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Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs
The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.
Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.
In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!
Comments
22
Subscribe to comments@davey_ladApr 4th 2011 6:48AM
It's no suprise to see Firebug in that list. Since FF4 & latest version of Firebug my browser has slowed considerably (and not just start up times). When using Firebug the whole thing just seems much more sluggish than it used to be.
Unfortunately its one of of those must have add-ons
Sebastian AnthonyApr 4th 2011 6:49AM
@@davey_lad Yeah, I suspect Firebug is simply slow because it's so darn big and feature-rich!
It's also likely to be run on developer machines, which tend to be powerful :)
@davey_ladApr 4th 2011 6:56AM
@Sebastian Anthony agreed. just the nature of the Firebug means it's going to be a drain. My dev box is nuclear powered and I still feel it's drag... and I think it's got worse over time. There's always ways to improve however... it's the time & effort that's the problem.
ChrisSskApr 4th 2011 6:51AM
The add-ons that are on the list add up to 91% I'm on a really fast machine so the delay isnt much but still...
I like that bundled add-ons will need permission, I wonder if that will apply to add-ons like the annoying Java Console
ossApr 5th 2011 4:51AM
@ChrisSsk 91%? Where is it?
JeffreyApr 4th 2011 6:56AM
Well officially, it's not really meant to shame developers as much as it is to warn users. Shame about Flash Got. As expected Adblock Plus made it on the list too although below the detrimental 25% mark.
Sebastian AnthonyApr 4th 2011 7:15AM
@Jeffrey I know -- I was being a bit 'tabloid' with the title. *hangs head in shame*
davemcclellansdApr 4th 2011 6:59AM
I've noticed that uninstalling a few add-ons decreased loading times(like my SEO toolbar) and freed up some RAM but, didn't realize it was 10%.I like the idea that they will provide a warning for add-on toolbars. I never download these and always pay careful attention to any SUN install that I do(hey, they have to make money some how). We also wrote a post about some add-ons that improve the Firefox experience. You can check it out here:http://www.softwarecrew.com/2011/04/10-great-add-ons-for-tweaking-customising-and-improving-firefox-4/
Bryan PriceApr 4th 2011 9:25AM
Hopefully up next thing up for them to shame is the web sites that eat ridiculous CPU for nothing. I'm looking at you Google and Gmail. With a Gmail tab open, I usually see my CPU at 24%. You might not think that's too bad, but this is a quad core, so it's basically running one core at 95+%! Close the Gmail tab, and the system flatlines at 2%. I didn't see this in the beta, and I'm running less addons (because I was suspecting them) than I was with the beta!
zeusvn88Apr 4th 2011 9:33AM
Despite this move is good, I feel FF is just stupid. Instead of implementing some of these addons (some I believe are essential to browsing experience) to FF itself and spend time optimizing them, they introduce some new lame features in upcoming version.
I'm using FF right now but look at Opera, self-containing most of these features in a smaller installer, running faster and lighter.
JeffreyApr 4th 2011 9:50AM
@zeusvn88
Yeah, I feel Adblock Plus and Ghostery are essential to web browsing. They should definitely consider building the functionality into Firefox. I know the said something about building in Flash Block.
It seems that Mozilla is against ad/tracker blockers. It's probably because of their relationship with Google and other service providers. Or maybe they're afraid of the wrath of websites that promote Firefox.
Bryan PriceApr 4th 2011 9:36AM
I should have looked before I commented. Xmarks is up there. And from their FB page, they say that they are looking at dropping password sync soon, since that's LastPass's function. And since it's now taking minutes (over 15 last time I watched) to sync anything when it DOES sync...
zeusvn88Apr 4th 2011 10:16AM
@Jeffrey
yep Jeffrey, FF has the most comprehensive data of web user usage thanks to their addon ecosystem. Look at the most popular addons, it's clear what the users want from a browser. Instead, the new features in FF5 is like what??
I hated Opera for its stubbornness not to have addon before. Now I hate FF too. Currently, Chrome and Opera make sense.
NoahApr 4th 2011 10:57AM
Still not un-installing Firebug even if it slows down my browser 100%.
Adam GarrettApr 4th 2011 2:12PM
Isn't it a bit ironic that an add-on named FastestFox is in the top ten?
Sebastian AnthonyApr 5th 2011 6:11AM
@Adam Garrett Hah, I didn't notice -- the irony!
XenoApr 4th 2011 6:28PM
WebMail Notifier, Download Statusbar, DownThemAll!, Flagfox, Personas Plus, Adblock Plus, Xmarks, FoxClocks(!)
arh what, I use all these!
Sebastian AnthonyApr 5th 2011 6:10AM
@Xeno Well, all of the 'best' add-ons probably provide a lot of functionality... which is why they're also the slowest! It's a double-edged sword :)
saudrapsmannApr 5th 2011 8:01PM
Thanks for this. Switched from Greasemonkey to Scriptish!
SilverWaveApr 6th 2011 7:28PM
Page load isn't an issue
Set:
browser.sessionstore.max_concurrent_tabs: 0
Instant startup!
Now page load is more interesting...