A variety of performance optimization techniques are provided that are
based upon a history of a user's usage patterns. To reduce actual response
time, the system prefetches information in anticipation of the user's
request. To reduce perceived response time, if a response to the user's
request is likely to be delayed, the system initiates other anticipated
fast-response processes for the user. To ease the user's interaction with
the system, the user's interface is dynamically modified to facilitate the
entry of anticipated requests. To improve security, increased security
measures are invoked when the user's request pattern is inconsistent with
prior request patterns. At a system level, performance assessments and
optimizations, including dynamic load balancing, are based on the prior
usage patterns of mulitple users.
