"Catch" or "Cash" either way most are don't know what it is.

I've been working diligently juggling web, print, production, direction and marketing. When I come across recurring issues that could benefit from better understanding I post them here. Recently a very common instruction that I have to give my web customers is to delete their cache. (pronounced cash in my humble opinion).

Simple description of what cache is is a time saving trick web browsers use to speed delivery of sites that you go to frequently. It's a snapshot of the page that the browser remembers and returns each time you go to the page. This eliminates the need for graphics to load every time you go.

In every day web browsing this is great, you don't have to wait for all of the CNN graphics and site structure to load when you go check your news. However, when you want to see recent changes that your developer has uploaded it can be confusing. The scenario goes like this:

• Developer: I've uploaded your graphics and they are now live
• Client: I still see the old site
• Developer: You may have to refresh
• Client: I've refreshed, but the strange thing is I see the changes on Sandy's computer but not mine
• Developer: You will need to reset/refresh/delete your cache
• Client: .... *CRICKETS

Every browser is different. However, it's generally around the area where you would reset your history. Often it's an optional selection  while deleting your history. In either case, it's a healthy habbit to do a reset on all of these items on a regular basis. Beyond personal security, resetting temporary web items can help speed up your computer, eliminate strange bugs that you may be experiencing, and will ensure that you are seeing the freshest version of your favorite site.

Web developers have a tool that they can use that can be placed on the HTML that instructs browsers not to cache a page. However, like everything else in the world of HTML, it's not necessarily compatible with all browsers.

So, whether you say "cash" or "catch" I hope this has helped clear up some confusion of what it is, does, and how to clear it.