Dial-Up Image Optimization/Proxy Compression Server?

Mugenmidget

I know NetZero provided something like this to make page loads much faster for dial-up users, but I was wondering if there was some kind of solution for people on slow speeds who didn't have that kind of service available from their ISP.

Basically something that will:
-Have some sort of host machine grab the images first and process them/some other algorithm for grabbing portions of an image instead of the whole thing
-Compress all images (as well as grab the first frame of animated GIFs/radically shrink huge resolution pictures)
-Allow manual full-view of the each image
-Work with Firefox

These are loose restrictions, of course, any kind of methods to speed up dial-up browsing with any kind of browser are more than welcome. The images are the biggest problem for the person I'm helping, if there's some way to handle them without completely disabling them (thus offering a preview/not hampering usage too much) then they'd be much obliged.

Janin

http://www.mattbentley.net/2008pt1.shtml#190608

An extension to block images, I haven't tested it but from the description it sounds like it puts in a flashblock-style placeholder that the user can click on for the full image.

Mugenmidget

That's pretty neat, unfortunately it doesn't offer any real kind of preview that I could see. Just seems to add some better image controls. Thanks for the help, though.

Rohan

Try Onspeed. You have to pay for it, but I used it when I was on dial-up and it definitely made a difference.

Mugenmidget

Something like OnSpeed is definitely what I'm gunning for, but I want it to be something that I can host for my friend.

http://resume.technoplaza.net/c/zrpc.php

Something like that would be perfect and sounds exactly what I'm looking for, but it looks like it might be too outdated so I'm hoping that somebody has heard of a better proxy server like that one.

Linden

You could apply a system similar to Upside-Down-Ternet, I suppose. Make your filter a downgrade of image quality. I'm not sure how you'd deal with viewing the original content, but I'd imagine it's doable. Not a plug-and-play solution, but it might work. Squid is actively developed, too.

metamorphosis

Janin wrote: »

http://www.mattbentley.net/2008pt1.shtml#190608

An extension to block images, I haven't tested it but from the description it sounds like it puts in a flashblock-style placeholder that the user can click on for the full image.

Hi Janin, I'm the one who patched that one for firefox 3, though I'm not the original author (search imglikeopera for that).
Imglikeopera allows you to switch between displaying only cached images, no images, only images from the site, and all images with a single button. Nifty.
Because of the traffic I've been getting I've updated the installation instructions to make them a bit more foolproof for the unsuspecting user.
I also recommend Flashblock (as mentioned), Adblock Plus and resizing your firefox cache to allow more cached images. Firefox 3 freakin' rocks, quite happy with it so far...
Cheers,
m@ (n00b)