Firefox speed booster, there's gotta be a downside - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

the_marq · 12-03-2004, 07:49 AM

http://bot2k3.net/forum/?showtopic=2840

I came across this forum discussing a patch to triple the speed of downloads when using Firefox. Being suspicious by nature, I think that anything too good to be true probably is, what do you guys think?

ratbastid · 12-03-2004, 08:01 AM

Well, from reading that thread, it sounds like his patch makes Firefox connect to the remote server multiple times--possibly as much as one connection per item to download from the server.

Usually the browser opens one connection to the server, downloads the HTML file that is the page, then starts sucking down files referred to in that page--images, javascript files, stylesheets, etc. through that same connection. Evidently his patch makes Firefox download those files simultaneously rather than one at a time.

In theory, this should speed up page rendering dramatically. But there's a reason Firefox doesn't do that by default--it's pretty rude to the remote server. If every browser did this, it wouldn't take many people surfing the site to max out the server.

That and, I'm not big on downloading and installing software written by some guy on a forum. Who knows what's tagging along on that thing.

shadowalker · 12-03-2004, 08:02 AM

Can't hurt to try it, Be right back with some test data.

Seems that all it does is open another connection to the remote server, as a test i just did a single download from dl.com using firefox i was hitting 650 KB/s
same file downloading under IE is getting me 453 KB/s. Make up your own minds i guess, i scanned it with avg and its clean. Nothing else has been installed on my system sence running it.

Redlemon · 12-03-2004, 09:05 AM

Discussions on MozillaZine:
What's with Luke Trewin's Firefox Patcher? - MozillaZine Forums
FireFox Speed Patch? - MozillaZine Forums

Apparantly, it just adds tweaks that you can do yourself, using this thread:
Firefox Tuning - MozillaZine Forums. Lots of interesting items in there. I tried some of these tweaks, and found that I couldn't connect to my bank anymore. So, keep note of what you changed.

WillyPete · 12-03-2004, 09:44 AM

Yeah, for SSL sessions, which of the multiple sessions does your browser use. I was going to ask that, but it seems you've found the answer Redlemon.

tropple · 12-03-2004, 11:22 AM

The apparent speed in Firefox does increase. Opera also had a setting to bump up the number of connections since some 3.x version.

soccerchamp76 · 12-03-2004, 05:10 PM

I installed it and I thoroughly enjoy it. This helps out a TON!

jonjon42 · 12-03-2004, 05:27 PM

I think it's kinda rude to remote servers (I have one myself) and hope it doesn't catch on too much. It provides a headache for admins and may get you blacklisted. also...the guy should use .xpi which is standard for all mozilla executables. user at your own PERIL
*goes to sweep patch under rug*

Redlemon · 12-04-2004, 12:44 PM

Just to point it out again:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

it just adds tweaks that you can do yourself, using this thread:
Firefox Tuning - MozillaZine Forums. Lots of interesting items in there. I tried some of these tweaks, and found that I couldn't connect to my bank anymore. So, keep note of what you changed.

The linked thread describes each of the options, tells you what the default is and what effect changing each will have, and tells you if it is 'acceptable' to other servers. Don't bother with the patch, get your hands dirty and get under the hood. That's what makes Firefox fun.

whocarz · 12-13-2004, 11:18 AM

I want to get rid of this thing, how do I do it?

Redlemon · 12-13-2004, 11:28 AM

whocarz: Look at my link, just above your post. It lists all of the settings that speed booster affects, what the different options are for each setting, as well as what the 'default' and 'recommended' settings are.

Or, you could create a new profile and start fresh.

godxzilla · 12-13-2004, 11:28 AM

i never understood these kinds of things. why would you need to increase your download speed in firefox? how much can you possibly be downloading from a browser? most i can think of would be linux iso's from an http source but those take no time anyway with a cable connection. Its things like this that are going to ruin it for everyone when they start introducing connection caps and stricter bandwidth caps!

Knoweffects · 12-13-2004, 03:23 PM

possibly, a few people useualy are the ones that ruin it for everyone else, altho im sure if it gets realy popular servers will find ways to deal/block it.

Redlemon · 01-04-2005, 07:57 AM

I'm going to double-post this, once in this speed thread, once in the other, for those people who don't follow the links. Asa (one of the main Firefox developers) discusses why these are not the default settings in this blog post (emphasis added):

Quote:

After seeing at least a couple dozen blog posts all referencing these changes to "speed up Firefox", I thought it would be worth a little explanation.

Yes, enabling HTTP pipelining can dramatically improve networking performance. The downside, and the reason it's not enabled by default, is that it can prevent Web pages from displaying correctly. If you've enabled this, and you find pages that aren't displaying correctly, please don't blame Firefox or the Web developer. It's probably the fact that you enabled an "unsupported" feature which is incompatible with some Web servers and proxy servers.

The second change, setting the initial paint delay at zero, may get you some content on the screen faster, but it's worth noting that it will dramatically slow down the time it takes the entire page to display. Here's what's going on. Gecko, Firefox's rendering engine, is trying to optimize between the cost of waiting for a bit more data versus doing more painting and reflows as new data comes in. Waiting a bit longer before it starts painting the page gives Gecko a chance to receive more content before chewing up CPU cycles to render and reflow the document. If you drop this value down to zero or near zero, that means you'll see the page start displaying a bit earlier, but not having received much data in that short interval, you'll have a lot more paint and reflow cycles to complete rendering of the page.

This one probably comes down to a combination of bandwidth, CPU speed, and personal preference. If it works for you, and you don't mind the side-effects, then great. Just note that what works for one person/system, may not work for another.

Yes, there are tuning change you can make (even at compile time, see Moox' optimized builds) that will dramatically alter the performance characteristics of Firefox. Feel free to experiment, but remember that most of the defaults are defaults for a reason. If your browser starts misbehaving or web sites look broken, it might be worth going back to default settings.

I tried pipelining, and I couldn't use my bank's website anymore.

stevie667 · 04-09-2005, 03:46 PM

For those Firefox people using broadband, try this to beef up your page loading times. I found it on another forum, it's a little gem.

1. Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true"

Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere in the "aboug:config" page and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.

4. Restart Firefox

Notice the *ping, i'm loaded* effect that your firefox now has. Nice isn't it?

Edit: oopskido, didn't use the search function did i?

SVT01Cobra · 04-09-2005, 03:48 PM

lol, you didnt happen to find that on the City of Heroes forums, did ya?

That's where I found it.

billege · 04-09-2005, 03:55 PM

Okay, someone close this. It's repetative and been discussed on teh COMPUTER FORUM (http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining) a few times before now.

Get a clue, and use the search.

Thank you, have a nice day.

d3cemberist · 04-09-2005, 03:57 PM

These are EXTREMELY DAMAGING "optimizations" to apply and should be avoided at all costs. These settings violate the HTTP protocol, which recommends a limit of 2 connections per server. When you increase it beyond that, a lot of bad things begin to happen.

the_marq · 04-09-2005, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billege

Okay, someone close this. It's repetative and been discussed on teh COMPUTER FORUM (http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining) a few times before now.

Get a clue, and use the search.

Thank you, have a nice day.

Since this is the older of the threads on this topic, wouldn't it make more sense to close down the newer copycat ones? I'm just sayin'... y'know. Get a clue.

SecretMethod70 · 04-10-2005, 06:15 AM

Billege's comment was posted in response to stevie667, who created a separate thread, before that thread was merged with this one.

That said, let this be a reminder that it's better to use the report this post function or to contact a moderator through some other means than to make complaining posts in the problem threads.

billege · 04-10-2005, 09:14 AM

I didn't realize the little red and white triangle was the report a post button. I feel slightly annoyed with myself for missing that. I looked all over hell and back for the Report a Post button on the page, and missed it right there.....figures....

I tried to get a mod on IRC and pasted the link to the thread I was referencing, but didn't get anyone in the brief time I was on.

I complained in the thread, because I was choosing to express my annoyance at yet one more person, the fourth (by my three second search), posting this. Especially since it was in general discussion.

Lastly, yesterday was a tough, mostly dissapointing, day for me; my grumpiness certainly carried over.

the_marq · 04-10-2005, 11:34 AM

OK we're all still friends here. Thanks for the update SM70.

12-03-2004, 07:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
the_marq All hail the Mountain King Location: Black Mesa	Firefox speed booster, there's gotta be a downside http://bot2k3.net/forum/?showtopic=2840 I came across this forum discussing a patch to triple the speed of downloads when using Firefox. Being suspicious by nature, I think that anything too good to be true probably is, what do you guys think? __________________ The Truth: Johnny Cash could have kicked Bruce Lee's ass if he wanted to. #3 in a series

12-03-2004, 08:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
shadowalker Psycho Location: Firefox yourself and change the world!	Can't hurt to try it, Be right back with some test data. Seems that all it does is open another connection to the remote server, as a test i just did a single download from dl.com using firefox i was hitting 650 KB/s same file downloading under IE is getting me 453 KB/s. Make up your own minds i guess, i scanned it with avg and its clean. Nothing else has been installed on my system sence running it. __________________ I'll make ya famous! Last edited by shadowalker; 12-03-2004 at 08:09 AM..

12-03-2004, 09:05 AM	#4 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	Discussions on MozillaZine: What's with Luke Trewin's Firefox Patcher? - MozillaZine Forums FireFox Speed Patch? - MozillaZine Forums Apparantly, it just adds tweaks that you can do yourself, using this thread: Firefox Tuning - MozillaZine Forums. Lots of interesting items in there. I tried some of these tweaks, and found that I couldn't connect to my bank anymore. So, keep note of what you changed. __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

12-03-2004, 11:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
tropple Junkie	The apparent speed in Firefox does increase. Opera also had a setting to bump up the number of connections since some 3.x version. __________________ +++++++++++Boom! Last edited by tropple; 12-03-2004 at 11:22 AM.. Reason: doh.

12-03-2004, 05:10 PM	#7 (permalink)
soccerchamp76 Go Cardinals Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati	I installed it and I thoroughly enjoy it. This helps out a TON! __________________ Brian Griffin: Ah, if my memory serves me, this is the physics department. Chris Griffin: That would explain all the gravity.

12-03-2004, 08:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
ratbastid Darth Papa Location: Yonder	Well, from reading that thread, it sounds like his patch makes Firefox connect to the remote server multiple times--possibly as much as one connection per item to download from the server. Usually the browser opens one connection to the server, downloads the HTML file that is the page, then starts sucking down files referred to in that page--images, javascript files, stylesheets, etc. through that same connection. Evidently his patch makes Firefox download those files simultaneously rather than one at a time. In theory, this should speed up page rendering dramatically. But there's a reason Firefox doesn't do that by default--it's pretty rude to the remote server. If every browser did this, it wouldn't take many people surfing the site to max out the server. That and, I'm not big on downloading and installing software written by some guy on a forum. Who knows what's tagging along on that thing.

12-03-2004, 09:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
WillyPete Addict	Yeah, for SSL sessions, which of the multiple sessions does your browser use. I was going to ask that, but it seems you've found the answer Redlemon.

12-03-2004, 05:27 PM	#8 (permalink)
jonjon42 Psycho Location: inside my own mind	I think it's kinda rude to remote servers (I have one myself) and hope it doesn't catch on too much. It provides a headache for admins and may get you blacklisted. also...the guy should use .xpi which is standard for all mozilla executables. user at your own PERIL goes to sweep patch under rug __________________ A damn dirty hippie without the dirty part.... Last edited by jonjon42; 12-03-2004 at 05:33 PM..

12-13-2004, 11:18 AM	#10 (permalink)
whocarz Jarhead Location: Colorado	I want to get rid of this thing, how do I do it? __________________ If there exists anything mightier than destiny, then it is the courage to face destiny unflinchingly. -Geibel Despise not death, but welcome it, for nature wills it like all else. -Marcus Aurelius Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever? -GySgt. Daniel J. "Dan" Daly

12-13-2004, 11:28 AM	#11 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	whocarz: Look at my link, just above your post. It lists all of the settings that speed booster affects, what the different options are for each setting, as well as what the 'default' and 'recommended' settings are. Or, you could create a new profile and start fresh. __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

12-13-2004, 11:28 AM	#12 (permalink)
godxzilla Crazy Location: Columbus, OH	i never understood these kinds of things. why would you need to increase your download speed in firefox? how much can you possibly be downloading from a browser? most i can think of would be linux iso's from an http source but those take no time anyway with a cable connection. Its things like this that are going to ruin it for everyone when they start introducing connection caps and stricter bandwidth caps! __________________ Mike

12-13-2004, 03:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
Knoweffects Tilted Location: san marcos CA	possibly, a few people useualy are the ones that ruin it for everyone else, altho im sure if it gets realy popular servers will find ways to deal/block it. __________________ no h8 only <3

04-09-2005, 03:46 PM	#15 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	Broadband firefox users: beef up your loading speed For those Firefox people using broadband, try this to beef up your page loading times. I found it on another forum, it's a little gem. 1. Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries: network.http.pipelining network.http.proxy.pipelining network.http.pipelining.maxrequests Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading. 2. Alter the entries as follows: Set "network.http.pipelining" to "true" Set "network.http.proxy.pipelining" to "true" Set "network.http.pipelining.maxrequests" to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once. 3. Lastly right-click anywhere in the "aboug:config" page and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves. 4. Restart Firefox Notice the ping, i'm loaded effect that your firefox now has. Nice isn't it? Edit: oopskido, didn't use the search function did i? __________________ Office hours have changed. Please call during office hours for more information. Last edited by stevie667; 04-10-2005 at 03:04 AM..

04-09-2005, 03:48 PM	#16 (permalink)
SVT01Cobra Psycho Location: Somewhere, Missouri	lol, you didnt happen to find that on the City of Heroes forums, did ya? That's where I found it.

04-09-2005, 03:55 PM	#17 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	Okay, someone close this. It's repetative and been discussed on teh COMPUTER FORUM (http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining ; http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...ght=pipelining) a few times before now. Get a clue, and use the search. Thank you, have a nice day. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."

04-09-2005, 03:57 PM	#18 (permalink)
d3cemberist Crazy	These are EXTREMELY DAMAGING "optimizations" to apply and should be avoided at all costs. These settings violate the HTTP protocol, which recommends a limit of 2 connections per server. When you increase it beyond that, a lot of bad things begin to happen. __________________ i like my coffee black and my parole denied.

04-10-2005, 06:15 AM	#20 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	Billege's comment was posted in response to stevie667, who created a separate thread, before that thread was merged with this one. That said, let this be a reminder that it's better to use the report this post function or to contact a moderator through some other means than to make complaining posts in the problem threads. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

04-10-2005, 09:14 AM	#21 (permalink)
billege Watcher Location: Ohio	I didn't realize the little red and white triangle was the report a post button. I feel slightly annoyed with myself for missing that. I looked all over hell and back for the Report a Post button on the page, and missed it right there.....figures.... I tried to get a mod on IRC and pasted the link to the thread I was referencing, but didn't get anyone in the brief time I was on. I complained in the thread, because I was choosing to express my annoyance at yet one more person, the fourth (by my three second search), posting this. Especially since it was in general discussion. Lastly, yesterday was a tough, mostly dissapointing, day for me; my grumpiness certainly carried over. __________________ I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence: "My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."

04-10-2005, 11:34 AM	#22 (permalink)
the_marq All hail the Mountain King Location: Black Mesa	OK we're all still friends here. Thanks for the update SM70. __________________ The Truth: Johnny Cash could have kicked Bruce Lee's ass if he wanted to. #3 in a series