I've started to use Tor as my main browser recently.
I've noticed things enabled by default like NoScript.
However, one thing that strikes me is the memory comsumption, which is close to null. By comparison, running 10 tabs with Firefox usually takes up to 800 Mb of Ram.
These lead me to wonder what are the main technical differences between the TOR browser and Firefox?
Did Firefox installed things that were not supposed to be there like spy modules?
Many thanks for your help.
These lead me to wonder what are the main technical differences between the TOR browser and Firefox?
You can find a pretty complete list of the differences in The Design and Implementation of the Tor Browser.
However, one thing that strikes me is the memory comsumption, which is close to null. By comparison, running 10 tabs usually takes up to 800 Mb of Ram.
I'm not exactly sure what causes the difference. My guess is that some of the features that are disable in Tor Browser consume lots of memory. Another possibility is that the difference is caused by an extension you installed.
Did Firefox installed things that were not supposed to be there like spy modules?
No, Mozilla (the creator of Firefox) does take privacy seriously but unlike the Tor Project, they are not willing to accept as many usability and performance trade offs to improve privacy. The target audience simply differs.
