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Atom Reasons why some sites load slow
I at least have an idea now why some sites load slow even on Broadband connections.
Users with 2MB/3MB Broadband connections will notice the slowdown the most, while users of 4MB Broadband connections will notice the slowdown just a little bit. Users of high-end 6MB Broadband/Gigabit+ will not notice the slowdown at all.
This is due to Flash. Flash is an interactive content that requires users to click on something.
Flash became known since the release of the first version of Macromedia Flash, although the functions are basic due to the still popular dial up connections being used by the internet users. I believe due to the 256 colors limit on Windows 95/NT4; which is still used when the first version of Flash came out; you can't make colorful animations like today! Although Mac OS has more color palids than Windows during the same time, but due to the still popular Microsoft Windows force Flash developers to stick to the 256 colors limit even on Mac OS just to make the animation looked good on Windows!
As PC graphics improve, so did the quality of Flash and images. By as early as Windows 98, icons and graphics are displayed in true colors, not 256 colors(although this option is still available).
Flash became very popular during the 2000s where Internet is much faster and PC graphics had improved a lot. Also the authoring tools has more options by this time.
By today, flash is very popular in many websites. In websites such as Webs, Facebook and etc, I had seen flash contents.
The downside is that; whilst improving interactivity on the World Wide Web, it makes pages load slower on low to middle-end Broadband internet connections.
Even in businesses like schools, flash is also widely used. For example, on my school's website, There could be over 10000 flash files hosted! And this is due to the fact that Flash can create rich, interactive worksheets/homeworks/assignments where students can virtually write his/her answers into it W/O opening Word!
Even me myself, have had trouble with some sites loading slow even by hiding flash contents through Web Visum. I think the Flash is developing very quickly.
For me the spreading of the .swf extension is not good. The use of the .swf files requires me to investigate for a special player for playing this file type, and it is a hassels because not many of them is available; and converting .swf files is not a cup of tea.
My school is one example. Like I said above, there are dozens of .swf files hosted on the website, and I need a kind of special desktop player that I don't have.
To sum up, flash is a good thing, because web developers can create rich, interactive contents. But on the other hand, it also has some bad things. The .swf files can be played with some players, but with reduced functionality, and the use of flash makes websites loads slow on low to middle-end Broadband internet connections.