If you’re relying on browser-based applications, you’d better have excellent browser performance. One obvious factor affecting the performance of your browser is the speed of your Internet connection. Another fairly obvious factor is the speed of your computer, including RAM, processor, and disk behavior. But don’t forget the impact of adjustments you’ve made to the browser itself.
Recently I’ve been experiencing some pretty slow (but still bearable) performance with some web-based applications. I was essentially ignoring these issues, thinking things like “well, there must be a lot of congestion on this cable modem circuit today,” or “well, I do have a lot of programs open.” But then I thought to check another possible culprit: browser add-ons and plug-ins.
To see what your browser is doing in addition to its standard page-rendering tasks …
- In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Manage Add-ons > Enable or Disable Add-ons …
- In Firefox, go to Tools > Add-ons
From there you’ll be able to disable or uninstall things that you don’t absolutely need and that might be interfering with performance. I had 26 add-ons in IE and decided I could disable 9 of them:
After restarting my browser, I noticed substantial improvement in browsing performance. Of the ones I disabled, I’m betting that it was the Spybot add-ons that were causing most of the problems. After all, it’s in Spybot’s nature to say “not so fast, buddy – let me take a look at you first.” Since I have confidence in my Trend Micro software and my own ability to steer clear of malware-infected sites, I am comfortable living without Spybot if it means I can get my work done faster.
So the next time you or someone you know says “the Internet is slow,” remember that the problem may not be with the information superhighway but the fact that your car is stuck in second gear.
