Firefox extensions cause memory leak
A while back, I had posted an article on how to enhance your firefox experience.
Shortly thereafter, I came across an article on digg that pointed out several of my favourite extensions are responsible for memory leaks in Firefox, notably SessionSaver, FlashGot and Adblock (the last 2 only when installed together, not otherwise). So, what’s a extension-loving firefox geek to do?
Well 2 choices:
- Don’t keep Firefox open for too long – especially if you tend to have a lot of tabs open.
- From the same site that identified the memory leak problem, this firefox configuration hack. The hack essentially forces Firefox to move data into virtual memory when minimized, thus forcing the physical RAM usage. If you have a lot of tabs open when you minimize the window, it can increase the time taken for Firefox to restore itself.
Personally, my Firefox use tends to be run the application, open lots of tabs, read/file stuff and quit the app. I’ve put in the configuration hack on my Firefox install, but I don’t run into this slow restore after minimize problem simply because of the way I use Firefox.
Anyway, I hope this above info helps you fix your FF memory usage problems.