Google Web Accelerator

quandam · Nov 07, 2006, 10:00:55

Take a look at this web accelerator from Google. So far, for me, it has worked well.

Make sure you are comfortable with the privacy rules before downloading.

http://webaccelerator.google.com/

Nerval · Nov 07, 2006, 10:56:21

Looking at the FAQ, it seems to work
firstly by calling on a Google-subset of the internet, where pages used by loads of people are held and given to you more quickly than by going to the originating site
and secondly by prefetching pages.

The first part of this is Google moving further to world domination I suppose, but it's interesting that it is quicker.

And given that prefetching could be quite a bandwidth user, I suppose responsible citizens will have this turned off.

I've got fasterfox, but with prefetching off, and I couldn't say whether it's faster with or without it.

What kind of improvements are you seeing with it quandam?

Scott · Nov 07, 2006, 12:50:14

Just remember folks with an accelerator of any type, with pre-fetching configured 'on' it'll max out the cache on your machine and may significantly increase your bandwidth usage...as you're sitting there reading a tech article on the BBC homepage, it'll be off beavering away pulling in linked content willy-nilly, regardless of whether you'll read the linked article or not.

I'm not sold on accelerators...compression from server to client - fine...pre-fetching...well we're all on at least 1/2Mbps BB now anyways...do you have to wait THAT long to get an article down nowadays ?

mrapoc · Nov 07, 2006, 16:43:03

Iirc there were some security issues with this (basically it works by loading up every link on the page) so theoretically if you were in the process of buying something or on a dodgy site, you may end up giving away details you may not want to. I tried it but in the end I removed it, can't remember why, may have been crashes or someting

quandam · Nov 07, 2006, 16:51:13

Quote from: Scott on Nov 07, 2006, 12:50:14
Just remember folks with an accelerator of any type, with pre-fetching configured 'on' it'll max out the cache on your machine and may significantly increase your bandwidth usage...as you're sitting there reading a tech article on the BBC homepage, it'll be off beavering away pulling in linked content willy-nilly, regardless of whether you'll read the linked article or not.

I'm not sold on accelerators...compression from server to client - fine...pre-fetching...well we're all on at least 1/2Mbps BB now anyways...do you have to wait THAT long to get an article down nowadays ?

Scott & Nerval

Thanks for the info re pre-fetching. I know this may be like asking how long a piece of string is but I'll ask it anyway.... Can you give me some idea (roughly) the different bandwidth usages between having pre-fetching turned on or off? In effect, is the bandwidth usage very dramatic?

Also take into consideration that I am using well under 10 Gb of my 30 Gb allowance so I would have plenty to spare each month. At the moment the thing is doing a fine job and certainly makes browsing crisper and more enjoyable but if you tell me that it is a serious bandwidth eater I will most certainly turn off pre-fetching.

Look forward to your advice.

quandam · Nov 07, 2006, 16:58:43

Quote from: mrapoc on Nov 07, 2006, 16:43:03
Iirc there were some security issues with this (basically it works by loading up every link on the page) so theoretically if you were in the process of buying something or on a dodgy site, you may end up giving away details you may not want to. I tried it but in the end I removed it, can't remember why, may have been crashes or someting

mrapoc

You are quite correct. Google in their 'learn more' notes warn prospective users that if you are using a 'non secure' site and enter your email address or similar personal information there could be a problem but on a 'secure' site the problem does not arise (that's what they say anyway!!!)

Nerval · Nov 07, 2006, 17:43:46

@quandam
I don't know the figures on pre-fetching as it has always been regarded as an antisocial thing to do (rightly or wrongly - after all one could argue that if you pay for the bandwidth, then you can use it), so I've never had it turned on.

Why don't you do a test and look at your netmeter readings after a day's browsing with it on and a day with it off, or something.
I can't see it's going to be an earth-shattering figure like using P2P though.

quandam · Nov 07, 2006, 18:16:21

Quote from: Nerval on Nov 07, 2006, 17:43:46
@quandam
I don't know the figures on pre-fetching as it has always been regarded as an antisocial thing to do (rightly or wrongly - after all one could argue that if you pay for the bandwidth, then you can use it), so I've never had it turned on.

Why don't you do a test and look at your netmeter readings after a day's browsing with it on and a day with it off, or something.
I can't see it's going to be an earth-shattering figure like using P2P though.

nerval

Thanks for your reply

I am a total innocent re pre-fetching so could you explain why it is considered as anti-social to enable pre-fetching? I would appreciate the information as I would not wish to be considered anti-social for one moment.

Again, I eagerly await your advice.

quandam · Nov 07, 2006, 19:25:37

Update:

Programme still working fine and enjoyable.

Beware of speed test results they can give some extreme (both up and down) readings. In fact some speed test sites suggest that you disable Google Web Accelerator before testing.

Nerval · Nov 08, 2006, 07:43:00

@quandam

Prefetching is a standard computing technique to speed up processing by cutting down wait times. It just means starting to get instructions and data ready that you know you're going to use later.

Applied to websites, it means that when you load a web page, just about every link on that page is accessed and got ready in case you want it. And this accessing is done, whether you actually click on a link or not.
This has bandwidth implications for you as the user, though since browsing isn't all that resource intensive, it's not going to make a huge difference unless you're on a light user package..

However, from the point of view of all the websites linked to from the page you're accessing, it is generating masses of unnecessary traffic. If you've got a small website with a link on a popular page, and normally you'd get a few hundred hits a day, then with prefetching enabled, you'd get a hit from everybody who accessed the popular page, whether they wanted to click the link to your website or not; and whether they actually did look at it or not.

Thus there are concerns that prefetching could overload small to medium websites, and to no purpose since this load doesn't mean people are interested in their website or actually look at it.

Firefox has an addon called Fasterfox that has a prefetching option, and they give this comment on it:
Note: There is quite a bit of debate about the merits of FasterFox's "prefetch" function. If a lot of people begin using it, it could drive smaller websites under with enormous bandwidth costs. Many small website owners are beginning to ban Firefox+FasterFox users as a result. Please read the FasterFox user comments before enabling the "prefetch" feature in this plugin.

So, as I say, I keep it turned off, but that's why it's frowned on in some quarters.