Why is this site so slow

kmick

Let me start out by saying boards is one of Irelands Premier sites no questions. I like the site layout but I have a number of small gripes.
1) I access the site during the day at work on a laptop and the pages take 30+ seconds to load on a 56k connection. Now I dont know about you but I flick around a lot from thread to thread opening multiple windows, chasing through pages and generally speed reading. This is not achieveable on your website at 56k. In the race for bells and whistles the site has lost touch with its 56k fans. Rememeber only 5% or less of Irish people have broadband. This leads me on to point 2.
2) I have a 1mb connection at home. It runs at about 600k. Boards is also VERY slow to load on this connection. I am talking 5-10 seconds for every page and sometimes more. Now I find this unacceptable for 600k connection. Before you say it must be my settings it is not. Anything else runs fine. What i am getting peeved about is that a 10 second loading time at 600k for what is fundamentally a text based screen is pants. Utter pants. I would so much more time on boards if the screens loaded more quickly and I am taking hours rather than minutes. But I treat boards now like a shopping trip to Tescos Rathmines - in and out as quickly as possible looking at the least number of items and going to the fastest checkout. This is a shame I would love to look at some of the more eccentric threads but it is so painful to get there and move around finding the ones you like it is like pulling teeth.

Suggestion
Could we create another aspect to boards where the pure info nerds like myself could access their info on a 56k connection (im dreaming here)without smileys, diedies, bells, whistles etc. I dont mind ads I know you have to make a buck to pay for this free site.

In summation well done for the good work so far I love the site. Speeds are dire old boy.

kaimera

adblock all images *shrug*

RuggieBear

have you disabled sigs and tried the minimalist style. Might make it a little better

seamus

Flies along for me here. If it the amount of images that's stinging you, switch to the minimalist theme, or turn of avatars and signatures.

On a standard page, with signatures turned off, there is very little downloading to do in the way of images.

kmick

im trying the minimalist style now see i would never have found that cause i never just browse this site although now that my big moan is over i feel bad for admouthing the site

kmick

7-10 seconds on dial up with allm sigs/smilies etc turned off and minimalist turned on much better

WizZard

kmick wrote:

7-10 seconds on dial up with allm sigs/smilies etc turned off and minimalist turned on much better

Also if you want plain browsing you can use http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/archive/

Threads are listed in ascending order so you have to go to the last page in the list of threads to get the latest ones (e.g. for this thread go to this page (see bottom) )
<edit>Or click the PDA option on the top right to change the sort to descending </edit>

The site has improved speedwise though, lately.

very fast for me too.
I usually judge a site by comparing it to digital spy.
Boards.ie is now equal to digital spy in terms of fastness

Dave!

Yeah it used to be really slow, but over the last week, maybe, it's been quick enough for me.

DeVore

DaveMcG wrote:

Yeah it used to be really slow, but over the last week, maybe, it's been quick enough for me.

That'll be the two new beasts of servers we've load balanced and the upgrades to the database server.
Its nice to know 6,500 euros shaved 20 seconds off your load times

kmick, its cool, we accept criticism that is polite and reasonable. I suppose you might have asked "what can I do to speed up my browsing" as it was always in your power to do so (much like Dorothy ruby slippers) but I know where you are coming from. Glad you like the site.

DeV.

regi

Vaguely tempted to blow more money on hardware actually

:v:

Oriel

DeVore wrote:

kmick, its cool, we accept criticism that is polite and reasonable...Glad you like the site.
DeV.

Jesus, you can't half tell it's a Friday, can you?

Rabies

Regi wrote:

Vaguely tempted to blow more money on hardware actually

Don't forget to leave some for coke and hookers

regi

I'm swearing off coke and hookers for a while. Some clean healthy living...

RuggieBear

Regi wrote:

Vaguely tempted to blow more money on hardware actually

:pac:

what toys you thinking of getting?:v:

Endurance Man

What browser are you using?

Lump

It flies along for me here.... and at home so SHHHHHHH!

John