Browser Speed on Ubuntu/Firefox (V 20 for Ubuntu) SO MUCH FASTER than Win or Mac

[dballance]

I had an old Mac Mini - circa mid 2007 - lying around that I could no longer update to the latest version of Mac OS X. So I thought, what the heck. I'll load Ubuntu on it. I haven't had a LINUX machine in a while so it'd be good to have one and get my skills back in shape. Also, I thought I'd just let it run some BOINC projects like SETI@home and climateprediction.net pretty much non-stop when I wasn't using it.

I am an IT guy and I guess it must be like being a gun person. I have 4 computers. A MacBook Pro, two Mac Minis, and a Win 7 machine. Yes, I do work in IT but I don't wear the propeller hat

The Mac Mini I put Ubuntu on has the oldest processor and the least memory of any of the machines. Yet, when I'm running Firefox on it it's noticeably faster than on OSx or Win 7.

Since the Ubuntu install is pretty pristine I'm not reviewing all the plug-ins and stuff on Firefox on the other OSes. I know I have some anti-virus software on those that is scanning content and downloads. I need to see what kind of sluggishness I set up for myself on the other machines.

Just wanted to share and to see if others had similar experiences.

[gvstn]

1. Hi

My one gripe with FF on Linux is that when I want to paste an address into the address bar, I have to erase the current address using the backspace key and then paste my new address. On Windows machines, I can click the address bar and hit the Delete key to erase the current address which is highlighted and then paste my new address from the clipboard. It bugs me that I haven't found a Linux browser that works this way.

I agree that FF works faster in Linux even from a USB key but I hate that not being able to copy a link from a webpage and paste it without having to use the SLOW backspace bar to clear the current URL in the address bar.

[pokerfan]

2. address bar

Ubuntu/FF user here. Anyways, to paste into the address bar, I just type ctrl-L to go to the bar and highlighting the current address and then ctrl-v to paste over it. No backspace needed. (Double-clicking the address bar also highlights everything but the keyboard shortcut is faster.)

[gvstn]

3. Thanks!

Double-clicking the address bar also highlights everything

I am going to have to try this. I'm partial to FF because I have several addons that I consider indispensable but always hate the Linux version because of the copy/paste issue with the address bar. If this works it will be great! I can't wait to try it.

I'm curious have you tried SUSE or Pear versions of Linux recently? I slightly prefer those over Ubuntu but don't really remember any Linux command tweaks enough to say I have any experience with Linux. I just slightly prefer those desktops. I did install SUSE on a HD recently but found it was rather slow almost no faster than running off an USB drive. I'm not sure if this is because I have my Windows on a SSD and SUSE on an old IDE drive or if SUSE is just slow?

[pokerfan]

4. I'm a big fan of keyboard shortcuts

Ever close a tab and it's just like locking your keys in the car? Instant pang of regret? Instead of digging through the history file for the tab you just closed, ctrl-alt-t will bring it back. In fact, it will resurrect your last ten tabs if you keep hitting it.

Aside from Red Hat back in the day, Ubuntu has been my only distro. Now with 10.04 LTS support ending after three years, I'm casting about for a new distro. I will probably go Mint as that's my rescue disc/flash anyway. I like what they've done with Gnome/Mate so I'll probably head that direction.

[gvstn]

5. It works!

Thanks for this info. I guess I wasn't double clicking fast enough to highlight the text. Now I know.

I like the ctrl + L too.

I appreciate the heads up, I never found it on my own and always resorted to the backspace key which was very annoying.

[pokerfan]

6. But of course!

I guess I wasn't double clicking fast enough to highlight the text.

You can adjust the double click time in system>preferences>mouse: