In this issue

Apache Site: www.apache.org
Release: 1.2.4 (Released 22^nd August 1997) (local download sites)
Beta: 1.3b3 (Released 20^th November 1997) (local download sites)

Apache 1.2.4 is the current stable release. Users of Apache 1.2.3 and earlier should upgrade to this version. The next release will be 1.3. A beta test release of 1.3 is available now for both Unix and Windows 95/NT systems.

These bugs have been found and fixed in 1.3b4.

Because of the major differences between Windows and Unix, these are separated into bugs which affect Windows systems only, and other bugs (which may affect Windows as well). Unix users can ignore the bugs listed in the Windows section.

Other Bugs

• If the default handler sends out a zero length file using memory mapping (mmap) it may incorrectly log an error saying that "mmap failed".

Patches for bugs in Apache 1.2.4 may be made available in the apply to 1.2.4 directory on the Apache site. Some new features and other unofficial patches are available in the 1.2 patches directory. For details of all previously reported bugs, see the Apache bug database and known bugs pages. Also many common configuration questions are answered in the Apache FAQ.

Development has slowed down over the last couple of weeks to prepare for the release of Apache 1.3. During the beta release cycle Apache is in a "feature freeze" where no new features will be added. The only changes from now on will be bug-fixes.

The December Netcraft Survey Server shows little change in market share over the past month for the free servers. Apache has increased very slightly (by 0.05%), but the overall number of servers known to be based on Apache is down slightly by 0.07% (to 49.90%). However the number of sites using Microsoft servers has gone up by 2.85%, mainly at the expense of commercial servers with smaller market share (for example, the total of servers running on Macintosh platforms is down by 2.54%).

The total number of sites surveyed is still growing, so the absolute number of sites running each of the major servers is still increasing. This is particularly evident on the first diagram on Netcraft's graphs page. Apache now has over three-quarters of a million sites, while Microsoft servers are used on more than 360,000 sites.

Last week we explained how Apache works on Windows 95 and NT systems. This week we show how to download and install the current beta, 1.3b3, without having to compile Apache yourself. Unfortunately this process is not as easy or trouble-free as it should be, but future beta releases will be better.

To get Apache for Windows NT or 95, first download the following two files from www.apache.org (or a mirror site): apache_1.3b3_win32.exe and apache_1.3b3_win32_ext.exe. The first is the installer for Apache. When run it will ask for the directory to install Apache into, with a default of \Program Files\Apache. If you are using Windows NT and want to run Apache as a service, you should change this to \apache.

This installer does not include the documentation or source code, so this needs to be installed separately by running the second program. This is a self-extracting archive, and when it starts you should select the directory in which you installed Apache. This will add the subdirectories htdocs and src to your installed Apache directory.

You now have Apache installed on your system. If you are running it on Windows NT you can now install it as a service, see below. You can also start it from the command line, and on Windows 95 you have to start it from the command line.

To run Apache from the command line, start a command prompt window and change into your installed Apache directory, then enter

apache -d "/program files/apache"

to start Apache going. The -d option gives the directory in which you installed Apache. (Note that here, as in all configuration directives, you must use Unix-style forward slashes for path separators, not DOS-style backslashes). You must always give the -d argument unless you installed Apache into \Apache. If you use this method of starting Apache on Windows NT you should also add the -s argument to prevent Apache waiting to start up an Apache service.

On Windows NT you should install Apache as a service and start and stop it from the services manager. To install Apache as a service, open a command prompt window and change into the \apache directory, and enter

  apache -i

Now you can start (and later stop) Apache from the Services manager (Start Menu, Control Panel, Services).

To remove Apache from the services list, run

  apache -u

This is still an early beta of Apache on Window systems, so changes will be made in future versions. In particular, future releases should come as a single installable file containing all parts of Apache, and it should work better in directories other than \Apache. On Windows NT, the installer may add the Apache service automatically.

Byte looks at how free software is developed, in The Value of Free Software (December 1997). Covering Apache, Perl, Linux and other free software, it defines the "Cathederal" and "Bazaar" processes of software development (from a paper by Eric Raymond). It also shows how free software development encourages commercial activities, such as support and value-added products. It offers some reasons why individuals would spend time ewriting code for free. Finally it lists some things freeware projects often have in common, although unlike Perl or Linux, Apache does not have an indentifiable "personable leader".