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Some people have asked.... and this is a common question.
"Why does Google Chrome open several instances of itself when I click to open the browser?"
This is the best way I can answer this:
By using multiple processes, it allows one to decrease-as-desired the memory/functionality of the browser. It's like your car, turning off the A/C will increase your gas mileage. The ability to turn-off some functionality in the browser to increase/decrease performance, is just a way for you -the user- to be able to tailor the browser to your needs!
Spreading itself over several processes is also intended to increase the stability of the browser. It breaks down into something like this: not exact, but you get the idea-
Chrome.exe - Browser
Chrome.exe - Tab 1
Chrome.exe - Tab 2
Chrome.exe - Extension 1
Chrome.exe - Extension 2
Chrome.exe - Plugin - Google Gears
Chrome.exe - Plugin - Shockwave Flash
If I were to load Chrome and Firefox and open the same website on both of them- firefox - 1 process - 87 Mb Chrome - 5 processes - 79 Mb
So, some protection is gained if 1 process crashes then the others have a better chance of surviving.
Wage
"Everyone has to get knocked-down every once-in-a-while, otherwise you'll never learn how to get-back-up!
" A quote attributed to my Grandpa Wagers
This is true and I feel the same way, but the idea is that a single process/tab can crash without making the entire browser unstable. This is a more stable method I think. It falls into a theory/category of "redundancy." It just gives the browser more options for the handling of crashes.
"Everyone has to get knocked-down every once-in-a-while, otherwise you'll never learn how to get-back-up!
" A quote attributed to my Grandpa Wagers