C#, Windows XP and Vista, .NET Framework 3.5 :: How fast is an HTTP GET?

[secutos]

Hello everybody.

Specifications
Operating System: Windows XP and Vista
Language: C#
.NET Version: 3.5

Problem
I am constantly transferring data using HTTP, I need to access a website in HTTP and retrieve data in HTTP. So for example:

PSUEDOCODE EXAMPLE - operation 1
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HttpWebRequest  request  = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create("http://www.google.com");
        // execute the request
HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse)request.GetResponse();

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How long will this operation (operation 1) take? Note that, this code won't work, this is only psuedocode to show an example. The problem is, I need this code to run very fast. Now, I understand this is not a practical question if the user is using Dial-Up, so lets assume the user has DSL and downloads files at 100 KB/s average. How long would Operation 1 take if i do it every second?

Second Question

What is the fastest, and I really mean FASTEST way of access a webpage?

[Curtis Rutland]

It should work as fast as a user can download the content. There's no set speed for this kind of thing. It should take as long as it does for a browser does to get the response, minus the time it takes to render. I mean, it does the same thing that a browser does...it sends an http request, and receives an http response.

Limiting factors include your bandwith and the server's bandwith. I guess if you are running on a very slow computer, the code in between can take some time to process, but it depends on what it is.

As far as I know that way is as fast as any.

I suppose the best thing to do would be to set up a bench test. Write a simple program that loops through a predetermined amount of times and makes requests and gets responses. Get the time before and after. Find the difference. Add it to a running total, and average after the loop. Run the bench on multiple computers against multiple sites.


ALSO
Please use [code] tags when posting. I've fixed it for you this time.
Mod.

[secutos]

Thank you VERY much. you must be busy, answering a lot of questions. keep up the good work.