The Internet has undeniably become much faster over the years; early users might remember a modem screaming as a page loads inch by inch. But despite all our technological advances, web browsers still have a dumb, slow way of figuring out how a web page works. So, a team at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab set out to fix that.
When your browser looks at a web page, it sees a list of IKEA directions. But instead of pressed wood, screws, and that strap to stabilize your bookshelf nobody ever installs, it sees HTML files, pictures, and other code that needs to be assembled. The issue is that sometimes, you grab one piece of the page and discover a whole pile of pieces need to come with it, so your browser has to root through the box to find the equivalent of that tiny package of nails or a giant piece that somehow is at the bottom of the box. Sometimes, rooting through said box can take a while, hence the slow page loads.
What the MIT team did, essentially, was to staple all the necessary hardware to the pieces. Their JavaScript creates a graph any browser can read and that allows it to pull what it needs to assemble the page in the absolute minimum of time. This can cut down loading time by a third, and any web page can install it. We assume Netflix will be in the front of the line.
It’s more useful than just insuring your sports scores load faster. The team estimates the worst delays aren’t due to bandwidth, but assembly, and it’s particularly a problem for mobile browsers. As the code is tested and more websites, and browsers, implement it, expect your Internet experience to get a lot faster.
(Via MIT)