Ads by Google

Free Mozilla

Firefox

Internet Explorer 7

DSL Speed

Speed Up

A handful of Firefox tweaks that will double your browser speed

Posted by Zach Epstein on Jan 25, 2009 2:44 pm 62 comments Filed in Linux, Mac OS, Software, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Firefox users take note: You need to do this. Now. As in, this instant. More savvy users are probably already familiar with editing Firefoxs configuration file but whether youre a computer rookie or a seasoned veteran, Gnoted has issued a handful of tweaks that really get Firefox cooking. As much as we all love the fox, it can get a bit slow on occasion - especially if youre like us and have 35 open tabs spread across four windows at any given time. By tweaking the way Firefox handles some caching functions, you can dramatically improve page load speed and even prevent Firefox from hogging your system resources while minimized. If you dont currently have any experience playing with your configuration file, dont be scared. Just follow the simple instructions, take your time and if you want a security blanket to squeeze, jot down each setting before you change it so you can always restore the default configuration if need be. So without further ado, hit the jump and get tweaking - just remember to restart Firefox when youre done.

Reduce the amount of RAM Firefox uses for its cache feature
1. Type about:config (no quotes) in the adress bar in the browser. 2. Find browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewer 3. Set its value to 0;(Zero)

Increase the Speed at Which Firefox loads pages

1. Type about:config into the address bar and hit Enter. (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 10. This means it will make 10 requests at once. 3. Lastly, right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it nglayout.initialpaint.delay and set its value to 0;.(Zero) This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. If youre using a broadband connection youll load pages faster now. Optionally (for even faster web browsing) here are some more options for your about:config (you might have to create some of these entries by Right Click > New > Interger or String network.dns.disableIPv6: set false content.notify.backoffcount : set 5; (Five) plugin.expose_full_path : set true . ui.submenuDelay: set 0; (zero)

Reduce RAM usage to 10MB when Firefox is minimized:

This little hack will drop Firefoxs RAM usage down to 10 Mb when minimized: 1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter . 2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean . 3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter. 4. Now select True and then press Enter . 5. Restart Firefox. Thanks, Mel! [Via Unplggd] Read Tags: enhancements, Firefox, guide, hacks, how to, speed, tweaks

62 comment(s) for this post.

Pages: [1] 2 3 On Jan 25, 2009 @ 3:05 pm, Andrew Said: Thanks, it seems a good deal faster than Safari, which I have been using for a while.
Permalink | Reply

On Jan 25, 2009 @ 3:07 pm, A Said: Thank yoU!

Permalink | Reply