foxPEP and TenFourFoxPEP - For A Faster Firefox / TenFourFox

[z970]

The Firefox Partitioned Engine Patch, officially abbreviated as foxPEP, is a finely tuned all-in-one preferences patch designed exclusively for Firefox-based browsers that automatically applies a number of advanced under-the-hood configurations to achieve a superior Web browsing experience on vintage computer hardware in addition to modern systems.

Therefore, the following advantages should be seen once foxPEP has been installed:

✔ Faster website loading

✔ Accelerated image rendering

✔ Smoother video playback

✔ Fluid page scrolling

✔ Optimized disk, memory, and CPU utilization


Minimum Browser Families


• Firefox 52 or Waterfox 52 and up (foxPEP)

• Pale Moon 28 or Basilisk 2019-02-11 and up (foxPEP)

• TenFourFox FPR14 or Roytam1’s Firefox 45.23 SSE and up (TenFourFoxPEP)


Minimum Operating Systems


• Mac OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and newer (foxPEP)

• Windows 7 SP1 and newer (foxPEP)

• GNU / Linux 4.4.x and newer (foxPEP)

• Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger or Windows XP SP3 (TenFourFoxPEP)


Minimum Hardware Specifications


• 600 MHz processor and faster

• 1 GB PC100 RAM and faster

• ATi R200, nVIDIA NV30, or Intel GMA 900 graphics and faster


Links


foxPEP

GitHub - zgxSystems/foxPEP

Contribute to zgxSystems/foxPEP development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

TenFourFoxPEP

http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/poweruoc-tenfourfox

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Tips for PowerPC Users


• Use AquaWeb for maximum performance browsing.

• For a faster YouTube solution, use AquaVid.

• For all-around faster browsing and environment operation, run AquaTrimcelerator or AuroraTrimcelerator for Tiger and Leopard, respectively.


Tips for Intel Users


• foxPEP does not support Arctic Fox (which is based on Pale Moon 27, equivalent to Firefox 38).

• InterWeb (based on a version of XUL equivalent to Firefox 60.9) is the official foxPEP-endorsed browser for Intel Macs on 10.6.

• Firefox Legacy is the official foxPEP-endorsed browser for Intel Macs on 10.7 and 10.8.

 

[Hughmac]

Oh wow! Even faster than IceWeaselPPC now - thanks for this

I went into the link and downloaded the files - user.js I put into /Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles etc., and UOC_Patch_Mac.js into /Applications/TenFourFox/Contents/Resources/Defaults/Pref
That way my prefs.js was untouched.

I did a launch comparison between IceWeaselPPC and TenFourFox7450 on my PowerBook DLSD, each loading 3 heavyweight tabs, and TFF was 30 seconds faster to finish loading everything.

Now to try it out on my Pismo

Cheers

Hugh

 

[looking4awayout]

I'm glad you have tried my implementation of the UOC Patch for Macintosh, which was created on a Mac Mini 1.1 (Macintel!) and mostly aimed to Arctic Fox, and I'm even more glad there's been a major speedup on your machine.

You should also check out the PowerUOC, developed jointly by me and @z970mp exclusively to be used for PowerPC based Macintoshes, and see if there's a difference. There should be, considering the PowerUOC is focused only on PPC Macintoshes, while my Macintosh version of the UOC Patch + Enforcer is aimed mostly to Macintels.

Don't forget the installation of the PowerUOC Patch is different, requiring you to replace your prefs.js file entirely, so make a backup copy of your old one. In case you have custom entries in your file, just copy and paste them into the PowerUOC's prefs.js file and you'll be ready to go. Of course, to use the PowerUOC you will have to remove the UOC Patch from the Prefs folder and the Enforcer from your profile folder. But you can experiment, to see if the Enforcer with the PowerUOC patch brings even more improvements.

I'd be interested to find out if that combination (PowerUOC + Enforcer) works and how good it works.

 

[vddrnnr]

Hi z970mp and looking4awayout,

Just tried this with TenFourFOX PPC and its way better.
Also tried it with arcticfox PPC it's stellar

I just wish @wicknix could keep building arctic PPC for the newer versions he's putting out
for linux and mac intel ;-)

Great work.

Best regards,
voidRunner

 

[z970]

I'd be interested to find out if that combination (PowerUOC + Enforcer) works and how good it works.

PowerUOC is the Patch + Enforcer (+ Additional Adjustments) in one file, so there wouldn't be any difference, especially as a new prefs.js file must be created with the user.js file present for the Enforcer to take any effect.

 

[z970]

PowerUOC has been updated to version 2.

This update improves speed, fixes bugs, and hardens privacy + security. More details can be found in the Changelog.

Get it while it's hot!

 

[skinniezinho]

Thanks for this, never seen Tenfourfox so responsive! A whole new life!

 

[swamprock]

Works well with IceWeaselPPC too, which is no surprise considering the codebase...
[automerge]1573423425[/automerge]

Also tried it with arcticfox PPC it's stellar

Yeah it's even decent on my 450mhz Cube. Good stuff

 

[z970]

Version 3 is out!

Buckle your seatbelts; further speed improvements have been made to page loading, page scrolling, and UI responsiveness.

 

[Appleuser201]

Oh wow! Even faster than IceWeaselPPC now - thanks for this

I went into the link and downloaded the files - user.js I put into /Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles etc., and UOC_Patch_Mac.js into /Applications/TenFourFox/Contents/Resources/Defaults/Pref
That way my prefs.js was untouched.

I did a launch comparison between IceWeaselPPC and TenFourFox7450 on my PowerBook DLSD, each loading 3 heavyweight tabs, and TFF was 30 seconds faster to finish loading everything.

Now to try it out on my Pismo

Cheers

Hugh

How does it run on your pismo? Very excited about PowerUOC, the next gen TenFourFox.

 

[z970]

How does it run on your pismo? Very excited about PowerUOC, the next gen TenFourFox.

I know this isn't the answer, but it makes a G5 feel like a Core 2 Duo, especially when paired with the MVPS Hosts file (also available from AquaSuite / AuroraSuite). When those two are combined, it really does feel like it just strips the modern Web of all its bloat, on the spot.

And its sheer POWER really goes to show when you consider TenFourFox is compiled with GPU-accelerated windows off, multiprocess windows off, and WebGL off (those are good starting points for PowerFox), putting a disproportionate amount on the CPU. And we wonder why TFF has the performance stigma it does...

Hey, maybe we ought to rename it to PowerhouseUOC.

 

[Appleuser201]

I know this isn't the answer, but it makes a G5 feel like a Core 2 Duo, especially when paired with the MVPS Hosts file (also available from AquaSuite / AuroraSuite). When those two are combined, it really does feel like it just strips the modern Web of all its bloat, on the spot.

And its sheer POWER really goes to show when you consider TenFourFox is compiled with GPU-accelerated windows off, multiprocess windows off, and WebGL off (those are good starting points for PowerFox), putting a disproportionate amount on the CPU. And we wonder why TFF has the performance stigma it does...

Hey, maybe we ought to rename it to PowerhouseUOC.

Since a core 2 duo is almost twice as fast as today's low end net books and chrome books, that means for the first time in years I can Recommend, that people go and buy a used iMac G5 or power Mac for $50 and install powerfox on it. They will actually get a BETTER web experience on a PowerPC G5 over an Intel netbook with Chrome. Plus no one is stealing and selling their data and you get rock solid os x leopard, or tiger.

I'm starting to notice how cheap people are selling their PMG5s on Kijiji. Working dual processor 2gjz for $45? Really?

 

[z970]

Version 4 is almost ready.

In response to Dr. Kaiser, streaming HD in-browser video on anything less than a Quad is no longer "LOL".

And they said it couldn't be done...

(A G5 is still recommended.)

 

[z970]

Since a core 2 duo is almost twice as fast as today's low end net books and chrome books, that means for the first time in years I can Recommend, that people go and buy a used iMac G5 or power Mac for $50 and install powerfox on it. They will actually get a BETTER web experience on a PowerPC G5 over an Intel netbook with Chrome. Plus no one is stealing and selling their data and you get rock solid os x leopard, or tiger.

If people are willing to get their hands dirty for a couple hours, a $35 Raspberry Pi 4 or Rock64 2GB will do the job even better and more securely. My Pi 3 is doing great as my DD, especially after I picked this up, overclocked the SoC to 1.4GHz / RAM to 600MHz, increased the swap file from 100 to 1024 MB, etc., etc. I could make a whole list of this stuff.

Just make sure you're booting from an SSD (not a microSD). That's the game changer.

 

[Hughmac]

How does it run on your pismo? Very excited about PowerUOC, the next gen TenFourFox.

Unfortunately slower than without in my case

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Project Alice]

And its sheer POWER really goes to show when you consider TenFourFox is compiled with GPU-accelerated windows off, multiprocess windows off, and WebGL off (those are good starting points for PowerFox), putting a disproportionate amount on the CPU. And we wonder why TFF has the performance stigma it does...

Well that explains a lot. This should be fixed. All these TFF based browsers popping up; are any of them being complied to not go ape-sh*t on the CPU?

 

[Hughmac]

Unfortunately slower than without in my case

Cheers

Hugh

Apologies - I lied, TFF is much faster in Leopard on the Pismo, and I can't see much difference in Tiger, but bear in mind that anything runs slow on a Pismo using 10.4 or 10.5

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Dronecatcher]

This is getting silly now. WebGL is not supported in Tiger and as far as I know, not supported in Mozilla on PPC Leopard.
Go to a benchmark site here and try it yourself.

These are the results I get on my 1.33 Powerbook for Tiger and 1.33 iBook for Leopard:

TFF Tiger Standard Test 1: 10 Test 2: 8 Score: 18
TFF Tiger Mine Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Tiger UOC Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Leopard Standard Test 1: 10 Test 2: 8 Score: 18
TFF Leopard Mine Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Leopard UOC Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23

Yes, there is a difference between the standard TFF prefs and any tweaked ones - my own behave just the same as UOC prefs and score the same despite not having any WebGL options engaged.
UOC prefs are probably great for those who didn't know about the prefs file but for the rest of us who either tweaked their own or followed the ones by @eyoungren for the last 4 years, there is no difference.

However, I haven't tested on a multi G5 system, if any body cares to test standard, their own (or @eyoungren 's) and UOC prefs on one that might be interesting.

 

[bobesch]

Thanks guys, good fun on my litte G4-PB - really instant karma out of the box!

 

[z970]

Well that explains a lot. This should be fixed. All these TFF based browsers popping up; are any of them being complied to not go ape-sh*t on the CPU?

No idea. If Iceweasel or Arctic Fox is available, do about:support in the address bar. That will show you everything.

@wicknix will probably be more helpful here than me.

 

[z970]

Yes, there is a difference between the standard TFF prefs and any tweaked ones - my own behave just the same as UOC prefs and score the same despite not having any WebGL options engaged.
UOC prefs are probably great for those who didn't know about the prefs file but for the rest of us who either tweaked their own or followed the ones by @eyoungren for the last 4 years, there is no difference.

Have you compared resource usage between the three?

WebGL, supported or not, is part of PowerUOC's local implementation, and if anything at all is only there for easier porting. That said, regardless of OS support, I still don't think TFF should be compiled with WebGL disabled.

I've been using eyoungren's always excellent prefs for the last two+ years on multiple machines on multiple platforms, and in all of my tests and experiences, I would most certainly not refer to the two carrying "no difference", even on non-G5 systems. For at least 70% of use cases, there is in fact a lot of difference, and that's because there's a lot more at play here with a lot more built inside (I'm willing to bet thanks to a lot more cumulative research) than anything else I'm aware of.

But that's just my take.

 

[Dronecatcher]

I would most certainly not refer to the two carrying "no difference", even on non-G5 systems.

You misunderstood - no difference between tweaked prefs and UOC prefs - both have a huge difference to the standard prefs.
So to be clear, you're saying the UOC prefs offer huge gains over either mine or @eyoungren 's prefs?
I've conducted my own site launching tests and done the webGL benchmarks above - where can I find a definitive example of the superiority?

 

[sparty411]

This is getting silly now. WebGL is not supported in Tiger and as far as I know, not supported in Mozilla on PPC Leopard.
Go to a benchmark site here and try it yourself.

These are the results I get on my 1.33 Powerbook for Tiger and 1.33 iBook for Leopard:

TFF Tiger Standard Test 1: 10 Test 2: 8 Score: 18
TFF Tiger Mine Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Tiger UOC Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Leopard Standard Test 1: 10 Test 2: 8 Score: 18
TFF Leopard Mine Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23
TFF Leopard UOC Test 1: 10 Test 2: 13 Score: 23

Yes, there is a difference between the standard TFF prefs and any tweaked ones - my own behave just the same as UOC prefs and score the same despite not having any WebGL options engaged.
UOC prefs are probably great for those who didn't know about the prefs file but for the rest of us who either tweaked their own or followed the ones by @eyoungren for the last 4 years, there is no difference.

However, I haven't tested on a multi G5 system, if any body cares to test standard, their own (or @eyoungren 's) and UOC prefs on one that might be interesting.

View attachment 877688

Nah, unsupported GPU's still function just fine with WebGL, irregardless of what about:support might say. Scrolling, alone, is enormously smoother with WebGL enabled, as opposed to leaving it turned off. I'm sure @z970mp and @looking4awayout can confirm this.

 

[Dronecatcher]

Nah, unsupported GPU's still function just fine with WebGL, irregardless of what about:support might say.

So why do benchmarks say different? What machine are you running on and are you talking the difference between standard prefs or eyoungren/tweaked prefs?

 

[sparty411]

So why do benchmarks say different? What machine are you running on and are you talking the difference between standard prefs or eyoungren/tweaked prefs?

Benchmarks ≠ trends observed in real world use cases. I've tested the PowerUOC patch on an iBook G4 1.42 GHz, and a G5 2.3 GHz DC. I'm speaking relative to the tweaked prefs.