Web 2.0 & Ajax Are Slowing Down My PC

Ajax is a powerful programming method. It is one of the main enabler for the success of the so called web 2.0. But like all technology enhancement, there is always a drawback. For me the major drawback is the fact that now a big part of the load and resources needed to allow the extraordinary features of Ajax have been transfered from the server infrastructure to the client end (the Internet browser).

The amount of resources required to run some of the astonished Ajax effects on certain websites is sometimes quite significant. My PC fan goes crazy when I start Google Reader for example.

I must admit, I still own a 3 or 4 years old laptop but it allowed me to analyze the evolution. In fact now the amount of information the browser analyzes has considerably increased with Ajax and the web 2.0. Furthermore, almost every single action (passing over an image, clicking, dragging, etc.) is now a terrific amount of calculation for your microprocessor.

Your browser not only parses the HTML of your pages but needs to parse the Javascript commands that are sent back by the server. Your browser needs to parse the XML and execute the Javascript functions. Some websites make my firefox browser freeze for a few seconds, and the memory consumption of the firefox process increases a lot when tabs are loaded with rich ajax sites.

The time where we could say “if it’s only about browsing the Internet, you can buy any computer, no matter its power” is now over. Now web 2.0 puts the end-user at the center of the Internet Experience and its computer is therefore more and more called upon.

This issue is the first sign of what we should expect from browser being more and more the future computer OS. Don’t you think ?

Stumble it!