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New Firefox Project Could Mean Multi-Processor Support

Posted by timothy on from the but-should-a-browser-need-multi-processors dept.

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."

7 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. Re:As a Developer the Question I Have Is ... by stillnotelf · · Score: 5, Funny

    Splitting your application into threads mean you have to get them to communicate with each other. When's the last time you met a programmer who loved communicating? There's nobody else in Mom's basement to practice on!

  2. Catchy Name by tmmagee · · Score: 5, Funny

    How about FireFork?

    1. Re:Catchy Name by Improv · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'd mod this up if I had the points. Flames behind a fork would look really stylish... although now you've got me thinking of Fondue...

      --
      For every problem, there is at least one solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.
    2. Re:Catchy Name by can56 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Flames, Forks, and Fondue makes me think of Hell's Kitchen and Gordon Ramseys logo.

  3. Re:As a Developer the Question I Have Is ... by I'mTheEvilTwin · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's becoming obvious the number of cores is going to far outweigh the number of applications we'll be running five years from now

    The number of cores (at least some chips) already outweighs the applications you can run if you run Winows 7.

    --
    -- This sig is in Spanish when you are not looking
  4. Re:As a Developer the Question I Have Is ... by buchner.johannes · · Score: 5, Funny

    )

    Sorry, I can't sleep if I know there is a bracket left open.

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    NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
  5. Re:As a Developer the Question I Have Is ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Lisp programmer?