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Review
Robert Brooks
August 11, 1999
Grunge and Guitars
Introduction
Most of us were too young to remember the good ol' days of "grunge," the name that described the sound and lifestyle of many of Seattle's musicians back in the 1980's and early 1990's. Guitars have been a very influential part of the so-called Seattle scene, which brought metal and pop together.
Connectivity Test
Modem: US Robotics 56K Winmodem
Connected at 34.6k bps
"Welcome" pages is not part of the test
The page downloaded in Internet Explorer in about 30-35 seconds.
The page downloaded in Netscape Navigator in about 40-42 seconds.
| Images
List Total images: 43 / Total bytes: 16,340 |
||
| Image loading time will take about: | 13.84 | seconds @ 14.4 |
| 6.92 | seconds @ 28.8 | |
| 3.56 | seconds @ 56K | |
Explanation: When trying to figure out why the page downloaded the way it did, there is no standalone answer. Possibilities could range from their server to my internet provider, or the page itself. Even when we have little control over what ours or their server does, it's important to think about how the page could improve, if it does. There's certainly not a lot of activity on the main page that could cause the page to download the way it does, although the upper frame, the background, images and even the size of the text do add up. Overall, it's a pretty average download time.
[Overall Impression: 8 out of 10]
Page Interface
The page's mood is the expression of the author, and this page supports that theory. The background seems to be a blend of things that looks like the top of a coconut tree painted purple, the text is light purple. On the top of the page is a frame that serves as the page's navigation. Right below the navigation bar is the logo of the page, the counter, information about the site, and a table divided up into four spaces that has a number of things -- things we'll get to later. :) The page looks fine under both IE and Netscape.
Suggestions: No big suggestions here. The page could survive with this kind of interface, but if it has any plans on attracting a broader audience, and once it does, to keep them, it must change it's interface eventually, how? I can see that it is already using tables, so take advantage of tables. Tables will be a big help to the look of your site.
[Overall Impression: 23 out of 33]
Page's Content
It is a theory that the less variety of content a site has, the more original it actually is. Although that theory has not been proven yet, would this site help support that theory?
Nirvana:
- Articles - 29 articles in all, ranging from interviews or articles from about every aspect of Nirvana related stuff.
- MP3 - Link to another page.
- Downloads - FAQ, Lyrics, All MIDI files, Nirvana icons, Nirvana screensaver, Unplugged in New York screensaver, KC Calculator, all available for download.
- Pictures - 458 pictures in all, all in thumbnails. Nothing to get hyped up about, but it does have this amount of pictures nevertheless.
- Videos - Link to the same page as linked by the MP3 section.
- Quiz
- News - Link to Obituary Birthday, no problem there. :)
- RIP Kurt - Tribute to Kurt.
Foo Fighters:
- Articles - 27 articles accumulated, interesting stuff if you're a Foo Fighters fan.
- MP3 - Link to another page, I think.
- Downloads - MIDI files and a screensaver.
- Pictures - Links do not work.
There's also a section for the author of the site's band, Brainstew. Containing audio files, information, video, and pictures. In the "Other Bands" section, you'll have a list of other bands that the author likes as well as some information and links on them. In addition there's a section that has awards, that you can win or either the site has won. As for the Community section, think of it as what the site is affiliated with, it has a message board, webring, and a Top List. There's also a lot of bootlegs that this site has, and it doesn't all deal with Nirvana. Finally, there's links, not too many, but there are a few links.
[Overall Impression: 45 out of 56]
Conclusion
The page has a lot of content, and it just doesn't cover Nirvana, but the content is still there and useful for anyone who is interested in the Seattle scene back in the 80's and early 90's. It's a good site, it has plenty of Nirvana stuff. If it adds more original stuff, freshens up it's interface, it should be better.
[Overall Impression: 76 out of 99]
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