Integration of a Memory Analyzer to the Browser Reference Architecture

Abstract

A Web Browser is a computer application used to access information on the World Wide Web. The browser‟s parsing capability has advanced over years since its inception. The advancements have consequently increased demand for memory as manifested by computer crawl. Contemporary browsers are anchored on reference architecture that lacks memory control mechanism that can limit maximum memory a browser can use thus posing a challenge in multiprogramming environments with less memory thereby making the computer to freeze. Enhanced browser reference architecture was developed for investigation. The main objective of the study was to develop and integrate a memory analyzer to the browser with a view to evaluating its performance in Web browsers. Specific objectives were to specify the functional requirements for the browser prototype, to design and develop a browser prototype, to design, implement, and integrate memory analyzer and to evaluate the performance of the memory analyzer in the developed architecture. Prototyping technique and software reuse were adopted in formulating the model. The memory analyzer component acted as a memory meter and a memory optimizer. It controlled memory hogging by limiting memory usage to a particular value set by the user and optimizing available memory by calling the garbage collector. Experiments were carried out to validate the Mozilla–based developed prototype by using Mozilla Firefox browser as a control. All tests were carried on windows environment in parallel. Memory consumption between the two browsers was recorded and statistically analyzed to test the researcher‟s hypothesis. To evaluate the performance of the analyzer, memory demands posed by access to popular sites such as electronic mail service providers, social networks entertainment and search engines were examined. Statistical T-test on memory consumption between the two browsers revealed that memory analyzer-integrated browser consumed 38.65 MB and 52.08 MB less with homogeneous and heterogeneous tabs respectively compared to contemporary Mozilla Firefox browser. This value is computationally significant as it provides suitable environment that facilitates concurrency in computer systems that have low memory. The study provides insights on the performance of enhanced browser reference architecture with regard to memory optimization. The study recommends further research on memory optimization approaches, as browser memory consumption is dynamic and browser technologies change often.