Re: Image sprites use cases

Bert Bos wrote:
> I also wonder if downloading a zip is really more efficient than 
> downloading the individual files (assuming HTTP and a browser that 
> supports pipelining and transfer-coding

Unfortunately, that first is not a reasonable assumption.  We've tried 
turning on pipelining in Firefox, and there's a sufficient number of 
broken servers and proxies out there that we had to disable it again 
before shipping to actual users.  Nothing like having the "web 
accelerator proxy" sitting in front of the server send packets for a 
single resource on multiple pipelined connections at random for ruining 
your day.  ;)

So yes, the zip thing is just a workaround for pipelining not actually 
being usable on the web.

> And, if preloading indeed proves efficient, shouldn't it be defined in a 
> way that applies to all kinds of compound documents, not just HTML?

At some point, probably.

-Boris

Received on Thursday, 3 September 2009 19:31:02 UTC