Jamadots.com FOX News Video Player UpGrade
Yesterday (11/29/10), we performed a video player upgrade to the FOX News video player found on the front page of the local jamadots.com web sites. The new video player should now look like the one shown in the below example:
New FOX News Video Player
If you are not seeing the new FOX News video player you will need to clear the cache that is temporarily stored on your computer and is collected while you are browsing websites. Below is some general information that more fully explains cache, how it improves browsing the internet, and how (and why) it is important to clear it, from time to time. Following the explanation are some video tutorials that describe how to clear the cache that is on your local computer.
What is Cache? How to Clear It.
Source: Posted on January 12, 2009 by Wayne
When is the last time you cleared your cache? Do you know what cache is? Do you know how to clear your cache? If the term cache eludes you, you’re probably in good company. It’s pronounced ‘cash’, yes, just like Johnny. It is not pronounced ‘cash-ay’.
Some of you may have a deep understanding for what cache is, and some may have heard it but wondered a little what it might be. Without getting all technical, here are some thoughts on cache and what is important to know about it.
By the way, you can live your entire life never needing to know the inner-workings of cache and be just fine. However, there are some things ‘you might want to know’ though, like how to get rid of it! So read on if you want to know more about cache.
What is Cache?
In simple terms, cache is where a temporary copy of information is stored (locally) on your computer so that when a second request for the same information is made it will load faster. In this context, information can be nearly anything you can imagine. As illustration to this point, consider that moving the coffee brewer closer to you is no different than saving a web page onto your local computer so that the next time you need another cup, or need to visit that web page again, it’s cached for quicker delivery.
And that’s exactly it. Cache is nothing more than a mechanism that allows you to surf faster because the resources the page needs (images, the html page) are already available on the computer on which you are working. The page doesn’t need to reach out across the Internet to get that picture or other things.
Here’s another way to think of it. Imagine you visit a particular site every day. This site has a banner graphic across the top that is quite large, and every time you visit, it takes a while for the large header image to travel to your local monitor every time. That lag stinks. Really, it does.
If that header graphic was stored on your computer, the browser you are using could be set up to detect that you’ve visited this page before, and that large graphic is sitting right over here next to us. Why bother to download it again when we have it right here!
Your browser can also be set up to detect when the graphic files are different and download the image to refresh your cache.
Most browsers are pre-configured to store some information into cache for quicker access to repeat data.
Why Clear or Delete the Cache?
Well, because sometimes you just get some wacky things happening. Many times while developing a web site it’s good practice to clear the in order to get a fresh perspective on the site. Once cache is cleared, everything will be referenced straight from the server in brand spanking new form and function.
Additionally, sometimes you may just get to a point where things aren’t acting like they should. Perhaps you start getting errors on some web sites. When this starts happening, the first thing to do is clear your cache and restart the browser. If the same error happens again, you may assume it isn’t due to an outdated or corrupt copy of information in the cache. If clearing the cache rectifies the issue, good deal.
How to Clear or Delete your Cache
With the number of browsers floating around the world, and the number of versions, and also the number of blogs already demonstrating how to clear your cache, instead of regurgitating the information for you, here are a couple videos that should help you figure out how to clear your cache.
Firefox
Internet Explorer
Chrome
Most all browsers are set up with nearly the same menu systems and concepts, so the above videos should be good enough for anyone to figure out how to clear their browser cache.
Understanding the simple concept of what cache is and how it’s used by browsers to increase your surfing speed will help you in the future. No longer will someone say to you ‘clear your cache’ and then walk off, leaving you to think you were just about to be robbed. No, cache is a good and helpful thing, but from time to time, things need attention and this is the time you’ll need to clear your cache.
As always, you can contact your jamadots.com Internet Support Center 24/7 with questions relating to your internet connection or configuring your computer. Please contact us at 1-866-514-4742 or email us @ helpdesk@24hoursupport.com.
