[thelist] high bandwidth vs. low bandwidth

[Joshua Olson]

----- Original Message -----
From: "miinx" <lists at miinx.com.au>
Sent: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 8:04 AM


> What's the difference when developing a high bandwidth version and a low
> bandwidth version of a site?  Is it just in the content -- large files
> vs. small files?  Or are there other things that should be
> considered/included/etc?

Karen,

While I don't have any useful statistics or data to provide, I do have an
opinion about this subject.  I prefer that sites I visit do not have two
versions of the site UNLESS the site is uniquely enabled by the use of
fancier graphics, flash animations, sounds, etc.  For most content oriented
sites that I visit, the high-bandwidth version is usually just unnecessarily
bloated.  Putting the bandwidth differentiation close to the media (such as
when viewing a video clip on the site) is generally a good idea--this means
selecting the resolution and quality of the video once I click on the link
to view it.  Also, remembering that selection is a good idea.  I don't like
answering the high/low bandwidth question every time I try to view some rich
media.

my 2c

-joshua