your wondering if a complete top to bottom rewrite of the stinking pile of shit codebase that is Firefox is going to arrive sooner?

LOL!

How many years did it take the clowns to even admit to FF's massive memory/resource leaks, let alone actually finally do something to less them?

Great!

[Jherico]

So now when firefox wigs out and starts chewing up all available CPU cycles, it will take up 100% of my cycles instead of the 50% available to one CPU.