It's almost impossible not to have multiple tabs open when browsing the net. It's a given that you need your work email, news websites, message boards and your social media profiles open as you navigate your way through the biggest stories of the day.
Before you know it, you may have cluttered your browser with half a dozen tabs open at the same time as you bounce back and forth from different tasks. Then you start to notice your computer is moving at a snail pace, and then it suddenly crashes. And of course, that crash will happen right as your boss asks you what you're doing.
And yes, we are talking to you, Google Chrome users.
The problem is that having many tabs open drains your computer's memory, which causes it to perform slowly.
But there now is a Chrome extension specifically for those people who love keeping multiple tabs open — and by people, we mean everyone.
According to StatCounter, Google Chrome is the most popular browser worldwide, but many users have voiced their frustration with the browser not being as fast as it should be.
The Chrome extension, called the Great Suspender, suspends the tabs that are not currently in use so that you can still keep them open without them taking up all your memory.
The Great Suspender unloads each tab, while retaining its favicon and title, so that your computer is not running javascripts or is leaking memory for no reason. The webpage can be restored by clicking anywhere on the page at anytime.
Once you download the extension for free, users can choose to have their tabs automatically suspended for seconds, minutes, an hour, or even days. Users have the option to not have pinned tabs suspended, to not suspend tabs that contain unsaved form inputs, and to whitelist the sites you use to most, so that these are never suspended.
This extension is perfect for those who want to keep a specific tab, like Facebook, open, but don't want to constantly be distracted by it. Suspend the site when not in use, and pick right back up when you have the time.
And since The Great Suspender essentially freezes that webpage until you a ready to view it again, if you need to restart, you will be brought back exactly to the moment when you suspended that page.
Now Chrome users can open all the tabs they want without having to consider moving to Firefox each time their computer freezes.
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Photo: Stephen Shankland | Flickr
