Using .htaccess so that .htm can have SSI

Server penalty in switching to SSI templates?

[kiwibrit]

I am setting up a new version of the company web site. I am thinking of using SSI to set up page templates - at present I am using Dreamweaver to do that.

Problem is to include SSI I need the file extension to be .shtml, not .htm which most of my present pages have. I can't switch files because of the search engine penalty.

Solution seems to be to use .htaccess (works fine on trial).

Apparently there is a server time penalty on this. I can't see a significant one in broadband - but will it show up on dial-up in some way? Anyway of measuring this?

[mrMister]

The time penalty is processing speed, not download speed.

It will be more noticable on broadband than dial up.

The more hits you get to your site, and the more rules you set up, the more noticable it will be.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. It's not a big performance reduction for one rule.

[kiwibrit]

Thanks for that. I think I'll go with SSI, then. Rather more flexible than Dreamweaver templates, I think.