Chrome and Firefox are about to get a lot faster thanks to Google's new data compression algorithm

[midian182]

Google Chrome is about to get a lot faster, all thanks to a new algorithm called Brotli. Revealed by Google in September last year, the data compression algorithm is said to be 20 to 26 percent more efficient than Zopfli, the existing engine that was launched just over three years ago.

It now looks as if Brotli, which Google is calling a “whole new data format,” will arrive on Chrome quite soon, according to a post by Google's web performance engineer Ilya Grigorik. No word yet on an exact date when this will happen, but it’s expected to be here in the next few weeks.

While Brotli compresses HTML, JavaScript and CSS to allow for "better space utilization and faster page loads,” the biggest area of improvement in compression is said to be HTML, which the new code can squeeze down by 25%.

Google says users should expect to see a noticeable increase in load times once the next version of Chrome is released. The company added that mobile users will also benefit from "lower data transfer fees and reduced battery use," which should help those who eat up their data allowance all too quickly.

Google also hopes that other browsers will eventually support Brotli. It looks as if Firefox will be the first non-Chrome browser to use the algorithm, as it has said it will adopt Brotli in a future update.

When Brotli was first announced, Google found itself unexpectedly caught up in a gender controversy for its plans to use a ‘.bro’ file extension, which some people, quite strangely, said came across as misogynistic and unprofessional. Google eventually changed the extension to ‘.br,’ and put out a statement that read: "there will be no '.bro' in Brotli.”

Anyone using Chrome Canary, Google’s beta/developer version of Chrome, can access a Brotli demo link via Chrome://flags#enable-brotli.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/63534-chrome-firefox-faster-thanks-google.html

 

[MoeJoe]

Bring it on

 

[Uncle Al]

Anything faster is a welcome achievement! Now if they could speed up the SSAN check to, say, getting 3-4 a month, THAT would be the kind of faster an old geezer like me could REALLY appreciate!

 

[cliffordcooley]

The company added that mobile users will also benefit from "lower data transfer fees and reduced battery use," which should help those who eat up their data allowance all too quickly.

OMG - hahaha - I can't stop laughing at the thought of people who will actually believe this. I have no doubt that their compression will work for HTML code. People who eat through their data allowance are the ones downloading data that can't be compressed farther. This will not make an already compressed video or song any less of a download.

 

[Evernessince]

The company added that mobile users will also benefit from "lower data transfer fees and reduced battery use," which should help those who eat up their data allowance all too quickly.

OMG - hahaha - I can't stop laughing at the thought of people who will actually believe this. I have no doubt that their compression will work for HTML code. People who eat through their data allowance are the ones downloading data that can't be compressed farther. This will not make an already compressed video or song any less of a download.

Yep and HTML isn't very large or resource intensive to begin with so savings are going to be very marginal. The problem with applying heavier compression to data on mobile devices is that it usually requires more CPU power the heavier the compression. Brotli isn't very intensive itself.

 

[qking]

"Google says users should expect to see a noticeable increase in load times once the next version of Chrome is released. " You mean decrease, right? lol...

 

[Gingercus]

People in the world were actually concerned about .bro? That's pathetic, why don't you put all that wasted effort into something that actually matters.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

People getting their tits in a tangle about the .bro file extension really ought to be seeking psychiatric help.

 

[captaincranky]

People getting their tits in a tangle about the .bro file extension really ought to be seeking psychiatric help.

Well, sorry to report, this is 2016 and there simply aren't enough qualified psychiatrists to go around.

Although, I do think the dot before "bro" is extremely sexist. How could you possibly be a real "bro", if you kept having a period associated with you?.

 

[MikeAcker]

="Google says users should expect to see a noticeable increase in load times once the next version of Chrome is released. "

ROF,LMFAO

who writes this stuff anyway

 

[JewFro297]

I would imagine that load times would only be increased by websites that actually implement the compression... The thing I want dealt with most, is when you're reading an article that just loaded, only to have it jump down several times while you're reading it as images load, and occasionally jumping up. Usually just on mobile, but sometimes on desktop too.

 

[mojorisin23]

What about IE? its so great and bug free!! it doenst even need improvement...

 

[captaincranky]

What about IE? its so great and bug free!! it doenst even need improvement...

Not to mention that Yahoo is the best search engine ever...(y) (or maybe not ).

 

[Matti]

"Google found itself unexpectedly caught up in a gender controversy for its plans to use a ‘.bro’ file extension, which some people, quite strangely, said came across as misogynistic and unprofessional. "


People are getting more and more pathetic day by day.

 

[Matti]

People getting their tits in a tangle about the .bro file extension really ought to be seeking psychiatric help.

Well, sorry to report, this is 2016 and there simply aren't enough qualified psychiatrists to go around.

Although, I do think the dot before "bro" is extremely sexist. How could you possibly be a real "bro", if you kept having a period associated with you?.

+10 that was perfect

 

[TechnoSapien]

When Brotli was first announced, Google found itself unexpectedly caught up in a gender controversy for its plans to use a ‘.bro’ file extension, which some people, quite strangely, said came across as misogynistic and unprofessional.

And yet we've heard nothing over the years regarding the encouragement of cruelty to animals with the unrestrained use of the ".bat" extension. How many bats have died since that extension started being used? Too many!

Selective outrage? I think "yuh".

 

[Wilson Nantes]

I really hope this works !!!

 

[Allen Lwis]

A .bro file is misogynist sexist and hurtful? Guess what people, the US Constitution Does not guarantee protection from being offended! Every single law restricting Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by Amendment I of the US Constitution, restricts freedoms for every Citizen and every State Government's rule of law in accordance with Amendment X which guarantees "any right specifically not given to the Central Government by the US Constitution belongs to the individual Citizens and the States. Additionally the US Constitution according to Amendment I does not guarantee the "Freedom of Expression." Amendment specifically guarantees the Freedom of Religion, (not freedom from religion in the spaces or Government offices), freedom of the press and the freedom of Speech. Any Government powerful to give you everything you want is also powerful to take away your rights as Citizens. The sole purpose of the "Politically Correct government Officials" is to remove the weapons of the citizens brainwash them and enslave them.

 

[captaincranky]

A .bro file is misogynist sexist and hurtful? Guess what people, the US Constitution Does not guarantee protection from being offended! Every single law restricting Freedom of Speech as guaranteed by Amendment I of the US Constitution, restricts freedoms for every Citizen and every State Government's rule of law in accordance with Amendment X which guarantees "any right specifically not given to the Central Government by the US Constitution belongs to the individual Citizens and the States. Additionally the US Constitution according to Amendment I does not guarantee the "Freedom of Expression." Amendment specifically guarantees the Freedom of Religion, (not freedom from religion in the spaces or Government offices), freedom of the press and the freedom of Speech. Any Government powerful to give you everything you want is also powerful to take away your rights as Citizens. The sole purpose of the "Politically Correct government Officials" is to remove the weapons of the citizens brainwash them and enslave them.

This is a truly wonderful tirade, however undeserving of it we may be.. OTOH, it might be better used aimed at Google, as they capitulated to people complaining to them claiming ".bro" was sexist. I'm certain nobody here, much less myself, thinks the file extension, ".bro" is sexist. In fact, this whole thread, is made up of humorous comments, poking fun at that proposition.

Why not reread it, and see what you missed the first time?

I'm thoughtfully including a link to the Wikipedia page on "m0ron", which also gives the IQ potential of several commonly used colloquial, (and clinical), terms for mental inadequacies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moron_(psychology

BTW, I test in the high 130's. I'm sure you've held, or are possibly still holding an opinion to the contrary. Allow me to say, the feeling is quite mutual. Do enjoy the rest of your evening..(y)