Question

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #2171310

    How does a web page consume resources?

    Locked

    by healer ·

    Does any activity of a web page scrolled out of sight still go on in the background consuming resources? Sometimes I see a banner or some flash commercials or videos and so on, I quickly scroll the area in question out of sight hoping it would stop consuming resources such as memory and CPU. I would even change the size of the browser so that the activity is not visible. Does it help?

    I can hear music or talking if there is sound. I suppose any visual stuff should stop because no area in the screen is dedicated to it.

All Answers

  • Author
    Replies
    • #2432523

      Clarifications

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Clarifications

    • #2432520

      Open page consumes

      by hulst ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Healer,

      every webpage that is opened will consume memory and cpu as you say.
      It doesn’t matter if you scroll up or down to get things out of view.
      The only way to prevent consumption is :
      – closing the webpage (….)
      – disable javascript (javascript is being run locally)
      – diable the automatic download / execution of images and active-X

      There’s a lot you can prevent from being executed automatically.
      But, it also prevents a lot of viewing comfort.

    • #2432516

      Just because you can not see something on the page

      by oh smeg ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Doesn’t mean that it’s not still running. Any Flash will be running and it doesn’t matter if it’s visible or not if it’s on the page it’s using resources.

      There are numerous other things which can call for scripts and other things embedded in a lot of modern Web Pages which will also be running no matter if they are required or not and there may even be pictures not visible on the screen downloading that will never be displayed on that particular Web Page. It all depends on how the page was constructed and what it has running in the background.

      But no matter what it’s using System Resources to display all the current page if it’s on the screen or not.

      Col

    • #2432500

      and FYI…

      by smartacew0lf ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      your web browsers all will likely be the TOP resource hogs of your entire reprtoire of applications.

      • #2432495

        Reponse To Answer

        by slayer_ ·

        In reply to and FYI…

        Except gaming obviously.

    • #2432486

      Code and data not executed, still get downloaded?

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Thanks guys for all your affirmations.

      One more thing I would like to ask is when I set the browsers not to load images automatically and to block pop-up windows with Firefox and not to show pictures with Internet Explorer and so on, would the relevant codes or data or pictures still get downloaded to the local computer?

      I also use an add-on flashblock with Firefox. I don’t know if the flash still gets downloaded and hole up locally though they are not executed.

      I am just trying to minimize the resources used because I have limited data download quota.

      Col says there may even be pictures not visible on the screen downloading that will never be displayed on that particular web page. What would they get downloaded then?

      If we say web browsers are the resource hogs, what browsers would you guys recommend?

      • #2426790

        Reponse To Answer

        by deadly ernest ·

        In reply to Code and data not executed, still get downloaded?

        A lot will depend on what the data is and how your system is set up. For example, you can set the system not to run certain types of scripts or open certain types of files the scripts and files may well be downloaded but not run; while in some other cases they may not get downloaded at all.

        I use Fire Fox with AdBlock Plus, I have a lot of filters set in it to refuse the download or access to certain sites and certain types of scripts, I also have it set not to allow third part cookies. Thus when a script calls for a cookie or download from a third part, say Google Analytics, it’s blocked and not downloaded. However, if they have that same code installed locally and call it from the same server as the website it’s not blocked and it will run.

        In the same vein when I go to a website that has a Flash file locally loaded and called it gets downloaded but isn’t allowed to run until I say to let it, but if it’s called from another site (as happens in a mashup) it doesn’t get downloaded at all as my system blocks those types of calls by default – I have to make a special entry to allow that to happen with the few sites I trust to operate that way.

        In short, what you get hit with will depend on how the page is written and how your browser is set up. I prefer to use Fire Fox as I know I can set it’s security up to be very exact and how I want it. My son uses both Fire Fox and Chrome, and he says Chrome uses less resources but he has had some issues in blocking some of the other Google stuff in Chrome, especially the GoogleAds.

    • #2432484

      No, they shouldn’t get downloaded

      by slayer_ ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      If you want, use the firefox edit headers to make it think you are using a mobile browser. Then sites might give you the mobile version which usually doesn’t have any pictures or scripts.
      Find the “User Agent Switcher” addin for firefox. then set it to something like iPhone.

      • #2427013

        Reponse To Answer

        by healer ·

        In reply to No, they shouldn’t get downloaded

        Thanks! I’ve just downloaded and installed the User Agent Switcher and set it to iPhone 3.0.

        I have also ticked the “Hide the User Agent Switcher Tools menu” though I can’t see where the menu is.

        By the way what does the User Agent for Search Robots do?

      • #2434953

        Reponse To Answer

        by slayer_ ·

        In reply to No, they shouldn’t get downloaded

        Well I hope it helps. I found that suggestion online.

    • #2434989

      Hi Deadly Earnest,

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Thanks for your joining in. I use Firefox mainly. I use Internet Explorer only as a backup. Chrome is no good, it often crashes.

      You have just reminded me about AdBlock and I’ve just gone to find it and install it. No joking, there is such a big variety and it is challenging to choose. I picked Adblock Plus Pop-up Addon 0.5 and hope it will do the best job.

      I can see that we can enable or disable JavaScript but not other scripts. I am not too sure what other scripts you are referring to that I can filter them out.

      I do not know where I can set the Firefox not to allow third party cookies.

      I have the Flashblock 1.5.15.1 installed, do you think I would have the flashes not downloaded at all or I would have them downloaded but not run until accepted by me.

      What is a mashup? I am not too sure how one can have the system block certain types of calls by default.

      Apart from security, I am also very conscious of the amount of data I upload and download because I have a limited quota. So I have downloaded and installed User Agent Switcher 0.7.3 and set it to iPhone 3.0 after one of you recommended. I have not seen the obvious difference yet.

      • #2434692

        Reponse To Answer

        by slayer_ ·

        In reply to Hi Deadly Earnest,

        If your really paranoid you can use the browser is use, Avant. Avant Ultimate in Firefox mode supports my favorite addins. And Avant natively lets you block flash, videos, pictures, scripts, activeX. It prevents them from downloading.

    • #2426356

      What if a web page is reloaded?

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      If a web page has not been changed and is reloaded for whatever reason while the page is still open in the Internet browser, will the page be wholly retrieved from the source web server?

      What if the browser has been closed and re-opened?

      If the web page will not be wholly retrieved from the source web server in the above scenarios, what if only a bit of data change has occurred on the page? Will the whole web page be downloaded again or just the bit of data changed or updated on the page be downloaded again?

      • #2426332

        Reponse To Answer

        by oh smeg ·

        In reply to What if a web page is reloaded?

        If you reload the page it reloads and downloads the entire page again.

        If you shut the browser and then reopen it and then reopen the page without going to any other web site you may recover the existing page from Cache but will most likely reload the page from scratch again.

        The reason for this is that most times when you reopen the browser it goes to a different Web Site and loads that first overwriting the Cache of the one you wanted to keep.

        Col

    • #2426325

      According to the settings of Internet Explorer…

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Thanks Col again.

      Don’t they always reload first from the cache within the local computer if the pages have recently been visited, then the local server if there is one before resorting to the source web server. I don’t know how long the pages are kept in the cache, though.

      If local cache is not used for efficiency, why would there be temporary Internet files. With Internet Explorer there are settings for temporary Internet files. It says Internet Explorer stores copies of webpages, images, and media for faster viewing later. One can set the Internet Explorer to check for newer versions of stored pages either every time the webpage is visited or every time the Internet Explorer is started. I am not too sure how “Automatically” works. I expect it would just do what I have supposed.

      I use Firefox most of the time, I am not too sure where the settings like those of Internet Explorer are. I believe Firefox would be capable of doing the same in order to survive.

      From choice of settings for the Internet Explorer, it seems to me that chances are the Internet Explorer would always fetch the pages locally from the cache. I suppose the competitors like Firefox would do the same.

      • #2426284

        Reponse To Answer

        by oh smeg ·

        In reply to According to the settings of Internet Explorer…

        The Temporary Internet Files are mostly Stored Cookies and the like not complete Web Pages though IE does Cache all of it’s pages though I’m personally not sure just how effective this is.

        As an experiment log into TR with IE and refresh the page. Time the time taken to complete the refresh. Then clear the Temp Internet Files and refresh the page again.

        It takes the same time to reload the page but now you are not logged in to TR as the cookie which has your Log In Details has been deleted. In IE on Win 7 you get to the Temp Internet Files by left clicking on the Gear Wheel on the top right hand side of the screen beside the Favorites then clicking on Internet Options and when the next window opens click on the Settings Tab and wait for the next Window to Open then click on the View Files Tab. The Temp Internet Files Window will now open though if you have not changed the default settings to Show Hidden Files you may have some difficulty in viewing the files.

        Probably the easiest way to view what is happening is to Open the Task Manager click on the Networking Tab and monitor the Actual Network Traffic. You can change the color of the traces from Green for All to Yellow for Incoming and Red for outgoing traffic so you have some idea of what is being sent and received. 😉

        Col

    • #2426277

      That temp cache works like this

      by slayer_ ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      IE, and all browsers, download the contents of a webpage, all images, videos, everything to your hard drive, and then display them from there.
      When you reload a page (not using refresh, but by navigating to it normally) the browser checks the version of the file on the server. Depending on the result, it downloads or reloads the old files. I think it bases it on date and time.
      Sometimes, the cache files get overwritten, if on the same site, you download two different index.htm files, the first one is replaced. IE does separate these by website.

      When you start reaching the defined maximum cache size, the oldest files are deleted to make room for new ones.

      So as you click through TR, the images, and other common elements are saved and reused.

      I hope that answers how the cache works.

      You can try browsing only by your cache by setting your browser to offline mode. I don’t know how to do that in firefox, in IE its under that gear, then the file menu (or it was last time I used IE)

    • #2426246

      Thanks Col!

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      I do see quite a lot of web pages in there. I hardly use Internet Explorer as I use Firefox so I can’t see much. I shall use a bit more and monitor the Temporary Internet Files. I wonder how long they keep the files though.

      I do not know how to change the colour of the traces at the Networking tab of the task manager. I shall do some research and find out. A quick search at Google has not turned up anything useful.

      • #2426235

        Reponse To Answer

        by oh smeg ·

        In reply to Thanks Col!

        OK to change the Trace Colors Open the Task Manager and click on the Network Tab.

        Then Click on View and from the drop down list highlight Network Adapter History, you can change the colors there though you’ll have to do it one step at a time as that is how it works. 😉

        As for how long the Cache is kept I seem to remember it’s not so much a Time Limit as a Size Limit. Once the Cache reaches it’s predetermined size the oldest files get replaced with the newest.

        Col

    • #2426245

      Thanks Slayer_

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      I shall from now onwards temporarily use Internet Explorer to explore what you say.

      • #2426223

        Reponse To Answer

        by slayer_ ·

        In reply to Thanks Slayer_

        I’m pretty sure all the browsers do this.
        Probably need to google where offline mode is in firefox.

    • #2426231

      Network trace colours

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Thanks a lot again, Col.

      I can see the Network Adapter History has Bytes Sent (Red), Bytes Received (Yellow) and Bytes Total (Green), so the colours are already set. I can’t see how I can change the colour, though.

      • #2426196

        Reponse To Answer

        by oh smeg ·

        In reply to Network trace colours

        Unless you have the basic version of 7 there should be a Box with ticks on the left of the colors. You add a tick or remove the tick to get those colors shown. I always remove the tick beside the Green Trace all Data as it covers the Sent & Received Traces.

        Col

    • #2426190

      network trace

      by healer ·

      In reply to How does a web page consume resources?

      Thanks Col again!

      I think I misunderstood what you meant. I thought you said I could change the colours. When I check or uncheck the item, the corresponding traces would show or not show accordingly. So the colours can’t be changed but the presence of individual traces can.

Viewing 13 reply threads