KZIONradio

I’m getting ready to release this really cool, feature packed KZION website with all kinds of bells and whistles. I decided to take a cruise over to the Website Optimization site and use their Web Page Speed Report to see how long the redesigned KZION website takes to load and see if there are any other problems that I may not be catching.

When I got the Speed Report back I was pretty disillusioned. I knew that the pages were heavy but I work on a very fast DSL connection and I don’t notice load times. Here’s what the Speed Report gave me:

Total Size: 40226 bytes // meaning the page size
HTML: 23208
Images: 12405
JavaScript: 2726
CSS: 1887

Download Time
14.4K – 31.38 seconds
28.8K – 15.79 seconds
33.6K – 13.56 seconds
56K – 8.22 seconds
ISDN 128K - 2.66 seconds
T1 1.44Mbps – 0.41 seconds

Eight seconds on a 56K modem is just not good enough. It’s too slow and the majority of web surfers use 56K modems. I needed to find a way to reduce the size of the page without trimming any code or removing any features. I was already using gzip compression in my CSS file to compress the file prior to delivering it to the browser which reduced the load time of my CSS file. I remembered seeing something about using gzip compression for PHP files too.

Sure enough there is a way to gzip the page before the browser receives it which obviously makes the page smaller. Here’s what I did.

I added the following code to the top of my header include. This line has to go at the top of the page or things will break, that’s tech talk for things will go bad.

<?php ob_start("ob_gzhandler"); ?>

What this does is start an output buffer which takes the content of the page and compresses it before delivering it to the visitor. It also checks the browser to be sure it can accept compressed content, if so it zips up the buffer and away it goes. Now the moment of truth. I ran the redesigned KZION through the Speed Test and here are the results.

Total Size: 22406 bytes

That’s right! Half the size. Before: Total Size: 40226 bytes and after: Total Size: 22406 bytes

HTML: 5388
Images: 12405
JavaScript: 2726
CSS: 1887

Of course no difference in images as zipping images has no reduction value.

Connection Rate
14.4K – 17.57 seconds
28.8K – 8.88 seconds
33.6K – 7.64 seconds
56K – 4.67 seconds
ISDN 128K - 1.57 seconds
T1 1.44Mbps – 0.32 seconds

I can live with 4.67 seconds on a 56K modem.

While doing some research on PHP and gzip I also learned that there is an Apache module called mod_zip which works transparently on the server zipping any and all files that it can. I admin my own server and could certainly put this into place but with the redesign being released sometime today the last thing I need is a messed up server that I have to spend all day trying to fix.

Good day today. I fixed the Top Songs page which had a problem displaying properly in Firefox. I also completed the Windows Media Player Control Panel and created a process for showing the current show on the What’s Playing Now page. I also ported all the members over to the new system and so far I have heard from one member who was able to login successfully. There will be a problem with some members. The new system requires the first character of the password to be a letter and I noticed that some members used numbers as their password or used a number as the first character. This will have to be resolved on a case by case basis.

I’m pretty sure I will release the new website on Saturday as I don’t want to spend my Sunday handling support issues.

I got a few things accomplished today. The help page for the KZION chat room is completed. I really hate writing this kind of stuff but it’s necessary. Having a thorough FAQ and help system saves a lot of time with support issues. I also completed the acknowledgement page. My updated to-do list.

• Add a chat tutorial with instructions on installing a free IRC chat application. The KZION chat room is getting quite popular with regular visitors.
• Add a small store with a few CD’s listed. This is not going to be exhaustive by any means.
• I’m still working on the script that will show the Level 2 Paid member when their request is going to play. I’ve had to solicit some help with this. Thanks Oliver
• I’m also working on the script that will provide a timer for when the Level 2 Paying member can request a song next based on the request rules. Thanks Kenny
• The Mini-Player needs to be rewritten.
• The Windows Media Page that launches when a listener connects needs to be rewritten.
• Favorite Songs needs to have the HTML rewritten as it doesn’t look good in Mozilla browsers.
• The Members Corner for Level 2 Paid members needs to be constructed
• I need an artists page with instructions for submitting music.
• I need a press page that will display my press releases and stories published about KZION.
• Page for KZION web hosting services.


• A page for webmasters to grab the JavaScript code to add the KZION What’s Playing feature on their website.
• I need an acknowledgment page
• A links page so I can promote quality LDS music websites.
• The Calendar needs to be fixed which will provide the broadcast schedule.

I did an interview with William Morris who runs the blog A Motley Vision, a weblog about

Mormon literature, criticism, publishing and marketing—plus film, theater, music, and pop and folk culture.

Well, I got up early and worked my tail off to get my Ebay orders out the door so I could spend the majority of the day working on the redesign. It’s almost midnight and I can say I didn’t completed much of anything. What a crummy day. It was mostly a day of fixing problems.

Only four days left…

Maintaining a Relationship with Your Designs

Jeffrey Veen: Why Bother With User Centered Design?

Updated to-do list:

• Add a chat tutorial with instructions on installing a free IRC chat application. The KZION chat room is getting quite popular with regular visitors.
• Add a small store with a few CD’s listed. This is not going to be exhaustive by any means.
• I’m still working on the script that will show the Level 2 Paid member when their request is going to play. I’ve had to solicit some help with this. Thanks Oliver
• I’m also working on the script that will provide a timer for when the Level 2 Paying member can request a song next based on the request rules. Thanks Kenny
• The Mini-Player needs to be rewritten.
• The Windows Media Page that launches when a listener connects needs to be rewritten.
• Favorite Songs needs to have the HTML rewritten as it doesn’t look good in Mozilla browsers.
• The Members Corner for Level 2 Paid members needs to be constructed
• I need an artists page with instructions for submitting music.
• I need a press page that will display my press releases and stories published about KZION.
• Page for KZION web hosting services.


• A page for webmasters to grab the JavaScript code to add the KZION What’s Playing feature on their website.
• I need an acknowledgment page
• A links page so I can promote quality LDS music websites.
• The Calendar needs to be fixed which will provide the broadcast schedule.

It seems that Canada is more concerned about the music being played in a dentists office then the file traders.

How To Write Efficient CSS. Looks like I will be revisiting my CSS file.

There is less than a week left before I launch the new KZION website. Here are some of my thoughts as the launch closes in.

I had to completely redesign the ratings system and I’m not going to be able to use any ratings from the old system. That means over 19,000 votes are going to be lost. It just kills me to have to do that. I could with a little bit of thought take the current ratings and merge them with the new rating system. But the current 19,000 ratings are partially flawed. The current system allows a person to vote multiple times for the same song, the new system does not. By proceeding with a fresh rating system the actual rating per song will be much more accurate. Also, the current system does not tie the voter into a username so those 19,000 votes would not be attached to any specific listener.

I suppose I need to think about it some more and make a decision early this week.

I did rewrite the comment system but the current system fits nicely with the new system so no comments will be lost. Although, only comments made on the new system can be edited or deleted by the member.

I added the number of current comments and an add comment link to the What’s Playing page. I would like to show the number of comments made since your last visit, so you would know if any new comments were made to the song playing, but that’s a little out of my league.

My to do list is getting short:

• Add a chat tutorial with instructions on installing a free IRC chat application. The KZION chat room is getting quite popular with regular visitors.
• Add a small store with a few CD’s listed. This is not going to be exhaustive by any means.
• I’m still working on the script that will show the Level 2 Paid member when their request is going to play. I’ve had to solicit some help with this.
• I’m also working on the script that will provide a timer for when the Level 2 Paying member can request a song next based on the request rules.
• The Mini-Player needs to be rewritten.
• The Windows Media Page that launches when a listener connects needs to be rewritten.
• Favorite Songs needs to have the HTML rewritten as it doesn’t look good in Mozilla browsers.
• The Members Corner for Level 2 Paid members needs to be constructed
• I need an artists page with instructions for submitting music.
• I need a press page that will display my press releases and stories published about KZION.
• Page for KZION web hosting services.


• A page for webmasters to grab the JavaScript code to add the KZION What’s Playing feature on their website.
• I need an acknowledgment page
• A links page so I can promote quality LDS music websites.
• The Calendar needs to be fixed which will provide the broadcast schedule.

I might be able to think of some more but this is beginning to depress me so I’ll stop. There is a lot more to do than I thought. I thought this was supposed to be a short list

I still need to debug and ensure everything is working properly. I may have to defer some of the above for after launch.

Today was spent mostly rewriting the authentication code. I started playing around with altering the cookie that was sent after logging in and I was successful at changing the login name and viewing another persons comments and ratings. I would have also been able to make comments and rate songs using another members name.

I think I have it pretty secure now and altering the cookie will not work. I already had security measures in place to prevent someone from creating a cookie with false information but I had not thought about changing information in an existing cookie. I obviously can’t go into what I did. I’m not trying to protect Fort Knox but I still want a fairly secure environment.

I also finally fixed the dotted underline attached to images. That solution had escaped me for weeks but I finally got it figured out. I also added an artist homepage link to the Playing Now page and the Songinfo page.

Yes, I did get some tutorials completed and some Q & A’s added to the FAQ.

Not a lot to report today. I added a feature to edit and delete comments directly from the Songinfo page. Now you don’t have to look through a page of all of your comments to find the one you want to edit or delete. Just find the song in the Songlist and then click on the link to the Songinfo page. You’ll see a link to edit or delete next to your comment.

I’ve had a few people register at the new site and there were a few bumps in the road but I think I have those fixed. I still have some problems with my CSS code that needs to fixed. I still need to write some tutorials that I’ve been putting off.

A man who was struck by lightning this week says he feels “lighter and 100 years younger” than he did before the accident. Maybe I should try that. It might help me make it through this redesign of KZION.

Did you know that the Dutch are the tallest people on the planet?

The Dutch are nearly 10 cm (four inches) taller on average than the British and Americans, and almost 15 cm (six inches) taller than they were four decades ago.

...Researchers put it down to affluence, a diet rich in dairy products, and good hygiene and health care. Studies by the Health Council of the Netherlands suggest the Dutch could grow another 10 cm (four inches) in the next few decades.

I just had a power surge here at the studio so KZION went down for a few minutes. Everything should be back up now.

In case you haven’t heard, Elder Maxwell passed away last night after a fight with leukemia.

My modem died on me and KZION was offline for about six hours today. Qwest is sending me a new one and it will be here Friday. Luckily, I had an extra modem and so everything is back online. Two or three years ago I would of been freaking to see KZION offline for that long. Nowadays I just take it in stride.

Does anyone know why the fan next to my power supply in one of my PC’s would all of a sudden turn on at high speed and not shut off? I have never heard that particular fan turn on before until yesterday morning. It’s quite loud and annoying. I tried shutting down the PC and then restarting but that didn’t help. It’s not because of temperature because the box sits on the floor next to the air vent and gets great ventilation and stays cool.

Here’s a nice little tutorial on using Gmail to categorize and work with stored eMail.

Today I finished up the comments script. This page will display all the comments a member has made with the option to edit or delete each comment. I have often posted a comment and later realized I misspelled a word or even worse said something stupid. Now a member can edit that comment or delete it all together.

I also added the number of current listeners to the top of the page. The problem is that I’m beginning to see the page getting cluttered, which is something I really wanted to stay away from. There is so much data to display that it’s getting difficult to keep the real estate uncluttered.