[ Thanks to Falko
Timme for this link. ]
“In this tutorial I will describe how to configure mod_compress
on a Lighttpd web server (on Debian Squeeze). mod_compress allows
Lighttpd to compress files and deliver them to clients (e.g.
browsers) that can handle compressed content which most modern
browsers do. With mod_compress, you can compress HTML, CSS,
Javascript, text or XML files to approx. 20 – 30% of their original
sizes, thus saving you server traffic and making your modem users
happier.“Compressing files causes a slightly higher load on the server,
but in my experience this is compensated by the fact that the
clients’ connection times to your server decrease a lot. For
example, a modem user that needed seven seconds to download an
uncompressed HTML file might now only need two seconds for the
same, but compressed file.“By using mod_compress you don’t have to be afraid that you
exclude users with older browsers that cannot handle compressed
content. The browser negotiates with the server before any file is
transferred, and if the browser does not have the capability to
handle compressed content, the server delivers the files
uncompressed.”