Joop Teernstra <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> Dear web family,
>
> I always read but I seldom post. Now I have a question:
>
> What does the 304v error code "not modified" mean?
> What does it indicate when a relatively high number of hits return this
> code? Is 10% of total hits normal?
86% of total hits is the standing in my latest project, see:
http://www.maastrichtnet.nl/stats/.
What it indicates, is a massive savings of bandwith. Some client talks
to your server and says: "is this 'beautiful.gif' modified since I
last saw it on may 5, 1998 at 13:12:11 EST?" And your server says:
"nah, 304, not modified". Which means the file proper doesn't get
sent, only the header information. But for all human purposes it's a
real hit though: somebody is looking at your gif, even if it's being
loaded from some cache rather than from your server.
It also may be a rough indication as to the fact that visitors
*return* to your site. Especially if you've got 304's on graphics that
are not repeated across several pages, that's a pretty strong
indication somebody was there before. So the high level of 304's on my
MaastrichtNet site may be an indication we're able to attract a core
of visitors who come back again and again. It's difficult to gauge,
though, since the menu elements come back every page - in that case,
the 304's may also come from people requesting a series of pages in a
one-time visit. Not bad either.
:*CU#
--
*** Guido A.J. Stevens *** mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
*** Net Facilities Group *** tel:+31.43.3618933 ***
*** http://www.nfg.nl *** fax:+31.43.3560502 ***
PGP fingerprint E3 56 AA 30 44 EE 9E E9 CA 52 C5 B8 66 2F 77 21
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