Recommended max data size for internal web app?

Question

We're building an internal web app used by about 50 users. Our users will access the app from accross the internet (not by local LAN). What are some current guidelines for how much data can be transferred while providing good load time and a generally positive client experience?

Accessing Gmail it seems Gmail downloads almost 900K worth of data (inc libraries) on the initial load. This loads pretty quickly for me on my fast Internet connection. Is 900K considered pushing the limit?

The reason for the question is we are determining if we should do some data pagination and sorting on the server side or on the client side. We're currently testing jqGrid for our web grid/table functionality.

Answer 1

As much as anything, it's not the volume of data you provide but how it is provided (and how often). Can you make the page responsive early on with a download going on in the background (if the functionality allows it). There are many ways that can be done using technologies like AJAX etc. I don't think you'll find any hard and fast number - as you say people will be accessing it over the net, so you have to factor in where they'll be, how good their connection will be, etc.