Articles : JavaBoutique's Introduction to Java :
Distributing Applets :

Why Archive?

So why archive (besides compression if it is available)?

The "real" danger of multiple connections is that if everyone multi-tasks, we may end up with some pretty nasty traffic jams on the I-way.

Further, the more HTTP requests that you hit a web server with, the busier it becomes. If two people download a 12-file applet that is archived, the web server must juggle two requests. If, on the other hand, the web server has to distribute the 12-file un-archived applet, it has to juggle 24 requests. As you can imagine, this could bog down a web server pretty quickly.

So the official word is that you should always archive. In a sense, archiving is more a courtesy than a performance boost. By archiving you are doing your little part to reduce the total traffic on the net. And in exchange you agree to accept some slowdown in your own work.

Well, as it so happens, and as you might expect, very few people are courteous on the net. In fact, in terms of the number of HTTP connections, Netscape and Internet Explorer have had well-publicized speed wars throughout the last few years in which they ruthlessly opened up connection after connection in order to boast their marketing superiority over the other. "We're faster!" "No, we're faster!" Faster at what cost?

And as for the benefits of slamming servers with multiple HTTP requests, because of web server time slicing, applets that demand 12 HTTP requests get a higher priority over those that demand only one connection.

So what is a web designer to do?

From a selfish perspective, it is better to multi-task. The designer must ask, "why should I be courteous and in the process, be less competitive"?

Courtesy and morality are up to you, however we would suggest that you at least consider the load on the web server you are using. If your web server is relatively unused, feel more free to demand more of its attention. However, if your applet is hosted on a public ISP, try to keep the other users on the system in mind. Also, carefully balance the time savings that you gain from multi-tasking. Clearly, the time saved for multi-tasking a 3-file applet does not necessarily justify the network traffic and server load you cause.

As you can see, deciding how to distribute your applet can be a challenging design decision in itself. However, regardless of what you choose in any given case, it will be necessary for you to have at your disposal an array of tools for distribution. This chapter will discuss the process of distribution to give you a more detailed look at the available technologies to make distributing your applet faster and more efficient.

NEXT

Selena Sol contributes to the JavaBoutique's Introduction to Java. Selena curently works for Barclays Capital in London, one of the leading global investment banks in Europe and has worked as a software developer for the National Center for Human Genome research, Microline Software, Neuron Data, and Electric Eye in Singapore. Selena is perhaps best-known for creating the Public Domain Web Script Archive (Extropia) and writing several books on Web Programming (Perl, CGI, Java).
Email: selena@extropia.com