We web developers have to use Firefox a lot on https type connections for things like checking email, using Trac, uploading and downloading over Subversion, etc. Of course, the first thing you'll want to do is enable mod_deflate on your Apache config, but that's another topic entirely. However, there's one thing I discovered tonight that works very well with FF, and that's to switch it form SSLv3 to SSLv2. Here's how...
First, understand that most web servers today are usually running both SSLv2 and SSLv3 because otherwise older workstations wouldn't be able to connect. Eventually, however, and that's probably going to be in about 2-3 years, you'll see SSLv2 being cut loose from many servers. In 2-3 years, you'll start to see people moaning and complaining about not being able to connect when that happens.
SSLv2 is encryption, but uses a smaller key and thus smaller transmission sizes of secure packets. It's a weaker encryption, and therefore crackable, but if you're willing to live with that, then read on. I mean, it would take someone sitting with a sniffer in the router cloud on the Internet to pick up your transmission and specifically target your weak https connection in order for this to be a risk, and then to feed your packets through a powerful distributed cracking system, running for like 15 to 30 minutes, to crack your stuff. And that sort of thing is usually policed very heavily by the Internet police security teams like CERN, IETF, etc.
Anyway, since we know that SSLv2 is still enabled on many servers, you can switch your FF to use it instead of SSLv3. You open a new tab and type "about:config" without double quotes. Now type "ssl" without doublequotes and click Search. It shows you all your SSL settings in FF. Leave the SSLv3 protocols on, but switch off SSLv3 where it says Enable SSLv3. Now, before you shut down your browser -- turn on Enable SSLv2 and flip on all the SSLv2 protocols. Okay, now shut down your browser and come back in. Connect to a site like Gmail on https.
You'll see your https speed become twice as fast.
Speed Up FF for Web Development
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