Google Chrome's New Javascript Techniques Help Speed Page Loading

[engine]

Google continues its trend for speed improvements, and has just announced two new techniques in Chrome to help speed browsing, especially on a mobile connection. Google says that page loading could be as much as 10% faster.

Chrome is introducing two techniques called script streaming and code caching designed to reduce that painful waiting time spent staring at a white screen, especially on mobile devices. Google Chrome's New Javascript Techniques Help Speed Page Loading [blog.chromium.org]

Starting in version 41, Chrome parses async and deferred scripts on a separate thread as soon as the download has begun. This means that parsing can complete just milliseconds after the download has finished, and results in pages loading as much as 10% faster.

Chrome 42 introduces an advanced technique of storing a local copy of the compiled code, so that when the user returns to the page the downloading, parsing, and compiling steps can all be skipped. Across all page loads, this allows Chrome to avoid about 40% of compile time and saves precious battery on mobile devices.

[mcneely]

... this allows Chrome to avoid about 40% of compile time and saves precious battery on mobile devices.

So Google is saving a few bucks on their own bandwidth by delivering the goods only once ... nice.

But it does nothing to address the data caps that most phone users have to deal with. Sure, we could all use better batteries, but even more of us could use some kind of method that won't burn up our assigned amounts of bandwidth (data transfer)... as quickly

[rish3]

So Google is saving a few bucks on their own bandwidth by delivering the goods only once ... nice.

They don't word it very well, but I don't think this update affects bandwidth in any real way for anyone. Javascript is already cached, that's not new. What appears to be new is that they are caching the already parsed and compiled javascript locally, instead of just the base (not yet parsed/compiled) .js file.

The other big piece is that they are parsing deferred/async javascript earlier..even before the entire file has completed downloading.

[micklearn]

Feels like I just read an ad for Chrome.

[IanKelley]

Yeah damnit... this makes sense, it improves the internet experience for everyone (other browsers will follow suit as always), screw the bastards!

Gotta love WW :-)

[keyplyr]

Chrome has increased load time significantly, so much so I have switch from Firefox which has become slower & slower as more bloat was incrementally added.