Re: gopher vs. web

[Joni J Rathbun <jrathbun@orednet.org>]

>>At work, I work with a Pentium--and high speed connections.
>>But, at home, we're still working with a 386 and a 14.4 modem.
>>Gopher and other text based systems are MUCH faster to load
>>and to search.  Graphical sites and graphics themselves, no
>>matter how minimal, just take TOO long for me to be willing to
>>wait.
>
>But the LM_NET archives are text only.  There is little
>difference in the number of bytes transfered between
>the archives on the Web and if they were in Gopher.
>
>
>>Howeer, in some sites, the text-based alternative just doesn't
>>make ir--ericir.syr.edu is, unfortunately, one of them!  I keep
>>cycling forever when trying to get into the Virtual Library.

>
>I'm still at a loss to understand the shortcoming of the
>web site vs the Gopher site.  Surely it isn't on the
>basis of a single 2.2K graphic.  Help?

The LM_NET index page loads quickly and efficiently. But
the archives (of posts) do not. And it doesn't have to do
with the graphics load. When I access from home even on
a 33.3 connection, the pages cycle forever. This is
common when a page is deep with text/links. I have the same
problem, for example, when digging thru Yahoo regional
listings on their daily updates. They put so much on
a single page, that even after it loads, it continues
to cycle for a long time. So every time you read a post
or visit one of the links then GO BACK to the list,
it has to do its cycle all over again. When I encounter
pages like that, I just leave.

The gopher, old as it may be, is speedy and efficient
as are most simply unix-based programs. (Example, I still
do chat from the shell and rarely from mIRC or IRCLE
for the very same reasons).

An alternative might be to use lynx as the browser
for those who still have shell access.


--
 -- Joni Rathbun | jrathbun@orednet.org | lincolncity.org/schools --
                     Monthly Newsletter: Bookmarks
                    http://lincolncity.org/bookmarks
 --     If you need a vacation you should see the state I'm in!   --

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