Improve Firefox 3 Performance by Vacuuming SQLite Database

[Raymond]

1. Open the Error Console: Tools menu/Error Console
2. In the Code text box paste this (it’s a single line):

Components.classes["@mozilla.org/browser/nav-history-service;1"].getService(Components.interfaces.nsPIPlacesDatabase).DBConnection.executeSimpleSQL("VACUUM");

3. Press Evaluate. All the UI will freeze for a few seconds while databases are VACUUMed

Source: http://mozillalinks.org/wp/2009/08/vacuum-firefox-databases-for-better-performance-now-with-no-restart/

[saturn]

This is not Tools,Error Console and Errors is it?

[Raymond]

Tools > Error Console

[jocker]

Is this trick only for FF v3, or it can be used for FF v2. If this "command" is not for FF v2, do you by any chance now one for FF v2?

[safeguy]

Interesting..but what does it do exactly? It would help if you explain what it does to Firefox...

By the way, I found two experimental add-ons that are based on this 'concept' of vacuuming Firefox databases for better performance.

Here they are:

Vacuum Places 0.2 by REVERTRON:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/13824

Vacuum Places Improved 0.3 by Luca Niccoli:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/13878

[Raymond]

Only firefox 3 because starting from Firefox 3 it uses sqlite database.

[hellnoire]

Just tried running it on 3.5.2, and it doesn't freeze anything but my downloads. Other then that, everything works fine.

[leofelix]

Thank you,
I found and interesting article which helped me to solve many of my problems with FF

"Firefox can use a lot of memory if you have lots of tabs open and this can make other programs slow.

Minimising Firefox won’t make any difference because it is written to hang on to the memory, unlike other software, which will offer it back to the pot. This can be changed in the Firefox Config page.

Open a new tab, type about:config and press Enter. Click on the ‘I’ll be careful, I promise’ button. Right-click in the main windows, left-click on New and then on Boolean. Type config.trim_on_minimize (note American spelling) and click on OK.

Select True and then click on OK again. Close the tab and restart Firefox to apply the change. To reverse the change open the about:config page again, find the config.trim_on_minimize option and double-click on it to change the value to false. Restart Firefox."

Source : ComputerActive

Hope it helps

[samba_siva_raju]

after pressing evaluate it throws

[thumbstrips] error scrolling to current node:

[thumbstrips] [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80004005 (NS_ERROR_FAILURE) [nsIScrollBoxObject.ensureElementIsVisible]" nsresult: "0x80004005 (NS_ERROR_FAILURE)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://thumbstrips/content/scrolling.js :: thumbstrips_skipToCurrentHelper :: line 186" data: no]


what does it mean?

[Raymond]

Try this instead.
http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/09/01/easily-optimize-firefox-sqlite-databases-with-speedyfox-portable/