Web Performance Matters

One concept that continues to elude many IT managers is the impact of latency on network design. 11 years ago, Stuart Cheshire wrote a detailed analysis of the difference between bandwidth and latency in ISP links [It's the Latency Stupid]. Over a decade later, his writings are still relevant. Latency, not bandwidth, is often the key to network speed, or lack thereof.

That's from It's Still The Latency, Stupid by William (Bill) Dougherty, writing in edgeblog on May 31, 2007. Bill follows that opening paragraph with a very readable explanation of the vital importance of latency (round-trip time) as a factor affecting performance in TCP networking. He uses what he calls the Sandbag Problem to illustrate his points:

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Slow Motion Shopping?

I'm always on the lookout for interesting news about performance, so there isn't much that surprises me. But occasionally performance can mean something rather different from what I have in mind.

Last August, Ben Rushlo wrote about his recent experiences measuring some Online Retail sites, and the performance issues he uncovered. As summer approaches once more, most retailers are busy building and testing their 2007 holiday shopping sites.

Thinking about this, I was searching for articles about slow shopping performance. Among them I found this news item, which comes complete with video coverage. Slowness, it turns out, can be more fun that I ever imagined.

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