Shorty #1 – Use YSlow to improve web application performance

Did you know that more than 80% of the work done during the loading of a web page is done by your users’ browser?

I was part of many tests that have proven beyond doubt how a fully cached-on-the-server web page is taking 5-10 sec to show, heck we even launched it locally and saw a similar (though quicker) behavior. Load times affect the experience your application delivers to its users and it should be one of your testing goals and your dev / QA teams concern.

Yahoo! has released a tool called YSlow which hooks into the famous Firefox web development extension – FireBug. I encourage all web professionals to give it a shot and incorporate it into their development process.

Get more info and download

Microsoft ASP.Net Yellow page of death

I don’t want to seem like I’m gloating, but you can’t ignore the worm feeling inside to know that there are days when the creators of our development platform are experiencing those just the same.

I hereby suggest a new abbreviation YPOD - Yellow Page Of Death, just like an iPod buy with a ‘Y’ and much less user friendly.

I disagree with the YSOD notion since we’re dealing with the web after all, no screens – just simple (heavy logic, high intensity, AJAX driven, client-side based) pages

BlogDay 2007

I really like the BlogDay initiative that encourages all of us bloggers to recommend 5 blogs we like reading to other readers.

Here are my five:

• .NET Slave – http://blog.madskristensen.dk/
• this.Reflect(); – http://blog.donnfelker.com/
• Coding Horror – http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/
• Philipp Keller’s thoughts – http://www.pui.ch/phred/
• Techquila Shots – http://www.techquilashots.com/

Things I didn’t know about Google

I’ve just completed reading a very interesting book titled “The Google Story” about Google’s history which was very inspiring in some parts and surprising in others.

I love my Company

I just got home from a long day at the office. At some early time in the past I used to get home late and feel drained and exhausted contemplating with myself whether it was all worth it.

Today we’ve said farewell to one of my employees who moved his home up north and couldn’t stay at our firm. We all gathered on the roof top of our office, lit a barbecue and sat together to say some worm words before he leaves.

It was a lot of fun and one of the most enjoyable days I’ve had at the office, I realized how much I love and appreciate our special group of people and enjoy their company.

I love what’s becoming of our company as it grows older and matures. At 23 members, it’s our goal to keep it as playful and fun place as possible while pushing professional aspects to its limits and beyond.

28 and counting

Another year has passed, and I’m 5 min away from my 28th birthday end.

As any birthday, I sat down and thought what I’d like to wish myself for the next year.

Uneasy

That’s the only way I have to describe how I feel these days. There is a sentence that keeps on playing in my head (excuse my direct translation from hebrew) – “Working hard, no time left to make money”. This is kind of how I feel for quite some time now.

Three is a croud

I really think that there are three phases in a project and that only few people have the ability to support all of them equally:

It’s all about bandwidth

It’s amazing how the concept of bandwidth has taken control over our live:

• We can base our business model on it – You-Tube
• We can’t get enough of it – Internet Access
• There’s always demand for more – P2P
• We’re still looking for it – Mobile high speed access

But bandwidth doesn’t end with Internet, it has everything to do with anything we do.

We all are born with built in pipes in our body, mind & soul that are facilitating a network that makes us what we are. Some of has have a greater bandwidth for algorithms and mathematical calculations, some of us can love more than other that can run 5 miles without sweating.

When it comes to running a business, it appears as if there’s no such thing as sufficient Management Bandwidth. Just like with the Internet, a certain user that is abusing the network can affect all other users using it. In business, this user can be a customer, employee, supplier or even a prospect.

It seems as if we mangers are in charge of shaping and moderating out bandwidth usage otherwise we might find out what happens when you run a pipe beyond it’s capacity – it chokes.

I’m a married man

After such a bombastic title I might have to give you a few minutess to catch your breath. I’m not quite sure I had the chance of catching it back.