CptAwesome — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 17:17:59 +0000

Well, NTG is not correct in the concept that people can only steal your images if you link them absolute. Anyone can steal anyone's images unless you configure you .htaccess in a way to deny from all except when you're the referrer.

If you have a multileveled website (lots of folders and subfolders) and only one domain name, then, it's likely easier to set them absolute. The same idea goes if you have a lot of dynamic content, you might end up with a lot of Xs if you're not careful with your relativity.

I don't know if it's true that relative ones load faster or not. But if you have multiple domains, or you ever plan on changing your domain. It's also a lot shorter, and looks cleaner. Having the domain name in there is really redundant.

In case you were wondering, TWF uses relative

NewTechGuy — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 17:03:40 +0000

I've also heard that if you link your images using absolute links that OTHER people can use your links on their website thereby pirating your bandwidth. This may result in overage charges from your server company or your internet provider. I'm not sure how widespread this problem is, but it's something I read about and thought I would share it with you.

Renegade — Mon, 07 Feb 2005 09:50:03 +0000

Yes, there is a difference in load time. When the images are linked relatively, they load A LOT faster. Usually a good idea to link relatively.