Web Software Shift Creates a Performance Roadblock

An interesting observation today from one IT blog, which notes astutely that our increasing reliance on web-based applications over traditional software programs is creating a performance problem, since web software is not really designed to take advantage of multiple CPU cores, which are now ubiquitous in all forms of computers, desktop and laptop.

Multicore CPUs today offer two, three, or four "cores" that can execute instructions independently. Ideally, a dual-core CPU could run one program twice as fast, or two programs together just as fast as a single-core CPU could run the same application. That's simplifying things, of course, but you get the idea. Most desktop software is now written (or quickly being rewritten) with multicore CPUs in mind.

But that doesn't translate to the web, where apps are hosted on servers instead of locally on your machine (though a combination of remote and local processing is also common). But the big issue is that, per the story, web browsers just aren't designed with multicore in mind. Even tabbed browsing isn't currently set up to split tasks among multiple cores.

While we ponder the massive architectural changes needed on the software front, this is something important to consider if you're buying a new computer. Yes, dual- and quad-core computers offer unilaterally better performance on general software apps and benchmarks (and will even boot up faster), but that performance won't really translate to refreshing your webmail or running Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Many people write to me saying they want a new computer because their web browser is very slow, and while a new PC can help a little, it's not going to be a substantially different experience. Bottom line: If zippy web browsing is what you're after, you're better off investing in a faster Internet connection than a cutting-edge computer.

LINK: Web browsers are limiting the benefits of multi-core CPUs