IE8 pages loading quicker than in FF 3.0.10?

**cojak** · 7 June 2009, 16:45

It did trash my Active Desktop until a restall sorted it out.

If it has NoScript type and spell check functionality I may peruse it again (I installed it 'cos it's Mr C's preferred browser...)

**TheRefactornator** · 7 June 2009, 17:24

I'd say that for the web pages that I regularly view, IE8 is currently faster than Firefox and Chrome. But it has to be considered that different types of web pages and web applications will stress the browser, OS and hardware in different ways e.g. some web pages will be using complex rendering, graphics, JavaScript string and DOM operations whilst others will just be very simple pages.

So IE8 maybe quicker under certain circumstances whilst other browsers could win under different conditions. IE8 is certainly very quick to startup on my system and is a big technology leap forward over prior IE versions..so much so that I prefer it over FF and Chrome at the moment.

Apparently Safari has a very fast rendering engine and Chrome uses the same engine. Maybe you can try a browser benchmark test on your own system to see which wins for you - here is one if you want to give it a try: http://service.futuremark.com/peacekeeper/index.action

**Fred Bloggs** · 7 June 2009, 17:46

Thanks for the feedback. I haven't found an active spellchucker like in FF yet, but I'm going to look for one. A spellchucker would round off IE8 nicely for me.

**minestrone** · 7 June 2009, 17:46

It is quicker, although I generally just use FF to check how Plan B displays, I am not a regular user. Opera was the quickest for a few years and they advertised it.

IE is at last the best browser on the market IMO but it was pretty shameful how far they let it get behind the opposition for such a long period of time.

The beta had terrible performace on both my machines, open up more than 4 tabs and it would hang for at least 5 seconds when changing tabs. They seem to have sorted that.

**Fred Bloggs** · 7 June 2009, 17:59

IE Spelling.

Hmmm, I'll have to see how I get along with this-

http://www.iespell.com/

Doesn't check as you type, as far as I can see.

**minestrone** · 7 June 2009, 18:08

Originally posted by Fred Bloggs View Post

Hmmm, I'll have to see how I get along with this-

http://www.iespell.com/

Doesn't check as you type, as far as I can see.

I use that, have done for years, I am dsylexic.

It seems to have lost the ability to highlight the text that you are checking in IE8.

Really good wee product though.

**Sysman** · 7 June 2009, 20:51

Originally posted by TheRefactornator View Post

Apparently Safari has a very fast rendering engine and Chrome uses the same engine. Maybe you can try a browser benchmark test on your own system to see which wins for you - here is one if you want to give it a try: http://service.futuremark.com/peacekeeper/index.action

I've been using the beta of Safari 4.0 for a while now (on my Mac), and am definitely impressed with its speed. It appears to refresh only the parts of a screen which change, like a well designed Ajax site, but even when Javascript is disabled.

**TheRefactornator** · 7 June 2009, 22:32

Originally posted by Sysman View Post

I've been using the beta of Safari 4.0 for a while now (on my Mac), and am definitely impressed with its speed. It appears to refresh only the parts of a screen which change, like a well designed Ajax site, but even when Javascript is disabled.

Yes it gets good reports, but what's with the 'beta forever' concept that has crept in and seems to be the norm for systems at present? Wasn't Safari 4 beta released ages ago? And it's not just shrink wrapped software because the big vendors including Google and Microsoft are also at it with their web offerings. I find it a bit irritating.

For what it's worth Safari 4.0 beta is at the top of the performance pile averaged out over all browser benchmark tests performed here: http://service.futuremark.com/peacek...tistics.action

**Moscow Mule** · 8 June 2009, 02:37

Originally posted by TheRefactornator View Post

Yes it gets good reports, but what's with the 'beta forever' concept that has crept in and seems to be the norm for systems at present? Wasn't Safari 4 beta released ages ago? And it's not just shrink wrapped software because the big vendors including Google and Microsoft are also at it with their web offerings. I find it a bit irritating.

Safari 4 won't come out of beta until Snow Leopard is released.

Gmail is still in beta - which I don't find irritating, just amusing...

IE8 pages loading quicker than in FF 3.0.10?