Give a small page a small request budget
The work of opening a page includes its supporting files. A useful page can remain rich in explanation while asking the network to do very little.
Read · observe · return to a useful question
Small Web Notes
Practical explanations of page weight, cached content and the time a request takes.
This notebook begins with budgets and follows the question into a few related readings. Each note introduces one distinction, gives an ordinary example and ends with an idea to carry into a small check. Use the index to choose a starting point and return to it when the question changes.
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Why a refresh can show an older page
A browser may reuse stored content instead of transferring it again. A refresh is therefore an observation about both the website and the browser's local state.
Delay and throughput answer different questions
A quick first reply and a fast transfer describe different parts of an experience. A single number cannot stand in for both.
A route through this collection
The opening reading, give a small page a small request budget, introduces the main question. The next two readings offer different ways to look at it: why a refresh can show an older page and delay and throughput answer different questions.
Each reading stands on its own and links to its neighbours. Follow the section list to a useful distinction, then return to the index when the question changes. A short record of what you observed will be more useful than reading everything at once.
Choose a note from the full index, or read how this notebook is arranged.