page size issue

[KevinBE]

What is a good rule of thumb when it comes to page loading time? Frontpage shows the loading time for the page you are working on based on how long it would take to load with a 28.8 modem. I want to make my site look good but don't want to make it too hard for the modem based users to load.

[Stephen M]

The smaller/faster the better. <g>

Perhaps preload key images on boring text filled pages which do not have the image visible (either with jscript or 1x1 image tag size commands, after all the text) - that way when a user moves onto a busy page they will get the image poping up. That is if a user first reads this particular page.

Use common images where possible so that the users local cache loads the image.

I would base decisions of a 33 or 56 modem as I would hope that most dial up users have moved on (most of the time my 56 dialup runs right between and up to these limits).

A basic rule of thumb from the 'old days' of the web as around 30kb for a single image, but when taken into account with the page and other images and overall network activity and other variables - who can say?

When checking things locally, puttin the site on a floppy disk and flushing all caches and then reading from the floppy can help simulate an internet connection, but the transfer rates are obviously different.

Stephen Marsh.

[KevinBE]

Thanks for your reply Stephen. I'ill do some kind of field test after I get the site up. Just thought I would find some basis for a guideline.