eWeek: Apache 2.0 Trumps IIS

AK47 writes "eWeek has a very positive review of Apache 2.0, entitled "Apache 2.0 Beats IIS at Its Own Game." They recommend the native Apache version on Windows over IIS for production use, citing superior security with no loss in performance."

File this review under...

[toupsie]

...Duh!

IIS is dying

[Anonymous Coward]

ZDNet officially confirms: IIS is dying

if only...

Yeah but..

[PopeAlien]

Yeah but, unless you hire an 'expensive expert' you can't write off the investment in apache. Thats the problem with free software.

heh. nevermind.

So Lets See

[Peridriga]

The Upside

• Free
• Runs On
• Windows
• BeOS
• OS/2
• *Nix

No Performance Difference

Interchangeable Modules

Downside

• "All configuration and administration is done by editing .conf files

HOLY DAMN... Edit A FILE!!!!

Re:Great

[Anonymous Coward]

>>My quesiton is, what are the pratical ramafications of a company completely moving away from IIS to Apache?

The practical ramafication is that users will no longer see something like "F*** PoisonBox!" when they visit that company's web site...

Re:Yeah but..

[irony nazi]

From the article...

Because of the magnitude of some of these changes, eWEEK Labs recommends that any site planning a move to Apache 2.0 first set up a system on which it can test all its Web applications and specific setups to make sure they work well on the new server.

Come on! It doesn't take an 'expensive expert' to know that *whenever* you upgrade a runtime server, you first set up a sandbox where you can test it... or does it? Did they even need to mention this in the article? Maybe they thought that some MSCE would instantly bring down a corporate website and attempt to install Apache, only to find that it doesn't run ASP.

better title....

[bje2]

should've been Apache 2.0 scalps IIS...

Re:Have we all forgotten

[vrmlknight]

well we all know it is not about security

Re:Every time

[Anonymous Coward]

I would have to say quite the opposite about trying to admin an IIS machine, you want to change a simple setting? Expect to spend half an hour navigating menus till you find the setting hidden in some illogical unexpected location. Meanwhile to change the setting on almost any open source software package, just grep the config file(s) and you'll find where the option you want is within a couple of seconds.

He's right. Exchange is the worst for that! Sendmail config files are simple compared to that beast! :)

Re:So Lets See

[TaoJones]

Mmm, so editing a well documented text file is hard, while drilling down through a badly documented menu system (which reinstalls Visual Basic Scripting in the background without asking) is easy...

I'll take hard for $200 Alex...

Re:Eh?

[jchawk]

apt-get install apache

Then some minor and I mean minor configuration and you have a webserver that is more robust and secure then IIS.

You need php support?

apt-get install php4

Follow installation script.

Man that's hard!

:-)

Maybe I'm just spoiled because I use debian.

In other words...

[kirkb]

Instead of "Apache beats IIS at its own game", they could've said "Apache beats IIS at the not-getting-0wned game". :)

Re:Eh?

[Sabalon]

C:\Program Files\Apache> apt-get install apache
'apt-get' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Program Files\Apache> apt-get install php4
'apt-get' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.


So I now have apache with php support? :)

It really is a shame that tools like that don't just work on Winders. Then again

apt-get install secureMSwebserver

would probably crash the OS.

Re:Every time

[cscx]

I've also never been all that impressed with the MS config tools using MS specific terminology which I have to look up in help files to figure out what they're talking about

Yeah, I know the feeling. Here, I'm in the IIS admin applet right now. Let's see if some of these are giving you trouble:

"TCP Port" That's a toughie.

"IP Address" Ouch it's gettin' harder.

"Home Directory" Oooh shiiiit... what was that again?

"Read/Write/Allow Directory Browsing" Directory Browsing? Is that like uh, ls?

"Execute permissions: Scripts/Scripts and Executables/None" Huh? You mean like Apache.exe? What's an executable?

"App Protection: Isolated/Pooled/In-process" Oh man, you like, have to be an uber-geek to figure that one out!

"Default document" What's index.htm do? I forgot. And what's this index.asp stuff anyway? Is it like PHP or perl or something?

"Document footer" Footer? Hah! Sounds like cooter! It must be one of those dirty Easter eggs that MS puts in their programs! Or maybe it has something to do with shoe size.

"IP Address and Domain restrictions" Uhh, what's an IP address again?

"Authentication Control" Who is this "anonymous" person and what does he have to do with IIS? Is he related to that Anonymous Coward guy?

"MIME Types" Heh, I hate mimes too. Reminds me of the good old days in the park.

"Custom error pages" Wots a 404?

Yes, this "MS Specific terminology" is sure a killer, all right. Man, if I got a hold of Bill Gates I'd let him have it with him inventing terms like "IP Address," "MIME type," and "executable." And that "home directory" stuff is just going too far.

Re:IIS6

[Wakko Warner]

I have read a number of things about IIS6: mostly that it is a from-scratch rewrite, with a particular eye on security. Also you can assume it'll perform pretty well.

Why should we assume this? Given the track record, it's like "expecting" Hulk Hogan to beat The Rock.

- A.P. (christ, i feel so rednecky)

Re:IIS6

[loconet]

"..with a particular eye on security"

ohhh, so thats why iis is so unsecure, it ony has one eye! .. you would think MS would make use of two eyes instead

Re:Every time

[haystor]

Yea, but do they have a slider that you can drag to the right to optimize the web servers performance?

Does IIS still have that? Surely that was a joke that got left in by accident or it was at least mislabelled since there was no reason to have the bar to the left.

Re:free ASP support would switch small shops

[Pope Slackman]

We are small and busy and don't necessarily have 100% to give to keeping up with patches and MS Critical Updates

Hey, what's your IP?

C-X C-S

Re:Every time

[ahde]

I always got lost in httpd.conf till I piped it through grep -v ^#