Firefox 8 20% Faster Than Firefox 5

An anonymous reader writes "Thanks to continued improvements to start-up and first paint performance, tweaks to memory footprint and garbage collection, and the addition of a new 2D graphics backend called Azure, Firefox 8 is some 20% faster than Firefox 5 across all major metrics — and actually about equal with Chrome 14 on JavaScript and 2D rendering performance. Azure (which is new with Firefox 7) replaces Cairo, and instead of dealing with Direct2D and Quartz, it allows Firefox to deal directly with the Direct3D and OpenGL subsystems — resulting in a 20% speed boost under Windows, and probably even more under OS X."

First post

[Anonymous Coward]

Your post could've been here if you had a faster web browser.

Firefox 6 is already old-and-busted

[MetalliQaZ]

Firefox 6 is so out of date, my parents will probably use it when it comes out.

Re:What about Firefox 6?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you think the versioning system is stupid then why are you putting Firefox on every machine you touch? You want everyone to see how bad it is out of vengeful spite or something?

It seem to me that by putting it on every machine you touch that would get more people using it. I don't get it.

Re:What about Firefox 6?

[Infiniti2000]

Agreed. I thought I was reading The Onion.

Re:What about Firefox 6?

[brian6string]

Firefox 8: "The Ocho"

Re:For those confused

[Abstrackt]

this is TARDIS programming

So wait. Does that mean I get a sonic screwdriver with a new download of Firefox?

No, it means you get a shower of sparks and your ass dumped in an awkward situation because you hit the wrong button. ;)

Re:What about Firefox 6?

[rudy_wayne]

Firefox 8 has a version number that is 100% greater than Firefox 4. Now there's a big improvement for you.

pfft FireFox 8

[equex]

I am already using version 21, its the pre pre pre alpha pre beta pre pre gamma delta pre RC pre build, I'm so bleeding edge I have to buy tampons at the store. My insurance company wont even insure my computer because all my software are practically from the future.

Re:For those confused

[Schadrach]

So, does that mean it has a 5 minute summoning animation??

Firefox a cause of Technological Moral Panic

[cruff]

When I saw "Firefox 8" in the title, I fell into a panic. What happened to 6 and 7? People weren't meant to upgrade their browsers to new major version numbers weekly! No one could possibly survive that pace, their mouse buttons will burn out at the furious pace necessary to install that often! Think of the effect that has on the women and children!

Re:Do not make much sense right now

[Anonymous Coward]

It'll be alpha on Friday, beta on Sunday, released next wednesday and discontinued next friday.