Government Web Standards
Talk:New standard - website compression
Contents |
Summary
Government agencies do not commonly use compression on their websites. Websites using compression deliver information faster to users, while reducing cost. Website compression is easy to configure and often it is available for free. Website compression should be a standard.
Business information
Government websites can deliver better service to their customers and save money by using website compression. Website compression software on the web server removes unnecessary spaces in the underlying HTML code, saving bandwidth. The information is delivered faster to the user’s screen, and is unaffected by compression.
Benefits
Website compression has the following strengths:
- Reducing cost for users and agencies: Compressing the page reduces the information sent, saving at least 15-30% of bandwidth usage. Bandwidth costs money, so reducing the information sent will reduce costs.
- Improves the user experience: Compressing the page will provide 2-3 times faster delivery to the user’s screen.
Website compression has the following opportunities:
- It’s easy: There are many modules that are easy to add.
- It’s Free: There are plenty of free modules for Apache and IIS.
- It works with most browsers: IE4 and above, NS4 and above.
Consequences
Website compression has the following weaknesses:
- Some older browsers do not handle compression well. It is important that websites using compression, adjust the compression according to the browser version. There is a known issue with IE 6.1 which has been fixed in XP service pack 2.
Geekspeak information
Delivery of Web content from the server to the browser can be compressed using the technique of HTTPD compression. Typically HTTPD compression delivers compressed HTML, CSS and XML files. Compression modules are available for all the major web servers.
EXAMPLE
HTTPD Compression benefits for http://www.beehive.govt.nz
Uncompressed File Size: 21,187
Compressed File Size: 5,707
Compression CPU Time Consumption: 0.0156
Compression Ratio: 9 - Highest
File Size Reduction: 73.05%
Downloads Speed Improvement: 271%
Why does the SSC care about this?
- State Services Goals: Website compression [Networked State Services] improves download speeds, thereby enhancing the responsiveness of government websites [Accessible State Services].
- E-government Goals: Website compression saves bandwidth usage [Efficiency] enabling information to appear faster on users screens [Convenience and Satisfaction].
Why should agencies care about this?
Website compression means you can deliver the same information to more people for less money.
Website compression improves the user’s experience of your website
- It saves users money, if they substantially interact with NZ gouverment websites. This is important for Goverment to Goverment interaction or Goverment to Buissness interaction.
- It saves them time, if they are dialup users. The NZ public is still heavily dependant on dialup connections for web access, but this is equally true for the Asia-Pacific region.
- It allows for commerical website scaleability of goverment websites, by partly decoupling bandwith used vs bytes transmitted.
- It allows non-NZ users to have more or less the same performance as NZ users, as NZ is only linked to the outside internet via 3 fibre optic cables.
Other References
Website compression is briefly mentioned under http://webstandards.govt.nz/index.php/Notes:Web_site_design_and_operation
Good article by IBM on Web compression http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-httpcomp/
There has been recent publicity about web compression http://blog.projectxtech.com/2008/05/14/the-new-zealand-homepage-hall-of-shame/
