Do Cookies slow the browser?

[centerjc]

I've been told time and time again that if your browser is real slow you should clear the cache ( IE temporary files) and clear the cookies.
Is this an old wives tale or is it a case of, "well, it certainly won't hurt". Does it really help?
Can someone point me to an article that Actually states this as a fact and gives a reason behind it?

thanks much,

jim

 

[1DMF]

It's more important to clear your cache regularly to ensure pages are not loaded from cache.

and in my experience clearing the cache does improve general speed, except if you are trying a link to an mp3 file that is say 5mb, you need to download the file before playing or have a streaming compatible player.

if you have already listened to the tune, then when you click the link it is loaded from cache, so depending on what your doing depends on if clearing your cache is of any benefit!

 

[cacroll]

Clearing the cache helps in that there's less old and useless stuff for the browser to search thru, in search of what is needed. If what's needed is not cached, searching thru everything else first delays loading what's needed from the internet.

If what's needed is cached, deleting it, along with the rest of cache, will slow things down since the browser has to get what's needed from the internet, needlessly.

Tuning cache is an art, not a science.

Cheers,

Chuck
Paranoia is not a problem, when it's a normal response from experience.

http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/

 

[centerjc]

thanks for responses so far.
I'm more concerned about the cookies and how they may/may not affect browser speed.
I am going to add the caveat that I "know" that none of the cookies are malware of any kind.
Given that, will cookies affect browser speeds?

TIA,
jim

 

[mattjurado]

It is possible if you have say several thousand of them, but the browser cache is a more likely culprit for slowing you down, as well as any malwares. As long as you empty the temporary internet files periodically, you should be fine with the cookies if you want to retain them. Out of habit, I personally blow them out from time to time too. I also like to set the browser cache to max out at a few hundred mb, so you don't have to scan gigs of junk files when doing virus/spyware scans.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[soy4soy]

I suppose you must first understand *what* a cookie is.

A cookie is a file that resides on your computer. The file stores data (such as User ID and Password, Address, SSN, site preferences, etc) for the site to which you granted permission to store cookies.

It will not slow your BROWSER appreciably, though it might slow the BROWSING EXPERIENCE. (and I would argue at the expense of user security)

And let me amend that statement to say that IF storing 1000's of cookies slows the browser down, it is not the fault of the cookie, but rather the client computers' disk subsystem.

Good luck!

Randy Mitchell, Jack of all ITrades

http://www.bizjournals.com