web site loading problems

Yes, same problem here. PC is so slow, that I don't look at it as much as I use to. I think it needs to be taken down and the database cleaned up.

 

PC has been having some trouble with the sponsor's advertising sites. The advertising is supplied by several other web servers, and when those get slow, it slows down PC. When this happens you typically see an ad URL listed in the status bar of the browser. The last couple of days PC has been hanging on these sites:

a.dlqm.net
t.pointroll.com
ll.atdmt.com
amch.questionmarket.com

The sites serve up the ads and keep track of impressions and click-throughs.

Tom

 

I just joined and at times the site is so slow as to timeout. Other forums that have ads aren't this slow to respond, is there something unique about PC?

 

chris_tx,,

Welcome to PriusChat.

I have a suspicion that the slowness this week has to do with a lot of non-
member visits related to the Gen III introduction at Detroit.

I monitor a number of other Prius/hybrid sites and none of them has anywhere
near the amount/depth of info that has been posted here. I think that once
word got out, more folks came 'round to see what's up.

I'm as guilty as anybody, on Monday I was sneaking peaks all day long, even
when I was supposed to be doing "real work."

 

It isn't just this past week. I've been having the slow-load problem for months now. There is already a thread on the subject in this forum. It has not improved, though I do know that Danny is taking the complaints seriously. Doesn't happen to everybody, but it sure happens to me - on all three of our computers, and reglardless of our browser or OS or broadband supplier.

Not quite as bad as being on dialup, but PC is by far the slowest site I visit regularly. And it is just the beginning of load. Once the load starts, BAM, it all comes

 

I've been noticing some trouble with one of the advertising sites; something like payloadbuilder.com or some such silly name. The advertising site hangs up and PC won't move until it gets the okay from the advertising site. Too bad we can't give them a fixed amount of time and move on if they can't respond in that window.

Tom

 

Here is the thread I started a while back:
http://priuschat.com/forums/priuschat-website-questions/49894-pc-getting-s-l-o-w-e-r.html

 

Yeah. Like on millisecond.

I've been paying more attention, and I keep seeing "waiting for PriusChat" and then finally at the end when it does start to load something about ads. Goes too quick for me to see it though. One way or the other, I just stay parked on nothing until something gets the OK, then I'm off to the races.

Hmmm. Maybe if *I* didn't post so much this wouldn't be a problem....

 

There are probably a lot of javascript files from the various tracking sites (google analytics et al). I'll take a look at the site with YSlow tomorrow (don't have it installed on this machine). If there are large JS files in the head of the document (or stylesheets near the foot of the document) that would probably explain why the site renders slowly.

 

I'm noticing just lately that pages hang while waiting for an ad site. Most often it happens when I post a quick reply, but the hang-up is always on "waiting for" some ad site. Without fail, if I open a new window on the thread, my post is there. But the window I posted into usually stays blank until I close it.

I like the idea of building a time-out into the call to the ad server. If the server cannot supply the ad in one second, screw it.

PC used to be consistently the slowest site I visited regularly, but since joining a scuba chat board it's been consistently slower than PC, except when PC is hung up waiting for an ad. Both are using the same chat board software, judging by the fact that the appearance is the same.

 

P.S. Happened again posting the above. The hang was on loading pixel. quantserve. com or something like that

 

I don't know how often I make these recommendations, and it
always seems to fall on deaf, market-complacent ears.
.
LISTEN UP:
.
Many of the problems people are seeing stem from PILOT ERROR, i.e.
having their own configurations so screwed up and vulnerable that
it's no wonder they interact badly with several sites. Try turning
off that scripting nonsense and LEAVING it off. If you run into
other websites that insist "you must turn on javascript to see
this", send a nasty note to webmaster@wherever-it-is to the effect
that they should NOT be dictating to visitors how to run their
own computing environments and security posture. Quit bitching
about how someone else's javascript is messing you up when you
not only have the option, you have the STRONGEST RECOMMENDATION
from almost all sectors of the internet security industry to
disable it.
.
Just like auto manufacturers have to be held to certain standards
of safety and useability, Web designers need to make their sites
actually WORK for anyone who happens to visit with a standards-
compliant browser. That means HTML, known-format images, maybe a
certain level of CSS but not excessively featurized ... and certainly
nothing that only runs on ONE particular client platform. And no
idiot disclaimers about "this site best viewed with Xxxxx", which
is just plain insulting to everything the web is supposed to be.
.
Take a look at the HTML source of any Priuschat page and you'll be
just floored by the amount of CRAP it tries to hand you, including
several ancillary .js files. And you wonder why this stuff takes
so long to load. Maybe you want to start running your sessions through
some sort of proxy that denies .js files, severely trims CSS, and
ignores any requests to quantserve.com and other places that try
to actively violate your privacy. I'm doing that right now and
PC actually loads up pretty snappily into either firefox or lynx,
the latter of which, text-only, is how I usually read/post anyways.
PC currently works fine without scripting, despite the overhead.
.
Take some initiative, folks. On both sides. Like the man said a
couple of Tuesdays ago, personal responsibility. I'd like to see PC
[and any number of other vbulletin-and-similar forum sites!] become
a little leaner and meaner, but I'd also like to see more visitors
start locking down their own environments and not getting continually
nailed by this stuff and spreading the lesson to other places they
frequent. Take it seriously.
.
_H*

 

I just followed hobbits recommendation and disabled my java. Very noticable improvement loading pages, thanks for the tip!!

rcsting

 

But then I can't see videos in youtube.

 

Yup. There is a fine line between "protecting myself" and getting what I want out of the internet "experience."

I agree with hobbit that site designers should be mindful of their audience. However, when *I* want something from a site that I'm not paying for, I'm in no position to insist on anything. As an example, I've had people tell me how I should change EVnut.com. A site that is totally paid for by money from my pocket, and sustained with nothing but my volunteer time. Nobody gets to dictate how I do anything! If they want my info, they have to take it however I give it. I do want it to be as friendly as possible, but I have my limits, ya know.
Note: For grins I just turned off javascript here. No speed difference at all for some reason.

 

Youtube isn't a javascript thing. it's a .SWF thing. If you've
got a youtube URL like youtube.com/watch?v=whatever, try swapping
to the format youtube.com/v/whatever and let that load.
.
_H*

 

I'm just an average person, I just click the link and like it to work. I run reasonably new equipment so I don't want to muck about changing URLs.
I already struggle with the fact that every time my wife uses the PC I can't go on you tube and watch a video unless I go in through a link from another site with a video embedded.

 

This morning half the PC pages I tried to load would not. Period. Including the Forums page, which is where I start. It was hanging on "Connecting to yield. payload. com" or something like that.

I've never blocked ads on PriusChat because I want to support Danny. But this was unacceptable. I couldn't get to any posts to read them. So I enabled AdBlock in Firefox, and now, not only did the problem disappear, but pages load in an eye blink!

With all due respect to Hobbit, who knows a million times more about this stuff than I'll ever know, I wonder if all this slowness is actually due to the ads, and nothing else.

I'm leaving AdBlock on. I still want to support Danny, and if he ever reinstates a donation option I'll donate.

 

Okay. Half an hour later and PC pages load in an eye blink. Not only are they not hanging as they were until I enabled AdBlock, but they're faster than I ever remember them being!