What's new in TenFourFox, the Mozilla browser for Power Macs.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
19.0.2 released
That's not a typo; there was no 19.0.1 desktop (it was a bugfix on mobile only). This fixes the Pwn2Own exploit and also includes the Safari bookmark fix as promised finally. To the downloads tab!
So I have a question. I'm on a Pismo, 500 MHZ G3 with a gig of ram (on Tiger, naturally).
Now, I'm still running TFF 7.0, because I recall that after 7 (or possibly 8.0) something changed and G3 performance took a hit. So 7 was much faster than running 10, 12, etc.
Is this still the case? What's the generally accepted fastest version of TFF for ye old G3? I know the most secure is this release, but if upgrading drops my speed down to Safari levels, then it's a judgment call whether the security outweighs the speed hit.
On my 400 MHz G3 Pismo, speed tests indicate that the more recent versions are faster. Of course, on a Pismo, nothing is blazingly fast, but TFF 17 and 19 are definitely usable, also for more demanding sites like Facebook. I haven't seen a G3 performance hit after 7, neither on the Pismo, nor on my 800 MHz iBook G3.
So, 19 is almost a double-your-processor-speed boost for free. Likeweise, my G4 PowerBook 1.33 GHz needs 3113ms with TFF 7 (that's slower than TFF 19 on the G3…), and 1611ms with TFF 19 to complete a Sunspider run.
Browsing isn't just JavaScript of course, but *a lot* of other components in the browser got faster, too, when you compare 7 to 19 (or 17).
That, and the browser chrome is largely written in JavaScript as well, so the faster the JavaScript engine, the faster the browser becomes (all current Gecko derivatives are this way, including AuroraFox, SeaMonkeyPPC and Tenfourbird).
I just downloaded the TenFourFoxG5 19.0.2 and have been using it for several hours. Much, much faster and far more stable than the 17.x version. I experienced sluggish response and occasional crashes while using 17.x after a short time. 17.x did have a memory leak issue and this was a contributing factor I believe to the aforementioned performance troubles. I am very happy with the 19.0.2 very and commend the efforts of the development team for making it the best version to date!!
So I have a question. I'm on a Pismo, 500 MHZ G3 with a gig of ram (on Tiger, naturally).
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm still running TFF 7.0, because I recall that after 7 (or possibly 8.0) something changed and G3 performance took a hit. So 7 was much faster than running 10, 12, etc.
Is this still the case? What's the generally accepted fastest version of TFF for ye old G3? I know the most secure is this release, but if upgrading drops my speed down to Safari levels, then it's a judgment call whether the security outweighs the speed hit.
On my 400 MHz G3 Pismo, speed tests indicate that the more recent versions are faster. Of course, on a Pismo, nothing is blazingly fast, but TFF 17 and 19 are definitely usable, also for more demanding sites like Facebook. I haven't seen a G3 performance hit after 7, neither on the Pismo, nor on my 800 MHz iBook G3.
ReplyDeleteSome data (showing that G3s don't need to hide).
ReplyDeleteiBook G3 800 MHz, 640 MB RAM, Sunspider 0.9.1:
TFF 7.0: 4702.7ms
TFF 10.0.11: 3333.8ms
TFF 17.0.4: 3033.7ms
TFF 19.0.2: 2850.1ms
So, 19 is almost a double-your-processor-speed boost for free. Likeweise, my G4 PowerBook 1.33 GHz needs 3113ms with TFF 7 (that's slower than TFF 19 on the G3…), and 1611ms with TFF 19 to complete a Sunspider run.
Browsing isn't just JavaScript of course, but *a lot* of other components in the browser got faster, too, when you compare 7 to 19 (or 17).
That, and the browser chrome is largely written in JavaScript as well, so the faster the JavaScript engine, the faster the browser becomes (all current Gecko derivatives are this way, including AuroraFox, SeaMonkeyPPC and Tenfourbird).
DeleteI just downloaded the TenFourFoxG5 19.0.2 and have been using it for several hours. Much, much faster and far more stable than the 17.x version. I experienced sluggish response and occasional crashes while using 17.x after a short time. 17.x did have a memory leak issue and this was a contributing factor I believe to the aforementioned performance troubles. I am very happy with the 19.0.2 very and commend the efforts of the development team for making it the best version to date!!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it. However, some not so good news with 20. More about that probably later today.
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