Browser Wars! Are browsers using too much RAM nowadays?

[yann2]

Just thought about sharing this, I have noticed a huge amount of RAM, memory being taken by my favourite desktop browser - Google Chrome, currently version 22.

* The Problem with Chrome - excessive use of RAM.

It started to annoy me when it loads up and hits the wall on my workstation. The system runs Server 2003 R2, has 2 GB of ram, and that does NOT happen with either Firefox or Opera.

I have the system paging file disabled, as I rather not move data from RAM to disk, if a system has over 1 GB of ram already. Then Chrome starts crashing tabs when it hits the limit.

I am not sure about IE, since the only thing I use it for is Windows Updates, as we have no choice in that matter.

* Firefox is a Good Browser too; Try it ?

Started migrating to other browsers in my laptops, older machines using Win XP pro, with 756 MB and 1 GB respectively.

Firefox is a nice browser, it feels a bit slower than Chrome, and web test benchmarks confirm the gut feeling; I didn't test, but read the reports.

However, as an Active forum user, I hit a serious problem in Firefox 16.0.x; it does not play well with the Forum editor BBcode buttons.

Here's an example - I took a screenshot as I was writing a message in FF 16, highlighted a piece of text I wanted to format with Italics :

After I pressed the I button on the editor toolbar, here's what the text (still highlighted) looks like :

I reported that to Mozilla, it shows an [undefined:undefined] where an italic, bold, image, etc, tag should be.

* And my current choice, Opera 12 :

So, I have to switch to Opera, which I had used for a long time, since version 6 or earlier, but not so much since Chrome came out, and woot, so fast it is...

Just took some screenshots, I am impressed by Opera (v.12.02) running here.

First, a snapshot of it, loaded with 12 tabs, and the memory use is VERY low for a modern browser :



^-- Click on image, for full size version.

Then I minimized the Opera window, and was surprised to see it releasing a good quantity of RAM back to the operating system. Snapshot of Task Manager, taken with Opera minimized :

Note also that Opera has all of its memory under a single process. Take a similar snapshot with Chrome, you will see multiple instances of Chrome listed. Each tab or process is taking its own slice of RAM.

Opera has some other nice features too, I specially like the customizable Speed Dial, and how I can use Ctl-1, or Ctl-2 (or 3, etc) to load the windows defined in Speed dial panels 1 or 2, or 3, etc.

Without even seeing the Speed Dial, actually.

If there's a page you load often, like your email, or the Today's Posts in a favourite forum, it's one keystroke away. Can't beat that!

What about you all? What's your favourite browser? Why?

 

[Nibiru2012]

I'm still experimenting with the various browser for Android. So far I have tried Firefox, Chrome, ICS browser, Skyfire, Maxthon, Dolphin W/JetPack, and Boat browser.

All have their good points and bad. I am trying to figure out bookmarks for them though. Some appear to not natively support bookmarks though. A little frustrating but I'll get it figured out.

I'll give Opera a try and see how it goes.

~Nibs

 

[weezyrider]

Have you tried FX ESR? It just gets security updates. I have used Opera since you had to buy it for no ads. The more stuff they add, the less I like. It's absolutely a pain to configure anything like NoScript. I also use Iron rather than Chrome. Only problem is cleaning out everything on exit. FX and Opera allow you to.
All I want is a basic browser with a menu, tab, and address bar. I'd rather have pull down menus and bookmarks. A basic browser that doesn't incorporate social media, entertainment media should be easier to secure.

I use Boat and Boat mini. Any browser, the first things to go are all the built in links. I add my own. The same thing applies about plain browsers. Boat and Dolphin are the only 2 I have found that will convert html to pdf. The national parks use this. You can get almost any information in the browser via html. Doesn't work too well with a wifi only tablet in the middle of nowhere. Saving the page doesn't work too well, either. If you convert to pdf, the info is there when you want it, connection or not.