>>For those who do shop around, NSCP has real competition in Apache, which offers many technical attractions, as well as an unbeatable price. For a recent discussion of this see sun.com
which notes that Apache is the "most popular and fastest-growing server in use on the Web.". How many readers here knew that statistic?
During the Q&A at the Netscape annual meeting last week I asked Jim Barksdale about Apache specifically. He said that freeware has appeal to some users, but that corporate customers are looking for total solutions, strong direct support, etc, things freeware cannot offer. He also said that the Apache statistics are misleading because one server can have several identities.
Another thing is that server statistics only measure sites outside the firewall, and the fastest growth is occuring with intranets.
The impression I have gotten from various sources is that Apache has no plans to become a commercial product, and that, although it's a terrific server, it doesn't have the packaged support a commercial server has. Apache's developers are scattered all over, mostly professor types, and support is thru email.
Compared to, say, the Netscape/Hewlett Packard arrangement, Apache doesn't have the worldwide service and support that these established vendors can offer through their field offices. As the growing Navigator sales figures are showing, upfront cost is only part of the value equation.
I think that the Apache penetration has been into sites such as ISP's that are seeing their hourly rates tumble and are looking for ways to compensate for shrinking margins. That is not an issue for corporations establishing intranets. A perfect example is that the Sun page you noted above about Apache is on a Netscape server.
I would appreciate any comments. |
