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heaversm
Employee
Employee
Status: New idea

Not quite sure how this would work, but I'm imagining a browser setting or flag that users could set to prefer low bandwidth media consumption. Something like "prefers-reduced-motion", but "prefers-low-bandwidth"

In the case of images, it might choose the lowest image in a `srcset`, maybe, regardless of the browser window / agent's parameters. In streaming media, it could prompt or analyze the option to download vs stream in instances where downloading would be advantageous for minimizing bandwidth / energy consumption.

15 Comments
Status changed to: New idea
Jon
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hey @heaversm

Thanks for submitting an idea to the Mozilla Connect community! Your idea is now open to votes (aka kudos) and comments.

-The Community Team

Anonymous
Not applicable

I believe that Firefox should be able to run on poor infrastructure and hardware in order to survive in the future. See also https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/new-manifesto-resist-the-economic-exploitation-of-big-tec...

Anonymous
Not applicable
Anonymous
Not applicable

@Anonymous I think functionality that affects the entire traffic like those should be done by Firefox itself, not by extensions, to protect security and privacy.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Anonymous  Well,  it is a (unoffical) draft by  the w3c  ref. https://wicg.github.io/savedata/#save-data-request-header-field  (mdn ref. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/Save-Data )  So i guess ... mozilla wont bother with adding this until it is further established/finalized.  Extension kind of fill the gap until then. 

 

 

Cosmoreenters
New member

Low bandwidth button

Hi, simple on/off button needed for quick "low bandwidth mode" to minimize media content download. Should be always visible, not behind settings etc. Should consider videos and images mostly. Also if certain network resource (ads etc tracking) download takes time, skip and continue to get full page downloaded. You know better how to make these working!

Prepare for slow internet,

Survivor

Anonymous
Not applicable
Elf-Thoughts
New member

I noticed, Some Websites bog down a computer!

Some websites are horrible at slowing down most of my machines. I assume it's because they are loading a bunch of pictures all at once or a bunch of questionable code.

My questions are:

Is there a way to regulate the bandwidth that pictures are loading, like only loading what your screen is currently looking at?

And blocking some code that might be questionable and unnecessary for the user?

I very will often close up the tab, that is dragging my CPU down. As in "Not worth looking at, if this site drains my computer speed" or "What are they loading up to my browser?"

heaversm
Employee
Employee

This website has some good suggestions on how websites might implement solutions if a user has saved data on:

 

* serving lower bandwidth images

* stop auto-buffering and auto-playing video,

* ignore preload options

* maybe even route requests through more efficient data centers at the cost of speed?

grisha
New member

Download speed throttling

Hi, it would be really nice to be able to limit network bandwidth for downloads 😀. For people that have really slow internet, downloading files and at the same time watching YouTube or just browsing the internet wouldn't be a great experience.