Firefox databases for better performance

Since Firefox 3.0, bookmarks, history and most storage is kept in SQLite databases. Also, the default history time span was raised from 9 to 90 days as it became more discoverable and useful thanks to the awesome bar, so depending on your browsing habits it could represent some pretty large databases.

Aas any other database, SQLite databases become fragmented over time and empty spaces appear all around. But, since there are no managing processes checking and optimizing the database, these factors eventually result in a performance hit. So, a good way to improve startup and some other bookmarks and history related tasks is to defragment and trim unused space from these databases.

To do this:

Step 1: get sqlite3, a single file command line SQLite database manager, for your platform (available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X).

Step 2: Copy the downloaded binary to your profile folder where all your .sqlite files reside.

Step 3: Close Firefox.

Step 4: From a command line prompt in your profile folder, run:

sqlite3 [SQLite database] VACUUM

replacing [SQLite database with the name of a SQLite file, like places.sqlite.

On Windows, to defragment all SQLite databases in one command, run:

for %a in (*.sqlite) do (sqlite3 %a vacuum)

I ran the script in a couple of machines resulting in a noticeable reduction of start up times after databases defragmentation:

Machine 1: 1 window, 20 tabs
places.sqlite size before vacuum: 10 MB
places.sqlite size after vacuum: 9 MB
Cold startup Before: 11 s
Cold Startup After: 8 s

Machine 2: 3 windows, 25 tabs
places.sqlite size before vacuum: 40 MB
places.sqlite size after vacuum: 27 MB
Cold startup Before: 10 s
Cold Startup After: 7 s

So if this is all good, why hasn’t Mozilla included this defragmenting procedure? The thing is they want to but still haven’t found the best way to do so. One of the suggestions so far has been to do it during an update: it has the advantage of been semi regular (about every six weeks), and already interrupts the user workflow (and requires the database files been released, turning Firefox off).

A good option for Windows users is IniFox, by InfoSpyware which simply packs sqlite3 and an interactive batch file that defragments all databases in your profile as described above. You will still have to download and copy, but you will avoid opening a console and repeating the steps for all the databases.

If you try this mechanism, please take some time to get your before and after times and sizes and share your results in the comments. For cold startups, you will have to restart your system to get valid results.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Convert Google Books to Sony Reader Format

When I bought my Sony Reader, I planned to buy e-books from Sony’s on-line ebook store. But I soon realized that a lot of ebooks are available on the internet for free. Project Gutenberg offers thousands of titles (mostly fiction) in txt format, while manybooks.net provides an impressive array of books in Sony format (as well as several other formats). The motherload of free ebooks, however, is books.google.com. The Google folks are busy digitizing every book they can get their hands on. As of this writing, they have reportedly digitized over 10,000 public domain books, which anyone can download for free in pdf format. But there is something screwy about the Google pdf files. My Sony Reader (PRS-500 model, purchased in December 2006) cannot read Google pdfs, and I understand that later models have the same problem. Recommended Technique for Google Book Conversion I have tried many techniques for adapting the Google pdfs to my Sony Reader and here is the best I have come up with: 1. sel
Read more

BIOS to pc performance

# BIOS Backup: Sometimes the BIOS program on your motherboard can become corrupt and your PC will not function properly. So, you need to always keep a backup of a good version of the BIOS on a floppy disc. If something ever goes wrong with the BIOS, you can flash (overwrite) it with your backup. The software used to backup or flash the BIOS is usually available on the motherboard driver CD or on the motherboard/BIOS manufacturer’s website. Refer the motherboard manual for step-by-step instructions on using the BIOS flash software. # Do not Detect Absent Devices: When a PC is started, the BOIS checks all available ports/connectors on the motherboard to identify devices attached to them. Usually, not all of these ports/connectors have devices attached to them and bootup time gets unnecessarily prolonged. For example, even if you have only one IDE drive on your PC, the BIOS will still check the other three IDE connectors. To avoid this delay, enter the BIOS Setup program and change the s
Read more

Use tough passwords but make them easy to recall

You can see whether your current passwords you do use more than one, right? are rated “strong” by using Microsoft’s online Password Checker. I bet you’ll be unpleasantly surprised by the results. The three keys to strong passwords are length, randomness, and use of different types of characters. Each additional character multiplies the potential combinations a brute-force attack must try. Random passwords use upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. When at least three of these four categories are used, an eight-character password should suffice in most instances. According to the FrontLine security site, such a password would take a century or more to crack by a hacker using a single PC. The eight-character standard is also the minimum the Microsoft Password Checker deems “strong.” Of course, the more characters in your password, the safer you’ll be. If you wish to create your own password, use a sentence or phrase you can recall easily and then tweak it for each account.
Read more