Browser tip of the day: Faster Firefox Builds
Today we've got the best kind of tip for you - how to make your Firefox browser faster. Now, this one's not for the faint of heart, but it is completely doable, and I've personally been using it for months with no problems. What am I talking about? MOOX builds. MOOX is a developer that takes the Firefox source code, and makes optimized builds for different classes of processor. These builds can be installed on top of your current "officially" downloaded version, and contain all of the same source code; the only difference is that certain compiler switches are set to take advantage of technologies that are present in different processors, resulting in a browser that runs optimally fast for your machine, rather than one that is "one size fits all".
Here's how to take full advantage of MOOX builds without risking your current Firefox setup.
1. Go to MOOX's website and read his own description of what he's up to.
2. Make sure to read the M descriptions, which describe the differences between each build, and which processors they are meant for.
3. Navigate to the Firefox builds page, and download the M build that is appropriate for your CPU. We recommend sticking with the release builds.
4. Take a complete copy of your Firefox directory (usually C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\) and set it aside. This is simply so that you can backtrack if anything goes wrong.
5. Run the MOOX installer executable, which will ask you where to unzip the files to. Since you already have a copy of your current Firefox directory, simply unzip MOOX to your Firefox folder (making sure of course that your browser isn't currently running).
6. You're done. Start Firefox and note the icon has turned from blue and orange to two-tone blue. Also note the added zip in your browser's step. Now buy me a beer. (Okay, buy MOOX one!)
MOOX tries to keep up with the Firefox build releases, but this is only a hobby for him, so sometimes the MOOX builds are somewhat behind. Until recently his site said he'd be taking a short hiatus from making builds, however thankfully he appears to have had time to create 1.0.6 builds.
