What the web means to me
By Chen Hui Jing / @hj_chen
Internet?
World Wide Web?
The entire network of networks that connect all the world's devices to each other.
TCP/IP
Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol
I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries.
—Sir Tim Berners-Lee
- HTTP request is sent from your browser to the server where the website lives
- Server sends a HTTP response back to your browser containing a payload of HTML
- Browser receives this response, parses the HTML and starts rendering the website
- New requests are sent to the server for each new resource found in the HTML source (stylesheets, scripts, images etc)
- Stylesheets get parsed and this information is attached to the relevant nodes
- Scripts are parsed and executed and the nodes are moved and styled accordingly
Finally, the browser renders the page on screen and you get annoyed that it all took too long
Progressive Enhancement
Semantic HTML first
...however initial pageload feels drastically quicker because we serve up real HTML instead of waiting for the client to download JavaScript before renderingOur First Node.js App: Backbone on the Client and Server
—Spike Brehm (Airbnb)
Optimisation is not optional
A smaller site/app loads faster, costs less, and is more accessible.
- Responsive images and media
- Optimise webfonts
- Minify CSS and HTML
- Write less code where possible
- Limit use of Javascript libraries
- Load Javascript asynchronously
- Compress assets on the server
- and much more...
Our actions, however small, do make an impact
The world is generally changed by people who just want to live out their ordinary lives. By people who are just trying to get home.Let Us Now Praise Ordinary People
—Mike Monteiro
