A new faster JS will be implemented into Firefox. The code is not ready yet. JS interpreter should react as fast as with other languages. “Tracing” will be the magical word - a tracing mechanism will follow the behavior of JS when it is run for the first time, the next time it will run in a “traced compression” mode, a large part of the Mozilla browser has JS implemented inside.
The new JS tracing code will run a factor 20 faster, read: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080822-firefox-to-get-massive-javascript-performance-boost.html
Remember even when faster, you will need NoScript for security, or you will only get your malware faster installed (20 times faster 8) ),
Well, DavidR, you know exactly why we are in that JS situation we are in to-day, and why you have to use normal user rights to try and limit the damage that JS can cause. Sun java will never come up with an automated updater, because if that would be the case the owners of commercial solutions running the outdated versions would probably skin them alive. And there are other aspects to it. Why you think the developers of Fx have to contemplate that long to bring NoScript aboard as by default? Because in the case of Firefox the Google scripters have an enormous finger in the pie, and for Flock Yahoo is stirring the JS pudding that they have boiling there.
There is one party that wants to enhance the browser experience for the user notwithstanding the security implications of it. On the other side the security prone try to pedal the brake of their ambitions towards performance and their commercial strivings. That is the arena in which this all takes place. Three steps forward, one step back, developer-flagellants!
Once you bring NoScript on board, any potential speed javascript increase is negated as you stop it dead in its tracks (which is why I didn’t mention NoScript) unless you have previously allowed scripts for that site, something that I don’t do very often.
That is basically not true, because of the way in which NoScript works. Your assumptions therefore are taken from a wrong footing. With NoScript webpages tend to load faster, and in the new situation also NoScript works a lot faster because it is written in -what do you know - in JS itself.
Read here what Giorgio Maone had to say on this: @luntrus aka polonus:
Tracing is not gonna change (almost) anything in the way NoScript works, because the browser-facing API remains the same (the Tamarin-borrowed technology is the Just In Time compiler/optimizer).
Since NoScript is written in JavaScript itself, though, it will surely take the benefits of the speed boost.
So now we know what NoScript is doing, driving the devil out with Beelzebub, ;D
You aren’t getting the benefit from the javascript speed boost but not running javascript at all with noscript.
Remember we aren’t talking about speed improvements of noscript but speed improvements of javascript (your topic title). So in that regard those who use noscript won’t see ‘those javascript speed’ improvements as it will be blocked for the majority of sites.
Either javascript won’t be running, so no different from the situation now when running noscript, or if noscript allows script for the limited sites, then and only then would any improvement be seen.
So for those of us using noscript there will be a negligible difference.