Google reveals Octane, adds to JavaScript benchmark suite
updated 12:16 am EDT, Wed August 22, 2012
New tests designed to better meter JavaScript performance
Google's Chrome team has developed and released a new set of JavaScript benchmarks. Titled Octane, the new suite "aims to measure a browser’s performance when running the complex and demanding web applications that users interact with daily." The new test group keeps the previous eight tests in the V8 suite, and adds five more, allowing for a better translation of real-world JavaScript performance to metered testing data.
The first new test, Box2DWeb, runs a JavaScript version of Box2DFlash physics engine and focuses on floating point math. The Mandreel test uses the gaming-oriented 3D Bullet Engine built into JavaScript from the original C++ source.
Mozilla's PDF reader, Pdf.js, demonstrates how JavaScript applications can replace native browser plug-ins and measures how quickly a browser decodes a PDF. The open-source implementation of a GameBoy emulator is used for another new test and runs a 3D demo. Finally, CodeLoad measures how rapidly a JavaScript engine can boot commonly-used JavaScript libraries and start executing code.
In addition to the suite of new tests, Google has added a clean user interface that scales itself to a variety of resolutions and screen sizes to make it easier to read and interpret. The new test suite source code is available at the official Chrome blog. The benchmark suite is available for use now.
