Firefox Linux Performance

I've been using Linux as my sole OS since the July 4th weekend of last year, so nearly a year now. I made the full-time switch after using it on-off in a dual-boot fashion for many many years. For the most part, I'm thrilled to have cut the Microsoft cord, except for one thing: Firefox.

Frankly, Firefox on Linux *sucks*! Compared to the Windows version of Firefox, the Linux version is a big steaming pile of fail. Firefox on Linux is almost enough of a reason to make me switch back to Windows.

Doesn't matter what PC I use, or which Distro (I've gone between Ubuntu, to SuSE, back to Ubuntu and now to Fedora), Firefox on Linux has the same performance issues across the board. It drags a** at times, is slow to respond to my requests, and dear God I best not try to ask it to do multiple things at once or ... plthhhhhhhh!

I just got a new laptop (a plenty powerful Dell Studio 15), and its the same thing. Firefox on the default Vista install feels 100x more "snappy" and responsive than Firefox on Linux. It is frustrating beyond belief.

Sure, I can use Opera... Opera is pretty good, its snappy and much more responsive, but it has its own set of quirks plus the lack of plugins is a bit of a downer.

I'm hoping 3.5, once out of beta, will improve its Linux performance... but if not, honestly, the Windows 7 RC is looking mighty fine. Don't get me wrong I'm a HUGE supporter of Linux... run Slackware on all my servers etc... I want Linux to do well but things like this are reason enough as to why it isnt (yet).

Anyway... I'm mostly venting, dont mind me.
~Aryq~

 

are you sure it's Firefox and not java or flash that is causing your issues? I've noticed that java and flash sites run a bit slower on FF/Linux (Flash 10 still kind of sucks IMO but at least it works now)

 

I run flashblock so that flash stuff does not run automatically on sites I visit... Dear goodness, when I was not running flashblock, Firefox's performance was even worse than it is now. Flash on Linux does suck, but flashblock should be taking that out of the Firefox equation.

~Aryq~

 

Hmm, that's odd, Firefox is pretty snappy for me, regardless of Operating System. I don't have any Firefox Add-On's installed though in Linux....wonder if that makes a difference?

 

Turn off all your extensions, and then re-enable them one by one. It's almost always the extensions/Add-ons that cause Firefox slowdowns.

 

The only extension I'm actually running right now is Flashblock. I had others installed, but I removed them in a test to see if one of them was the culprit. *shrugs*

~Aryq~

 

Use noscript. It will also improve performance. I've been running firefox on linux for years without any problems (once I discovered flashblock & noscript). I generally have 150-200 tabs open in firefox. It gets slow and lags after 100 tabs or so(but I assume it would under windows too), but if you're below that it should not be a problem.

Flash under linux does suck, but its adobe's fault.

 

Ehh... the guy who runs noscript is a jerk, and there are a number of conditions where noscript doesn't actually prevent scripts from downloading or starting (can't find the reference right now). I prefer Adblock... that will block scripts and such from running quite well.

 

Pitabred, dont you think he was somewhat pushed into a corner also by the maintainer of the AdblockPlus easylist?
Noscript dev Maone has certainly crossed the line, bigtime, as he admits himself on his site, but I think both parties are to blame for not solving their issue.

Back on topic, Firefox runs just as fast (or slow) on Ubuntu as on Vista in my experience.
I use the same 4 addons on both OS's.

 

It's probably because you're running flash 9 or something. Turn off and re-enable your plugins to see which one is slowing you down. If you want a permanent and quick fix just disable them all.

 

Putting noscript on top of adblock plus made a major improvement in firefox performance.
I use adblock plus and noscript.

 

Firefox running in Openbox on top of Arch64 is not an issue for me. I don't notice any difference between Firefox in linux and in Windows (I use both regularly). I did have some very major performance issues with Firefox in linux a long time ago, but it was an nVidia module upgrade that fixed it for me.

 

After the Noscript guy mucked with the Adblock filters to let ads on his site go through, I don't trust Noscript any further than I can throw the developer.

Back on topic for Firefox performance, I have been using Firefox 3.5/3.6 from some PPA's for Ubuntu, and it is quite fast. Much faster than the 3.0/3.1 builds, so those of you experiencing problems with Firefox speed may look to use some of the bleeding edge releases.

 

Try Chrome, the Linux Alpha, it is good.

 

Although it doesn't have flash.

 

Other than that, it is more stable for me than older linux versions. The older ones crashed often, the new one has yet to.

 

I just upgraded to the Firefox 3.5 beta 4 -- and while it does feel a bit "snappier" than Firefox 3.0, it still feels "laggy" in comparison to Firefox on Windows 7. Same laptop, same hardware. Its almost as if Firefox on Linux does not want to multitask for sh*t. I open a link from a page I'm reading into a new tab, and as that page is loading in the new tab, the current tab is slow to respond to scrolling, or anything. As I said, this has followed me across 3 distros now and across 3 different computers... It's frustrating.

I'm not the only one with this issue, either. If you google the issue, theres lots of posts on blogs and forums about this... "why does firefox on linux suck", etc, etc. So, I dunno anymore. I think I'll give Ubuntu 9.04 a try, and probably Fedora 11 if they ever get around to releasing it... but if the issue continues then my year-long Linux escapade may come to an end in favor of Windows 7.

*shrugs*
~Aryq~

 

Now this is just something I don't understand. I've never had such problems with firefox.

 

I may have found the issue.
Firefox uses SQlite, right? Well look at the SQLite benchmarks for kernels before 2.6.29.

Also, Firefox's SQLite databases can become full of excess crap, and I found this script that can clear it.
On Ubuntu, just do this:

Code:

sudo apt-get install sqlite3

Make a text file, I'll call it cleanfirefox.sh in your home directory.
Fill it with this code:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

username=$(whoami)
proc="$(ps aux | grep $username | grep -v $0 | grep firefox | grep -v grep)"
if [ "$proc" != "" ]
then
echo "shutdown firefox first!"
exit 1
fi

curdir=$(pwd)

for dir in $(cat ~/.mozilla/firefox/profiles.ini | grep Path= | sed -e 's/Path=//')
do
cd ~/.mozilla/firefox/$dir 2>/dev/null
if [ $? == 0 ]
then
echo "i'm in $(pwd)"
echo -e " running...\n"

for F in $(find . -type f -name '*.sqlite' -print)
do
sqlite3 $F "VACUUM;"
done

echo -e "done in $(pwd) ...\n"
else
echo -e "\n !!!! Nisam uspio uci u direktorij $dir, preskacem ga !!!!\n"
fi
done
echo "Job finished";

Then run:

Code:

chmod +x cleanfirefox.sh

Code:

./cleanfirefox.sh

Be sure to exit firefox first!

 

Ya know, you may be onto something, Thomas.

Fedora 10 right now is on a 2.6.27 kernel, so it is one of the ones affected with the terribly slow sqlite performance as mentioned in the link. Also, one of those .sqlite files in my profile directory was nearly 30mb before compressing it or whatever the script you posted does. Its still 16mb after running the script though, which seems a smidge large (It's places.sqlite, for what its worth).

I have a few ideas I want to test... I'll report back later if I come up with anything concrete.

Ciao,
~Aryq~

 

Google chrome ftw?

 

It clears the empty values in the database, actually .
Compression would save disk space, but decrease performance.

 

Well as an update... the Firefox 3.5 beta ended up being worse for me than 3.0... My online classes started today for the summer session, and our online class system is heavy on Java and Javascript... Well something about the new 3.5 and it did not agree, parts of the system didnt work as it should, and another part kept causing the browser to hang. Of course, I decided to try 3.5 beta on Windows as a comparison, and guess what, works just fine over there. *shakes head*

I decided to give Ubuntu 9.04 a try, fresh clean install... thats what I'm on now. As of right now, Firefox 3.0.10 is working fine. We'll see if that continues to be the case or not. I'm not going to install any plugins or add-ons or anything... we'll see if it stays fast or not, and if everything continues to work well. If not, Windows 7 RC here I come.

I will say, Ubuntu 9.04 is fast... It boots up in no time flat on this Studio 1537.

Ciao,
--Eric

 

If you're using stuff heavy on Java and Javascript then I suggest that you use Google Chrome. It doesn't have flash/plugins right now for Linux but for Windows you should use it.

 

Windows Firefox performance is NOT my problem... Firefox on Windows, even with heavy javascript and java, works FINE for me. Thats kinda the whole point of the thread -- Firefox on Windows on this machine is great, Firefox on Linux sucks.

Thanks...
--Eric

 

Also, the less plugins you use and which you use matter a lot.
Hopefully in Karmic/Kernel 2.6.30 their should be a noticeable improvement.