how to determine server speed over Internet?

[scorpion]

Does anybody know how to determine if your site would be a reasonable speed for users from multiple locations?

e.g. if I ping a server in my hometown its like 30ms, if I ping a server in New Jersey it's like 300ms. But does this necessarily mean one site is slower than the other relative to me?

Any articles on this subject would be appreciated. I don't really know what this is called, relative server performance?

[Stretch]

Not sure about testing real speed for surfers but trace route would give you an idea and at least highlight any problem areas on the route.

Many sites offer built in trace route facilities where the trace starts from there location. If you search for "trace route" on localized googles you will find sites that allow you to see the speed of the route between your server and France, UK, Italy, etc etc etc.

Another method might be to use proxies to essentially surf via remote locations.

Cheers

Stretch