Web Accelerators worth it?

[GoFast]

Are these web accelerators really worth it? I've read about the compression part - though how much of a difference does that really make when surfing NEW pages/sites.

Seems like it would only make the most difference for previously visited sites, when they cache the pages....

[VT@A4L]

GoFast wrote:

Are these web accelerators really worth it? I've read about the compression part - though how much of a difference does that really make when surfing NEW pages/sites. Seems like it would only make the most difference for previously visited sites, when they cache the pages....

No, it's not just caching (which one's own browser does anyway) - the accelerator is a proxy between you and the web page - the proxy receives the page compresses it, and sends the substantially smaller page to you - hence the savings.

This is what VroomSpeed says -
QUOTE
How does it all work?
With traditional dial-up methods, the text and graphics that make up web pages get sent from the server to you over your phone line. Because of the large amount of data required to be sent, this process can be painfully slow. VroomSpeed compresses this data using a proprietary technology, and sends it over your existing dial-up phone line. This compression process allows a smaller amount data to be sent – up to six times less – making the download time of your web pages and your online experience that much faster. As an added download time reducer, VroomSpeed stores elements of the web sites you visit frequently eliminating the need to re-download them every time you visit these sites.
UNQUOTE
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[netizen]

I use SlipStream (aka Overdrive) and timed a few sites including cnn.com, amazon.com, msn.com and others and found the accelerated service to be about 2.6 times faster on average. Highly compressible files such as text will fly about ten times faster. Fully compressed files such as software will not be accelerated at all. Graphics will be accelerated based on compression that degrades image quality. With SlipStream, you can adjust the image quality and resulting acceleration to suit your needs. The lag between clicking on a link and the site starting to load is greatly reduced. The other accelerator brands should perform similarly.

A full description of SlipStream is available:  www.usnetizen.com/accel_features.html 

A speed test to check your actual download speed is available:  www.usnetizen.com/speed.html 

To me, acceleration is worth the extra. I have heard nothing but good comments from customers. We charge $4 for the accelerated service over the non-accelerated rates. This results in $15.95/month for a full accelerated plan or $10.95 for an accelerated Lite plan with 30 hours of access per month.

US Netizen
 www.usnetizen.com/index.html