Tag: performance

Categories
Computing Technology Web

Firefox Slow to Startup, Using Large Amounts of RAM?

Part of my structure and workflow with browsers – Firefox in this case – and one of the innovations I use to structure my browser is Pinned Tabs. Depending on the browser – different machines have different contexts and so different sets of Pinned Tabs in their browsers – I could have between 6 and 12 tabs pinned in the tab bar.

It took quite a while for me to realize it, but slowly my browser startup and performance was becoming very poor. Especially for those occasional links clicked when Firefox is not already open. Today it occurred to me that I’m well aware that Normal Tabs load their content on-demand when first switched to, and not immediately on browser startup. But is this the same for Pinned Tabs?

A quick test showed that Pinned Tabs load all their content immediately when the browser is started. I had my most resource-heavy web apps in those pinned tabs (Webmail, Slack, Trello, Feedly, and more) and they were inflating the startup memory overhead of Firefox by hundreds of megabytes.

Fortunately, as with most things Firefox, in about:config it’s a quick change to browser.sessionstore.restore_pinned_tabs_on_demand to prevent those heavy pages from loading immediately on browser start and rather have them load more comfortably when I actually need them.

Categories
Music

REM Concert Photos

Stage lighting and the band

Well, here it is, eventually, the link to my (prohibited) photos of R.E.M.’s concert in Johannesburg on 10 March 2005.

There’s actually a dodgy video clip or four in that collection too.
(I eventually ran out of memory on my camera).
Enjoy!

Michael Stipe looks out at the audience

Categories
Music

Danko Jones @ The Doors

So despite my Computicket debacle I still got my hands on a ticket to see Danko Jones at the Doors nightclub in Edenvale on Saturday. In all honesty the tickets weren’t that difficult to get hold of – the place was relatively empty but filled up enough to make it worthwhile.

16Stitch opened with a strong performance, although it was a very short set. Still they put on a class act and started to get the audience hyped, but it appeared quite a few people were not that into their performance. My highlight of the performance was when a girl sidled up to a guy standing in front of me, obviously her boyfriend, and asked him “Is this music a bit heavy for you?”. Oh dear.

Danko Jones came out firing on all cylinders and really got the crowd worked up. Danko has quite a strong stage presence, and just the right amount of attitude to be on the edge but not be overbearing. Their style of music is solid, heavy, real rock and roll. Not rock though – definitely rock and roll. All in all it was a top level performance. Well done guys.

An interesting point for me though was that I did not feel compelled to buy any of their CDs at the door. Perhaps I just spent too much on the Linkin Park and other CDs I picked up earlier in the week and didn’t want to destroy my budget completely, but perhaps, although it was great stuff I didn’t feel it was the right time for me to buy their CD. I’ll keep deliberating it though.