Jiffy, a new open source website performance measurement tool, is introduced by Scott Ruthfield of WhitePages.com. Ruthfield explains that current solutions - typically developer-installed tools (such as Firebug) or 3rd-party monitoring systems (Gomez, Keynote) - fail to provide real-world, end-to-end tracking of what site users actually experience. The issue becomes more complex when ad or content partner networks are factored in.

Jiffy offers a new option for site owners combining comprehensive measurement, easy set-up, built-in reporting, and the confidence that comes from knowing that you have a measure of control over the code base. With surprisingly little impact on its target sites, WhitePages.com has used Jiffy to track over 10 million page views and over 400 million search requests.

Jiffy uses a simple "mark and measure" model to allow substantial flexibility in designing client-side performance tests. Test results can posted to the server immediately or on a deferred schedule. A built-in reporting suite permits immediate access to statistics and trends.

As a new open source product, the Jiffy community actively seeks committed contributors to grow and enhance the suite.