Web 2.0 and Latency

Traditionally web pages weren't a very latency sensitive application compared to applications such as streaming voice and video. However, with the advent of Web 2.0, web pages are becoming increasingly sensitive to latency.

For example, in Google Calendar, when you drag and drop events a request must be sent to the server and the event will only be moved after the server has responded. If there is a slow connection to the server, this could be a frustrating experience. Another example is the live searches that are appearing everywhere now. These searches search as you type in the text box. If there was high latency, these searches would be rendered useless since the user would have finished typing before the search appears.

These new developments in web development will have more impact than just the software. Routers and servers will also have to be upgraded to cope with the new latency demands.