Firefox Users

http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2005/02..._tweak_tips.htm

"After you get past the beginner stage with Firefox, try this "power-user" trick to make it download pages faster by allowing multiple connections so it can download more than one file at a time.

It's only useful for broadband users, so if you're still on dial-up you can just skip this one for now."

What follows on this ForeverGeek, "Nerds-Are-For-Dorks" forum post is an interesting series of mostly highly relevant comments on a Mozilla Firefox speed tweaking tip that has been rapidly propagating on the web during the last few weeks. When applied as instructed, the suggested changes to your Firefox configuration file will result in a considerable speed boost on high-bandwidth Internet connections.

Note that the Forever Geek thread is not the original source of the tip, but the comment thread with all its helpful pointers and explanations definitely makes it worth reading.

Now, what is this speed tweaking tip about? For a rather technical explanation go to Mozilla's own Pipelining FAQ, make sure you understand the intricacies of editing your Firefox configuration files (about:config) or keep reading here for a more simple explanation.

The following simplifying analogy may be appropriate, comparing two scenarios:

Scenario one: imagine your doctor gives you separate prescriptions for three different medicines. You go to the local pharmacy and give the first prescription note to the pharmacist. While preparing your medicine, waiting for the medicine label and the invoice to print, the pharmacist has no opportunity to have a look at the second prescription and anticipate what it takes to prepare it. Only after you receive the first medicine, you hand over the second prescription. Again you wait until you get that second medicine, before you finally give the third prescription. Although of course an over-simplification of the technological background processes, this trivial example resembles to a great extent what would happen when a traditional web server would handle multiple requests from a non-pipelining browser to fetch data for display on a web page.

Now, the second scenario is a more efficient one. Continuing the analogy of visiting your pharmacy with three prescriptions: you hand over all three prescriptions to the pharmacist. The pharmacist prepares your medicines, uses intermittent waiting times to get started on the next prescription and then hands all three medicines over back to you when he/she is done. This is exactly what a web server does that is aware of HTTP pipelining. Pages load considerably faster because the browser is capable of handling multiple, subsequent requests and because the browser is capable of processing multiple, subsequent responses.

These are the full instructions, most probably originally put together by someone using the nick name KoRn:

"Here's something for broadband people that will really speed Firefox up:

1. Type "about:config" into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining

network.http.proxy.pipelining

network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

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 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it "nglayout.initialpaint.delay" and set its value to "0". This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.

If you're using a broadband connection you'll load pages MUCH faster now!"

my head's gonna explode

iloveboxcars posted this awhile ago.

http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php...topic=61414&hl=

Cool.

I followed the instructions.

Seems like iits working so far ...

Originally posted by The Leader@Feb 28 2005, 11:46 PM

iloveboxcars posted this awhile ago.

 

http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php...topic=61414&hl=

Quoted post

WOW WHAT A BIG DIFFERENCE.

THERE IS SOME OTHER VALUES YOU CAN MODIFY IN THERE TOO. LIKE MAX SERVER CONNECTIONS , ETC.

Far out thats fucking faster now.

*creams pants*

</nerdiness>

Damn, shit is a ton faster. Think this made me officially trade in safari for Firefox as the default browser.

fuck, i wanna try it out, but i'm at work.

It is faster .. thanks for the link. and iloveboxcars, too.

Faster eh? It works I guess. Thanks.

Originally posted by Seldoon@Mar 1 2005, 10:05 AM

fuck, i wanna try it out, but i'm at work.

Quoted post

so i'm home. and it works!

fucking awesome, much faster.

Originally posted by The Leader@Mar 1 2005, 12:46 AM

iloveboxcars posted this awhile ago.

 

http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php...topic=61414&hl=

you should get off iloveboxcar's nuts.

ha!

Sounds pretty impossible.

USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION BEFORE POSTING A NEW THREAD NUB.

wish i would have seen this the first time, this shit gets things done with the quickness

i tried it..it worked for a quik minute

then it went back to normal...