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Launchpad Entry: classmatepc-choice-of-browser
Packages affected: classmate-desktop, epiphany, firefox-3.0
Summary
The Firefox 2.0 version behaves very non-performant on the ClassmatePC architecture, it takes up to 1.5min to start and uses lots of ram. Results from tests with the current Firefox 3.0 package showed that it starts pretty much instantly and that its memory usage is a lot lower than the memory usage of Firefox 2.0 on the ClassmatePC. Sice it is not clear if Firefox 3.0 will be ready in time for the hardy release, other xulrunner or webkit based browsers should be reviewed on the ClassmatePC with focus on their performance and memory usage.
Release Note
The ClassmatePC image includes $BROWSER
(where $BROWSER has to be replaced with the actual choosen one)
Rationale
Starting firefox 2.0 on a ClassmatePC takes way to long, memory usage is way to high.
Use Cases
Fred wants to browse some webpages on his ClassmatePC, he clicks the webbrowser icon on the panel, his mouse pointer indicates the app is starting and it actually starts before the pointer turns back to normal state. Fred is able to have multiple webpages open and his system doesnt run out of ram.
Design
Test all the available browser options and front/backend combinations we have in ubuntu to determine the most performant option. ship the seleced browser of choice. This spec gets obsolete if Firefox 3.0 is ready in time for the hardy release, else another stable browser without the performance limitations of Firefox 2.0 has to be chosen.
Implementation
Add the chosen browser to the classmate-desktop seed.
Test/Demo Plan
Open a browser on a hardy ClassmatePC desktop, check that it starts before the pointers startup notification ends, open up to 4 tabs with websites and make sure the system is still responsive in that scenario.
Outstanding Issues
Test available browser and backend combinations on the ClassmatePC