2006
January, 2006
Web designers have as little as 50 milliseconds to capture the interest of potential customers. Through the halo effect, first impressions can influence subsequent judgments of website credibility and buying decisions.
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China will pass the US in total broadband subscribers by the end of 2006. The US fell to 19th overall in broadband penetration worldwide, and is in danger of being passed by Slovenia in early 2007. Meanwhile, in December 2005 US broadband penetration broke 65% for the first time among active Internet users.
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February, 2006
Learn how to create that 'bookend' look with lists and CSS positioning. This CSS-layout technique saves a significant amount of XHTML code over tables.
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As higher bandwidth content streams to more bandwidth-hungry users quality of service can suffer. Some industry experts are wondering if the Net can scale to handle the load. Meanwhile, the rural-urban broadband penetration gap is closing in America.
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March, 2006
Podcasting is taking off and iPods are seemingly ubiquitous. Unique users of Apple's iTunes player should pass RealPlayer by mid-2006 with nearly 30 million users in the US alone. People are tuning in over twice as long with iTunes than with RealPlayer or Windows Media Player. As broadband penetration increases we are spending more time on our computers.
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Websites have become less accessible and more complex over time according to recent studies. Learn how to buck the trend by creating fast, accessible CSS forms that work with modern browsers and gracefully degrade.
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April, 2006
US broadband penetration will break 70% this month among active Internet users, according to projections from WebSiteOptimization.com. The US has narrowed the gap with Canada in broadband penetration. In the US, cable is losing its dominance over DSL for Internet service.
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Learn how to create an eye-catching overlay with CSS positioning. This CSS-layout technique is faster than image slicing requiring fewer HTTP requests.
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May, 2006
President Bush's goal of universal broadband access for all Americans by 2007 appears to be in doubt, according to a recent GAO report. Between 42% to 48% of online Americans subscribe to a broadband service, according to two surveys. Among active Internet users, US broadband penetration broke 70% for the first time in April 2006. In Europe, slow adoption among new member states has created a two-speed European Union.
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Learn how to reduce the number of HTTP requests required by your web pages by combining adjacent images and optionally imagemapping the links. This tutorial shows both client and server side techniques you can use to save precious HTTP requests and speed up your site.
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June, 2006
Home broadband adoption has doubled over the past two years with 42% of all Americans using a high-speed connection at home. Broadband is fueling a digital renaissance with 35% of all Internet users posting content to the Internet, most of which are on broadband. DSL has passed cable in the US, and broadband penetration among active Internet users jumped 1.3 percentage points to 71.76% in May 2006.
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This article shows how to automatically highlight menu items that correspond to the current page using CSS and XHTML. These "you are here" waypoints help orient users and improve usability. Using CSS avoids the need for complex scripting which simplifies maintenance and improves performance.
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July, 2006
Despite leading the world in broadband subscribers, the US dropped from 17th to 20th place in broadband penetration over the past year. Falling behind Sweden, the UK, and tiny Luxembourg the US grew by only 27.1% to 44.5% penetration from March 2005 to March 2006. Meanwhile, US broadband penetration among active Internet users grew 1.34 percentage points to 73.1% in June 2006.
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A new browser study revealed a shift in how we interact with the Web. University of Hamburg researchers found the Web moving from static hypertext information to dynamic interactive services. Clickstream heatmaps and web page statistics show rapid interaction over smaller areas of the screen. The authors recommend that web developers create concise, flexible, and fast loading web pages to keep pace with the speed of web navigation.
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August, 2006
New Jersey edged out Hawaii for the highest broadband penetration rate in the US. 48.6% of New Jersey residents enjoy broadband, well above the national average of 35.1%. Workplace broadband broke 90% for the first time in July, while video and VOIP traffic surged.
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September, 2006
The broadband gap in Europe is widening, according to a recent survey. While Denmark, the Netherlands, and Finland top the EU, Greece, Poland, and Slovakia are trailing in broadband penetration. Meanwhile in the US, broadband penetration among active Internet users neared 75% in August 2006.
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We review Acrobat 8 Professional (pre-release) and PDF Enhancer 3.1 for optimizing PDF files. The new Acrobat features faster operations, smaller PDFs, a new interface, and the ability to combine different types of files into one PDF. Learn how to use PDF optimization tools to remove redundancies, subset and outline fonts, and compress text and images for faster downloads and higher user satisfaction.
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October, 2006
China will pass the US in total broadband lines by the third quarter of 2006. UK broadband penetration will nearly double by 2008 and US broadband penetration among active Internet users broke 75% in September 2006.
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We review google web accelerator to see how well it speeds up web browsing. Web accelerators speed up web browsers with look-ahead caching, http compression, and proxy servers. This tutorial includes webmaster information.
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November, 2006
The UK passed Japan and the US in broadband penetration during the first quarter of 2006. The UK's faster growth rate propelled it to second place in the G7, behind first place Canada. US broadband penetration grew only 0.27% among active Internet users to 76.6% in October 2006.
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A recent study examined whether website delay, breadth, and familiarity have interactive effects on user psychology and performance. A significant three-way interaction among all three factors showed that the ill effects of delay can be dampened by familiarity and breadth. Developers are urged to consider site familiarity, breadth, and delay together rather than separately.
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December, 2006
Know what jolly old site owners get when they let their graphics get so plump they shake like a bowl full of jelly?
A lump of coal for Christmas. Let our Rudolph guide your way to a merry Christmas and happy New Year with an inspirational rendering of 'Twas the night before Christmas.
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iTunes users grew by nearly 69% over the past year, but by only 26% since January. Among the big four streaming media players, only RealPlayer showed significant growth compared to Apple since the beginning of 2006.
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