A few years ago, I wrote an article on how GZIP compression improved Web performance. Don Marti at the Linux Journal was a great editor, and eventually, the article ended up in the online version of the Magazine.

At the time, I used Ian Holsman’s webperf.org (now renamed ITScales) to capture the data. Now that I have built my own Web performance monitoring network, I thought I would repeat the experiment.

You can see the comparative results at these locations:

• Wikipedia
• Google News
• Technorati
• Juniper Networks — they own the Redline hardware acceleration device
• F5 Networks — they sell the F5 hardware acceleration device

After I have collected a lot more data, I will be re-visiting the article and commenting on the state of compression technology on the Internet.

If you would like to suggest a site to measure, please leave a comment.

Technorati Tags: HTTP, Web+Compression, Web+performance, GrabPERF, study, HTTP+compression

Tags: compress, compression, data, Google, GrabPERF, GrabPERF.org, gzip, HTML, HTTP, IM, Internet, IP, it, LAN, leave, Linux, Om, online, performance, PHP, pr, Technorati, web, Web Performance, Web+performance, WebPerformance.Org

For those who capture the minutiae of their lives in a Moleskine or Rite in the Rain, I present the example to which we should all bow.

The Domesday Book is online.

Technorati Tags: Domesday Book, Domesday, Moleskine, Rite in the Rain, notebook, census, history, UK, England

Tags: book, HTTP, IE, IM, it, LAN, live, Om, online, pr, search, Technorati

Today, a new measurement location was added to the GrabPERF family. The team at Blog.com have graciously provided us with a server in Germany, and that is now online as Germany Blog.com #1.

We are still looking for measurement locations in the UK (or Ireland) and Asia.

Technorati Tags: GrabPERF, Blog.com, Germany, measurement, Web performance

Tags: Asia, blog, Germany, GrabPERF, HTTP, Ireland, it, LAN, measurement, Om, online, performance, pr, server, Technorati, web, Web Performance

I have taken the SF Technorati Agent offline temporarily, as there appears to be a routing issue with the hosting provider. When this is resolves, I will bring the agent back online.

UPDATE: This event appears to be affecting routes to hosts on the Globix Network.

Tags: app, it, online, pr, Technorati, update

I want to welcome a new measurement agent to the GrabPERF family: New York PubSub #1. This location came online yesterday, and has been delivering data consistently since about 21:00 EST (02:00 GMT) last night.

The world is a very small place. Turns out that my primary technical contact on the PubSub is someone who used to work at my current employer. Always good to stay in contact with folks.

Many thanks to Bob Wyman for making this happen.

Technorati Tags: GrabPERF, Web Performance, agent, pubsub

Tags: app, current, data, GrabPERF, HTTP, IM, it, live, measurement, Om, One, online, performance, pr, Technorati, web, Web Performance

I was reading online (Slashdot) that some videos from Iraq are censored in the US.

Yup, it’s true

So much for “Do no evil”.

Any wagers on where the first internment camp will be opened in the United States? Guantanomo Bay and Eastern European “democracies” are not included in this pool.

Technorati Tags: Google, Google Video, censor, censorship

UPDATE: Turns out this is a “feature” of the Google Video uploader. [here]

Tags: ARIN, EAD, Europe, Google, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, Om, online, Technorati, United States, update, video

If anyone wants to know why I am proud of GrabPERF, this graph should give you a clue.

Every hour, an aggregated value is produced for every test url. Counting up the Geometric Mean aggregations on a daily basis, the growth line is pretty amazing.

Doing a rough calculation, the system has grown from testing 40 urls to testing 104 urls.

But the true scope of this growth can only be seen by looking at the number of data insertions into the raw data table on a daily basis.

Currently, with the four measurement agents (I turned down one of the Technorati agents today to relieve the strain on the database server), the system is handling nearly 300,000 data insertions a day. Not even in the same timezone with most of the major sites I measure, but when I think that this is a system that I designed, I am stunned. For an unfunded, not-for-profit, one-person effort, I am constant astounded by what this system can handle.

Other areas of note over the last year:

• The Technorati-donated servers can now easily hold 60 days of detail data on a robust enterprise grade system, in a real datacenter
• The basement datacenter is now closed
• The new interface was created specifically to allow the system to grow and easily accommodate new features
• People are now approaching me on a daily basis to have sites added, or to have data explained
• GrabPERF went from one measurement agent to five agents in four locations, including a location in Europe (Portugal)
• GrabPERF has been used in various places to serve as an indicator or motivator for performance improvement, including: Bloglines, Ping-O-Matic, Technorati, PubSub (1 and 2), Blogwise, and others.
• A number of corporate and individual sponsors have stepped forward to support our efforts in many different ways: money, servers, measurement locations, commentary and critiques

I know that I have said it many times in person, or online, but thank you all. Those of you who use and support GrabPERF are the ones who continue to motivate me to make this system better on a daily basis.

Keep those cards and letter coming.

Technorati Tags: GrabPERF, growth, Web Performance, analytics

Tags: analytics, app, ARIN, blog, corporate, current, data, database, design, Europe, geometric mean, GrabPERF, GrabPERF.org, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, improvement, it, measurement, NY Times, Om, One, online, performance, performance improvement, Portugal, pr, search, server, Technorati, testing, web, Web Performance, wordpress

The Gomez Network Agent is offline due to a power failure at the hosting facility. I will bring this Agent back online on Monday morning.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Tags: GrabPERF, IE, it, Om, online

Lifehacker points us all to Mayomi.

1. Ajax Rocks
2. MindJet better buy these guys quick or they will lose a lot of us who can’t afford MindManager

Technorati: mindmapping, ajax

IceRocket: mindmapping, ajax

Tags: ajax, app, blog, HTTP, it, Om, online, PHP, pr, Technorati

The CTO of the blogosphere asks: What kind of software would you like developed?

Option 1: Build a product in 12 months that is simple and easy to use but only meets basic requirements. Upon completiion, this company will only fix bugs and provide minimal updates every six months; training through FAQs and some simple documentation; and support through basic email, forums, but no phone contact. The cost to you to pay for the development and ongoing support of this product is low.

Option 2: Build a product in 24 months that meets all the requirements including features that you might want to use in the future but is complex to configure and use. Upon completion, this company will fix bugs and provide enhancements or new functionality through a elaborate support agreement that includes frequent updates every three months; extensive training through onsite, manual and online and support through 24/7 phone,email and web. However, the cost to you to pay for the development and ongoing support of this product is high.

Option 3: Build a product in 18 months that is simple, basic and easy but an open architecture is developed that will allow others such as end users or other developers to make it as complex as they would like it through the development of addons and extensions. Upon completion, this company will fix bugs or enhance existing functionality only and provide moderate updates, training and support through a combination on in-house and community resources. The cost to you to pay for the development and ongoing support of this product is a little more expensive than Option 1. In addition, you will be on your own regarding support and future development of any additional functionality that is provided by third parties.

Only an idiot or a dinosaur would build software under Options 1 and 2.

Tags: 3G, blog, bugs, community, customers, extension, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, Om, One, online, PHP, pr, update, users, web