The Lag

We have not revisited Otoy for a while. I am told they are doing extremely well. But still not much is visible to the outside world. Apart from the ORBX.js. The pure HTML5 / JavaScript 1080p60 codec.

Decoding FullHD video in a browser is an impressive achievement and solves a variety of problems, especially for companies like Netflix or other video streaming services. But the Holy Grail of Cloud video processing has been online gaming, not video streaming. Which brings me to the question that matters: what is the lag of an online game rendered and encoded in the Cloud, and decoded on the client (in JavaScript)? ORBX.js may cope with 60fps, but nobody says how far behind those 60fps are? Online gaming is about fast reaction to the actions. If you could not dodge the bullet, it's not you, soldier, it's the lag.

Lag is the nightmare of today's Internet. We have buffers at every level. And there is one thing buffers do perfectly: generate lag. While 4G/LTE may seem as fast, or even faster than DSL, it won't feel faster. Because there is more lag introduced by a cellular connection, compared to a fixed copper line.

Lag matters a lot in user experience. In our WiHo.me software we've spent lots of time (and money) to reduce lag. Because lag is what users feel. Based on the lag from a press of the button to the physical reaction of the light bulb that is lit, users judge the entire system. Copper wires and mechanical switches have zero lag. We've managed to come down with a REST service https call down to 8ms. End-to-end keypress - to the light transaction is below 30ms. This is on an embedded-class hardware running full Apache server, consuming only 2W of power, and includes two low power radio hops. Our competition often needs 500-1000ms to accomplish the same.

The Internet trains us to accommodate to lag, but the iOS, since the very beginning of the iPhone 1, has been the winner thanks to the zero-lag UI. At the same time Android was suffering from the touch lag for years, only the version 4.1 and 1.5GHz multi-core CPUs have finally brought the iPhone - class responsiveness.

So here is the call to all UX designers. Have the screens nice. And intuitive. But above all, eliminate lag. Lag is the plague of the ultra-fast twenty-first century. Let's join forces and declare a war on it.