They don't really realize it ... and don't really care.

The people who've been doing a lot of the work are young - one's just out of college - and are focusing on what looks good and works well for them. We have a T1 line AND the server's in our office, connected to our network in some way. So we get virtually instantaneous downloads, regardless of the file size. Which is why we've got 300dpi images on our web site.

Toddson, it's possible to put together a Flash app that pulls the images (and html) from an XML file, so that you just have to upload the files to the right directories and hand-edit the extremely simple XML to match.

I made up a Flash page for my resume that does just that, though I purposely made the pictures small & icon-y because the emphasis is supposed to be on the resume content. It's a carousel setup but pictures could be fading in and out instead, easy-peasy.

Also, unless you're intending the picture to be downloaded or put up on an HDMI screen there's no point in going above 72 dpi. Making there be a rule about total file size will get the youngin's paying attention to how they optimize their pictures.

Which is why we've got 300dpi images on our web site.

 *cries and cries*

This site changes the right hand graphics on reload using php. I don't have details on how, but that does suggest it can be done.

This forum thread had a suggestion for using php to switch out graphics on refresh. They also say you can use javascript, but they don't say how.

Oh, and just to show off how simple the XML that a non-techy can edit, here is it, with the greater-than and lesser-than symbols substituted with brackets:

[icons]

[icon image="profile.jpg" tooltip="Personal Profile" content="profile.html" /]

[icon image="experience.jpg" tooltip="Experience" content="experience.html" /]

[icon image="skills.jpg" tooltip="Skills" content="skills.html" /]

[icon image="education.jpg" tooltip="Education" content="education.html" /]

[icon image="contact.jpg" tooltip="Contact" content="contact.html" /]

[/icons]

Thanks for the advice ... I'm getting frustrated because they don't seem able to understand that not everyone is going to have the site download as quickly as they do ... and that we don't really have to have the complee text of every item on the front page. I showed one of them how the ALT tag works last week ....

I'm working on improving my PHP and Javascript skills, and I know for a fact that you can also do slideshows and all with them too. But Flash doesn't have to be a horrible memory hog if it's done well.

(The thing about the Church site that tommyrot linked to today is that for Flash, it's well-done -- optimized graphics, swiftly loading and functional. The content, however, is another matter....)

Toddson, maybe a field trip to the local library so they can see how fast it loads? Or ask people to try it from their home computers?

That is very frustrating. Can you take some of them to lunch at a Panera's or something, and have them try to access the site from there, just to give them some perspective?