Despite optimization efforts, web browsers still have memory problems. They consume more than they need, leaks are the order of the day, most extensions don't help, and the relationship with external plugins is very poor. Google Chrome's situation became much more serious with the latest versions, but the The Great Suspender extension wants to be the exception to the rule by automatically suspending the tabs we don't use.
From a technical point of view, it's a little simpler to understand why web browsers consume so much memory. Basically, they stopped being just that. Today, the average browser is also a media player, an email client, a development platform, a security barrier, a contact manager, a virtual machine, and much more. For example, the standard Firefox installation brings multiple resources for developers, and Google Chrome can run Android apps. On the other hand, many of us miss those times that had speed as the number one priority. In the end, we eagerly await a kind of "arms race" in memory consumption, and determine which browser is the most efficient. Until then, we must look for solutions among extensions (which are a problem in themselves), such as The Great Suspender for Chrome.
In essence, what the extension does is put the tabs we are not using to sleep. The user can configure automatic suspension to activate in a matter of seconds, or take a couple of hours. There is also the possibility of limiting automatic suspension when there is an active Internet connection or working on batteries, ignoring tabs with forms or pages with certain keywords via whitelisting, and removing suspension instantly when the tab enters the foreground. The Great Suspender offers several keyboard shortcuts, but with the right settings, the automatic experience fulfills its mission without a hitch.
Some have questioned The Great Suspender's mechanics because suspending a tab seems to be based on "inducing a hang" on it... but it doesn't matter if its method is crude: The point is that it works. Obviously, memory savings will depend on how many tabs each user has open per session. If there is good prior behavior, the benefits won't be that great, but anyone above ten tabs should notice a difference.
