Manifesto for Lightweight Web Pages 2
My screed against web page bloat
Publishers have created a web-abusive, reader-hostile web.
In 2016, single web pages from many media sites ranged from 5 to 10 megabytes in size, but the body of many of these articles was simple text.
A single web page may make hundreds of requests to JavaScript, trackers, ads, etc. These types of web pages can bog down older CPUs, and they can create a clunky user experience on phones.
Disturbingly, some people blame the web or browsers for the slowness, instead of blaming the publishers for creating bloated websites.
Another unfortunate growing trend is that many responsively-designed websites use a tiny font size on phones. This creates an uncomfortable reading experience.
With each web publishing app that I create, I try to simplify the CSS, eliminate the usage of JavaScript for browsing-only readers, and use a comfortable font size.
Data continues to show that users don't mind reading long articles on their phones. Publishers need to create more reader-friendly websites.