1350524 - Fast page reload in throttling mode

Status: NEW

(DevTools :: Responsive Design Mode, enhancement, P3)

Description

[Andrey K]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:54.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/54.0
Build ID: 20170324084828

Steps to reproduce:

* There is useful developer tool in mobile mode ("responsive design mode") in Firefox: connection bandwidth throttling, to test projects on slow connections.
* There are many frameworks to develop hybrid mobile apps (i.e. HTML5-JavaScript-CSS).
* Responsive design mode is good to develop such apps, but it has one stumbling block: reloading app.

Explaination:

Production hybrid mobile app has two lifecycle parts:
1) start from mobile device memory;
2) data exchange over network.

Development mobile app has parts:
1) reloading app (html page);
2) data exchange with localhost.

Modern development servers can detect changes in repository and update page automatically, but if changes are big, it not always works fine. So developer have to reload entire app manually.

If developer make tests in throttling mode, it forced to repeat following:
1) switch throttling on
2) test app
3) switch throttling off
4) reload page
5) goto 1.
It is very tedious.

So, I suggest to add "fast reload" button near throttling mode select element.


Actual results:

Very slow mobile app reload in throttling mode.


Expected results:

Ability to fast reload app alongside enabled throttling mode.

Comment 1

[Andrey K]

I simply want to say, that in real world network bandwidth affects application speed AFTER startup. Throttling mode in Firefox now affects both startup (reload) and regular work speed.

Comment 2

[J. Ryan Stinnett [:jryans] (Use needinfo, replies may be slow)]

Hmm, it's an interesting idea!  I am a bit worried it would be hard to explain to users and implement, though.

Can you think of a good way to denote such as "fast" mode in the UI?  The word "fast" alone seems too ambiguous, as it could mean almost anything.

How would you decide when to re-enable throttling?  After the load event, DOMContentLoaded event, something else?