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Speed Tweak

Learn speed techniques you can use to increase page download speed. Speed Tweak of the Week shows how to optimize XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, graphics, and other web page components to maximize web site speed and usability.

Abbreviate URLs with mod_rewrite – url abbreviation uri mod rewrite

We look behind the screens at Yahoo and Webreference to see how using short abbreviated URLs and mod_rewrite can save space for maximum speed.
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Rewrite URLs with Content Negotiation – no file extension url rewriting

Content negotiation can make your URLs shorter and more abstract. By rewriting URLs without file extensions to the right resources you can save bytes and migration headaches.
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Use Lowercase Markup For Better Compression – avoid uppercase markup to improve xhtml and html compression

You can improve HTTP compression by using all lowercase markup. We test five popular sites for improved compression. Remember, all characters are not created equal.
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CSS: Use Shorthand Hex Colors – hexadecimal shorthand notation optimize css

Shorthand hex notation substitutes 3-character color values for 6-character colors when each of the color channels is identical in an RRGGBB hex triplet. Shorthand hexadecimal colors can help optimize your style sheets, especially when combined with shorthand properties and grouping.
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Use Conditional Server Side Includes – conditional css style sheets xssi

Conditional SSI let you deliver customized content to different browsers and platforms without requiring additional HTTP requests. With conditional CSS, you can include additional styles for modern browsers, without upsetting older ones.
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Graphics: Blur Backgrounds for Optimized JPEGs – optimize jpegs by blurring background for smaller jpeg optimization in lab color mode

Background blurring reduces non-critical details to make the JPEG algorithm work more efficiently. Converting to Lab Color mode allows you to maximize blur for minimum file size.
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Graphics: Minimize Dithering – reduce banding diffusion dithering in gif png for smaller optimized images

Dithering uses existing colors to strategically change pixels to minimize apparent banding. While dithering increases file size, when used in combination with lossy compression and weighted optimization, dithering can allow lower bit-depths for GIFs and PNGs.
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Graphics: Minimize Bit-Depth – minimize colors in gif png for smaller images pngs lzw algorithm

Minimize the number of colors in GIFs and PNGs to optimize file size. Lower bit-depths mean smaller palettes and code widths, which makes for smaller images.
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CSS: Substitute CSS2 Menus – replace graphic rollovers with css menus

Substituting CSS2-styled lists for graphic menus and JavaScript can streamline your pages and make them more accessible.
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Graphics: Use Lossy Compression for Smaller GIFs and PNGs – gif lossy png compression for smaller images pngs lzw algorithm

Lossy compression lets you squeeze more bytes out of your GIFs and PNGs. Lossy compression increases identical pixel patterns to improve compression in indexed-color images.
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