Multiprocessing a Possibility for Firefox

Mozilla is planning to launch a new project called Electrolysis, bringing multiprocess browsing to Firefox. Mozilla claims that doling out the page rendering workload to multiple processes will improve the browser’s speed and dependability. The developers at Mozilla have already put together a prototype that pulls up a page in a completely separate process from the interface where it’s displayed.

Mozilla has explored the possibility of adopting a multiprocessing approach for Firefox in the past, but the idea didn’t gain serious traction in the Firefox developer community until it was implemented by Google and Microsoft in their respective web browsers.  For Firefox to support multiprocess browsing, an intimidating number of fundamental components will have to be reworked, as browser currently runs a single image loading component that works on different tabs in unison.

It has not been decided if Electrolysis will be included in the next release of Firefox, also known as Namaroka. Electrolysis is being developed alongside Namaroka, so it shouldn’t slow down other improvements to the browser. After a promising start, developers are beginning to see the potential value it may bring to the Firefox browser and its users. Courtesy of arstechnica.com