Intended Audience: K-12, University, Teachers

E-mail: duedall@fit.edu
Last update: 05/21/01

To receive a "Good" rating for Load Time, the web site must download according to the time listed:     

Load time refers to the time it takes for a web site to appear on your computer screen.  Load time is a function of many factors; the most important are:

Server/network/transmission performance, over which you have no control.  If you are especially interested in a good discussion on server/network/transmission factors see Chapter 1 in Ware et al.'s book listed in References; after reading their account, you will be quite amazed that any web site will reliably appear on your computer screen in such a short time. 

Modems. A modem is a piece of hardware that connects your computer to the outside world. You have some control over how fast you are downloading information by how fast your modem works.  Modem speeds are 14.4, 28.8, 33.6, and 56 kilobytes per second. Teachers who seriously use the Internet are probably running their systems with a 33.6 modem.   However, if you are using a 14.4 modem, expect load time to be at least twice as long as when using a 33.6 modem.  While 56K modems are currently available on new PCs, standards for transmission have not been established. Consequently it is not necessary to purchase a 56K modem.

Local Area Network (LAN).  If you are on a LAN your ability to access a web site can increase by a factor of 10-100, or more.  K-12 schools throughout the country are increasingly employing their own servers with classrooms and teacher's offices connected on the network.   LAN provides the fastest access to a web site.  However, many schools or teacher's office computers, especially in Brevard County, are  connected to the school district's server via a modem. Thus access to a web site, even SCIWEBS, may be compromised owing to the inherent delay of a modem-based system.

Size  (bytes of information). The is the amount of information, including the html code,  used to create the opening page or index of a web site, can have a big effect on load time.  If the index page contains complex graphics or several images load time will be long.  Also, if the index page has substantial text (such as a speech), load time will be long.  Load time may be a trivial problem if you are on a LAN; but If you are using a modem, the presence of excessive  images or graphics on the index page will slow access to the web site.  You can overcome "size" problem by going into your browser Preferences and "turning off" images.  The text will then download fast; the unopened images appear as a fractured box.  If you suspect that one or more images are important you, you can usually double click on the box to bring up the individual image (dependant on which browser you are using).  You can also go back into  browser Preferences and "turn on" the images to see all the images you missed.  Again, dependant on which browser you are using, you may have to "refresh" or "reload" the page.

Computer (PC or Mac). Generally, any new computer is better than an old one as far as accessing a web site. A PC with a Pentium processor is faster than one with a  486 processor,  which is generally  faster than one with a 386 processor.  The amount of memory is another factor that can influence your ability to access a web site in reasonable time, since most browsers temporarily download images and text to your computer. If at all possible have as much memory in your computer as you can afford to buy.  Currently memory chips are very inexpensive and can be easily installed in most computers.