Web sites reject Apache 2

Extremely low uptake of Apache 2 has caused its producers to advocate freezing development of the open-source Web server until makers of add-in software catch up.

Almost six months after the launch of Apache 2, less than one percent of sites use it, due to a lack of suitable third-party modules.

Security Web site SecuritySpace said only 0.3 percent of Web sites use version 2, while 60 percent use Apache 1.x. Apache needs add-in modules for optional functions such as PHP scripting to generate dynamic content. Most modules are developed by third parties. Apache was originally created for Linux and Unix systems. Version 2 was developed to improve its performance under Windows.

One developer on an email discussion forum said frequent changes to the Apache 2 APIs over the last six months had made it almost impossible for module developers to keep pace. "Most third-party module authors are not willing to maintain and change their code for every Apache 2 release; sometimes the APIs were changed two or three times within one development cycle," he said.

Apache's troubles highlight one of the potential problems of complex open-source applications. Given that open-source projects typically produce many incremental updates, firms considering deployment of such tools should look for assurances that any APIs will remain relatively stable.

Another Web software veteran, Netscape, may struggle to attract users. IT Week Labs tests published this week find Netscape 7.0 inferior to Mozilla for corporate usage.

Update: Apache builds more solid 2.0 Web server

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See also:

Apache 2.0 gains stability

Work on version 2.1 of the open source Apache Web server software has begun, meaning further improvements to version 2.0 will concentrate on improving stability  13 Dec 2002

Don't be too clever, says web guru

Web usability expert warns against badly designed intranets  13 Nov 2002

Linux giant gives backing to Apache 2

Red Hat is bundling Apache 2 with its latest Linux distribution for servers  07 Oct 2002

Apache responds to web server criticisms

Version 2.0 made more stable to encourage take-up  23 Sep 2002

Apache gives early warning for security

Open source software creator Apache Group says firms wanting early warning of security flaws must be more proactive  15 Jul 2002

Apache quells scaling doubts

Apache plus Red Hat gives Windows 2000 and IIS a run for their money on four-way Intel servers  21 Jun 2002

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