Apache Web Server Serves Over Half the Internet
PR Newswire - January 05, 1998 03:00
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OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Apache Web Server, from the
Apache Group (http://www.apache.org/), now serves over half the domains on the
Internet, according to the latest Netcraft Web Server Survey
(http://www.netcraft.com/). According to the January 1998 survey, the Apache
server and its derivatives serve 50.24% of the 1,834,710 sites found by
Netcraft.
From its humble beginnings in early 1995 as a set of patches to the
original NCSA Web Server, the Apache Web Server has steadily grown in
popularity as well as power and capability. The Apache server was one of the
first Web servers to implement the HTTP/1.1 protocol, for example. The Apache
server has become established as the dominant Web server, far outpacing
commercial offerings from the giants Microsoft and Netscape.
The key to the success of the Apache Web server is its dedicated
development team. A core group of developers, known as the Apache Group,
constantly update, fix, and improve the server in order to create the best
server available.
Another key to the Apache server's impressive popularity is that it is
freely available via the Internet. Webmasters can quickly and easily download
the entire source code for the server to compile it themselves, or they can
download various precompiled and "ready to run" versions. Since the source
code is freely available, it is easy for webmasters to greatly enhance the
Apache Web server's capability, either by adding numerous "modules" which
extend the server's functions or by editing the actual server code to suit
their needs.
"It really is a labor of love," said Jim Jagielski, member of the Apache
Group. "Every one of us in the Group is committed to making Apache the best
it can be. We are all experienced Net citizens and therefore have a real feel
for what's needed. We also listen very intently to what is needed and desired
by the Net community, so we can implement those features into Apache. And
since we don't have the huge inertia of a commercial company to worry about,
we can do it quicker and better than anyone else."
"One of the strengths of the Apache project is that many of the core team
and key contributors are themselves running high profile sites, and so know
what is required from first hand experience," said Mike Prettejohn, Director
of Netcraft, "in particular, the support for virtual domains, and the server's
overall stability and resilience has made Apache the de facto choice for ISPs
and hosting companies throughout the world."
"Apache is the ideal platform for building mission-critical web-based
applications," said Sameer Parekh, President of C2Net Software, Inc., whose
Stronghold Web Server is the most widely used commercial Apache-based server.
"Apache confuses most industry analysts because they have forgotten that
mission-critical Internet services, from web services to domain name services
to electronic mail, have been running on free software since Day One."
The latest version of the Apache Web Server is 1.2.4, which runs on most
UNIX platforms. The next release of the Apache server, version 1.3, currently
in beta test, will run on both UNIX and Microsoft Windows NT.
Netcraft (http://www.netcraft.com/) is a networking consultancy based in
Bath, England and is well known worldwide for its Web Server Survey, which is
widely considered a primary empirical metric for the number of web sites and
the relative popularity of web server software on the internet.
C2Net Software, Inc. (http://www.c2.net/) is a leading provider of
uncompromised network security software. Through its international offshore
development programs, all C2Net products are exempt from U.S. government
export restrictions, allowing the company to offer uncrippled, strong
cryptography solutions to customers worldwide.
The Apache Group is a group of individuals who are committed to developing
the best web server in the world and making it freely available.
SOURCE C2Net Software, Inc.
/CONTACT: Jim Jagielski of The Apache Group, c/o jaguNET Access Services,
410-931-3157; or Mike Prettejohn of Netcraft, Ltd., in the United Kingdom,
44-1225-447500; or Sameer Parekh of C2Net Software, Inc., 510-986-8770/
/Web site: c2.net and apache.org and
netcraft.com / |
