Segment Size when Packaging

Question

For a while now, when packaging material for our intranet I
use a custom setting that works best with our data transfer rates.
I am getting ready to put some courseware on our outside server for
other employees to access when they are offsite. My question is
should I use 56 kbs Modem or DSL/Cable Modem? If I use the higher
setting, how would it impact 56 kbs users? If I use lower settings,
would 56 kbs users notice any difference? Would cable modem users
see slower performance when packaged at lower settings?
Anyone have some experience in testing these settings?
Thanks!
Steve

Answer 1

> Anyone have some experience in testing these settings?
I always go for the larger segment size, for a number of
reasons, including:
- The browser has to make fewer calls for segments - each
request has a
certain overhead; latency waiting for the request to be
answered etc. Take
the extreme and try 1k segments and see how bad it can be.
- Larger segments may cause what seem like longer delays on a
single
request, but they download more code, so there are fewer
requests. The user
perception can be that the course is more usable.
- If you have any large graphics or other internal content,
they won't be
split up anyway, so many segments won't ever be so small as
16k.
Steve
EuroTAAC eLearning 2007
http://www.eurotaac.com
Adobe Community Expert: Authorware, Flash Mobile and Devices
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