• Home
  • About 404TS
  • Contact

404 Tech Support

Where IT Help is Found

  • Articles
    • Code
    • Entertainment
    • Going Green
    • Hardware, Gadgets, and Products
    • Management
    • Network
    • News
    • Operating Systems
    • Security and Privacy
    • Software
    • System Administration
    • Talking Points
    • Tech Solutions
    • Web
    • Webmaster
  • Reviews
  • Media
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Tech Events
  • Tools
    • How do I find my IP address?
    • Browser and plugin tests
  • Get a Technical Consultation
You are here: Home / Articles / Software / Waterfox – A 64-bit Firefox build focused on speed

Waterfox – A 64-bit Firefox build focused on speed

2012-12-13 by Jason

My article on Minefield, a 64-bit browser based off of Firefox, is 3.5 years old and still manages to get a decent amount of traffic. From that, I gather that people are rather interested in 64-bit software to take advantage of the underlying hardware. So, on that topic, I introduce you to Waterfox. It’s a 64-bit variant of Firefox that is compiled for speed. What makes Waterfox fast:

Waterfox was compiled with Intel’s C++ Compiler with the following optimisations: Intel’s Math Library, SSE3, AVX for supported Intel processors, jemalloc, Profile-Guided Optimisation and the /O3 switch.

Waterfox is available from www.waterfoxproject.org as either an installer or a portable version. The download for the installer is 25 MB and 30MB for the portable version. Since Waterfox is recompiled and follows after Firefox, it tends to be a version behind. I tested out version 16.0.1 and had good experience with it. I didn’t do any actual benchmarking but it was certainly snappy when browsing a variety of intensive sites with numerous tabs.

All Firefox add-ons are compatible with Firefox but like Minefield you will need 64-bit versions of Adobe Flash Player, Java, and other plugins.

What motivates Waterfox to offer a 64-bit version of the Firefox browser?

64-Bit computing is the future! Any 64-Bit user will notice an instant increase in performance, but that is not the only advantage such as multi-tasking and improved stress handling.

Screencap of Waterfox About with Waterfox running behind it

Filed Under: Software

Trending

  • Cleaning up after spyware and viruses
    In Software, Tech Solutions
  • DDoS are on the rise in 2014
    In Infographics
  • Run Disk Cleanup without calculating to Compress Old Files
    In Operating Systems, Tech Solutions

Latest Media Posts

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Today Week Month All
  • Wal-Mart’s Low Tech Solution to a Shocking Problem Wal-Mart's Low Tech Solution to a Shocking Problem
  • Access to the resource [servershare] has been disallowed Access to the resource [servershare] has been disallowed
  • What is the AllJoyn Router Service on Windows 10? What is the AllJoyn Router Service on Windows 10?
  • Read the Event Logs on Windows Server Core Read the Event Logs on Windows Server Core
  • Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability
  • How Virtual Reality Supports Mental Health Therapy How Virtual Reality Supports Mental Health Therapy
  • Key Strategies of Successful Coin Listing on Exchange Key Strategies of Successful Coin Listing on Exchange
  • Keeping Your Mac Healthy: A Comprehensive Guide to Maintenance and Troubleshooting Keeping Your Mac Healthy: A Comprehensive Guide to Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  • Making Distributed Software Development Work: Strategies and Best Practices for Managing Remote Teams Making Distributed Software Development Work: Strategies and Best Practices for Managing Remote Teams
  • customer contactless payment for drink with mobile phon at cafe counter bar,seller coffee shop accept payment by mobile.new normal lifestyle concept The Latest Innovations In Payment Technology
Ajax spinner

Elevator Pitch

404 Tech Support documents solutions to IT problems, shares worthwhile software and websites, and reviews hardware, consumer electronics, and technology-related books.

Subscribe to 404TS articles by email.

Recent Posts

  • How Virtual Reality Supports Mental Health Therapy
  • Key Strategies of Successful Coin Listing on Exchange
  • Keeping Your Mac Healthy: A Comprehensive Guide to Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Search

FTC Disclaimer

404TechSupport is an Amazon.com affiliate; when you click on an Amazon link from 404TS, the site gets a cut of the proceeds from whatever you buy. This site also uses Skimlinks for smart monetization of other affiliate links.
Use of this site requires displaying and viewing ads as they are presented.

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in