What is the point with browser cache?

[Hi Ho]

All it seems to do is slow things down. Cleaning the cache speeds things up dramatically. I was always forgetting to clean it and when things slowed to a crawl it would take 10 minutes to clean all the files out. Since I have been using Maxthon I have had it set to clean cache on exit. It is very nice and the browser stays fast. Why have cache in the first place?

[bucksfanjimj1]

It's my understanding that it helps the browser to load sites that you have visited by storing cookies there and then it does not have to reload everything from that site all over again. It will only have to download new info that was recently added to site. ie your homepage or PCMech for instance.

But what do I know? I'm still kinda new to a lot of the inner workings of 'puter technology.

[Hi Ho]

I know it saves parts of webpages but all it seems to do is slow it down. Cookies are seperate from the cache.

[glc]

Browser cache is essential if you are on dialup.

[EzyStvy]

How Internet Explorer Cache Settings Affect Web Browsing

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;263070

[Force Flow]

Basically, anything on a webpage gets thrown in the cache, so if you visit that page again, it won't have to re-download everything. Take the PCM forums, for example. All the button images and the PCM banner images get put into your cache, so they're downloaded once, and reused over and over again. Saves on bandwidth if you're on dialup or have a bandwidth cap on your connection.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Originally Posted by Force Flow Saves on bandwidth if you're on dialup or have a bandwidth cap on your connection.

It also saves on websites bandwidth costs. I imagine the cost of running a large website would increase if every user redownloaded everything on every page.

[Hi Ho]

Well it doesn't seem to be of much use to me. I have an uncapped cable connection. Thanks for the replies.

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by WhatsThisBoxFor? It also saves on websites bandwidth costs. I imagine the cost of running a large website would increase if every user redownloaded everything on every page.

Without a doubt. Just look at the times where some pages have gone through the "slashdot effect"

[Miz]

If you click on the Settings button next to the Delete Files button, you can reduce the size of the cache. On large harddrives, the default cache setting can be well over a gig since it determines the default by percentage of the drive's size.

When I got broadband, I resized the cache to 10 megs. It probably doesn't even need to be that big. Then when the browser searches the cache it doesn't take much time...eliminating the slow down.

[aym]

Originally Posted by glc Browser cache is essential if you are on dialup.

Very true. I'm still on dialup, and browsing after clearing cache is so slow, every single pic (logo, icon, button) will be loaded even if it won't ever change, pages take ages to load.

Another useful usage for cache is opening pages offline, instead of waiting 40 seconds for the connection to start up.

[Jaggannath]

I remember one time I forgot to set one of the options to check for updates every time you visit the site, and I couldn't understand why my kingdom in Utopia hadn't grown. Worked it out after a short while, was just looking at a cached version of the webpage. I was young and foolish then though hehehe