Anyone else starting to find Firefox a bit tedious?

HoofeHearted

If you have a problem with Linux and all variants, perform the following command to fix everything.

rm -r *.* :grinheart

RussJK

If you've been using the same profile as you did back in Firefox 2, then it may be time for a new profile for a refresh. This can make a surprising difference. You might also consider upgrading to Firefox 4 (or the optimised Palemoon build).


Backup bookmarks and passwords
You can first back up your bookmarks with the "Organise Bookmarks" section (CTRL SHIFT then use the Backup tool.

Secondly you can use something like Password Exporter (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/password-exporter/) to export the passwords. Basic step is to install the addon, then use Options > Security > Export.

Make a new profile
After this, exit Firefox completely and then run the Firefox profile manager to create a new profile. I find it easiest to press WINDOW KEY and R together for the Run dialog, then type in firefox -p . Creating a new profile is trivial.

Restoring bookmarks and passwords
Same process as before for both:

• Use the Organise bookmarks menu to Restore the bookmarks backup
• Install Password Exporter addon, restart Firefox, then import the saved passwords

Disable unnecessary addons
Now go into the Addons, and make sure only things you really need are enabled. If you've imported the passwords, then Password Exporter can be disabled for instance.

Disable unnecessary plugins
Good things to disable are toolbars, google addons, ask toolbar, old Java consoles, Windows Live photo gallery, Java Deployment Toolkit, etc. This can make a huge difference.

asbokid

Linux is much leaner than billygatesware and can thrive on old hardware. It is well worth trying it out on that old kit to appreciate what a boost in performance it can give you.

As ever, RussJK has some very good advice...

I've got a half-decent laptop that's running Ubuntu 10.04. Nevertheless, Firefox 4 can still grind to a halt from a heavily-laden webpage of mindless and completely unnecessary Adobe Flash objects. The News of the World website is one of the worst. There are sometimes half a dozen different Flash objects on a single page!

To overcome the problem of Flash objects slowing the browser right down, I use the Flashblock plug-in for Firefox: http://flashblock.mozdev.org/ The plugin disables Flash objects by default. To execute a Flash binary you click on it, as and when wanted (i.e. rarely). This radically speeds up the loading of a webpage.

Flash is an absolute pain-in-the-harris. I don't trust Adobe and I don't trust their code - it's bloaty, badly written, and over the years has been hit by numerous security exploits. For Linux, there are open source alternatives to the Adobe Flash plugin. One of these alternatives is Gnash. http://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/ I did try Gnash but it sadly didn't run much faster than the official Adobe flash plugin, used loads of memory and had annoying problems with youtube cookies.

Basically Flash media should die!

23n1th

asbokid wrote: »

... Basically Flash media should die!

Thats a bit harsh Mr Jobs

Dave_C_2

+1 for the new FF profile.
Adblock plus add-on with the Easylist and Malware domains filters is a must.

Dave

AirCooledHeaven

RussJK wrote: »

If you've been using the same profile as you did back in Firefox 2, then it may be time for a new profile for a refresh. This can make a surprising difference. You might also consider upgrading to Firefox 4 (or the optimised Palemoon build).


Backup bookmarks and passwords
You can first back up your bookmarks with the "Organise Bookmarks" section (CTRL SHIFT then use the Backup tool.

Secondly you can use something like Password Exporter (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/password-exporter/) to export the passwords. Basic step is to install the addon, then use Options > Security > Export.

Make a new profile
After this, exit Firefox completely and then run the Firefox profile manager to create a new profile. I find it easiest to press WINDOW KEY and R together for the Run dialog, then type in firefox -p . Creating a new profile is trivial.

Restoring bookmarks and passwords
Same process as before for both:

• Use the Organise bookmarks menu to Restore the bookmarks backup
• Install Password Exporter addon, restart Firefox, then import the saved passwords

Disable unnecessary addons
Now go into the Addons, and make sure only things you really need are enabled. If you've imported the passwords, then Password Exporter can be disabled for instance.

Disable unnecessary plugins
Good things to disable are toolbars, google addons, ask toolbar, old Java consoles, Windows Live photo gallery, Java Deployment Toolkit, etc. This can make a huge difference.

Thanks Russ I'll have a play with that at the weekend

cgk1

AirCooledHeaven wrote: »

don't want a browser that phones home every day or insists on integrating gmail and all the other google gadgets.

Thanks for your input

Those are all web-based services, none are integrated into chrome.

geordieracer

Look the bloke didnt want a linux wankathon did he. He wanted to know about FF...

IMO its been rubbish for a while. the add ons are great but bogs it down.

chrome FTW

2fargon

FF has gone really terrible and laggy, prolonged searches and not finding server. Don't even bother trying to use FF4 as it's worse than ever!!!!!!!!!!!:(

NeverAgain_2

I downloaded the latest Firefox onto my MacBook and thought it was a bit quicker than the previous one.

Safari is what I use most of the time, and the OP could do worse than try the Windows version.

I use wi-fi hotspots a fair bit and have found sometimes one browser won't log on, but the other one will.

Mate of mine swears by this: http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron_download.php

I've never tried it.