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Is bigger better when it comes to Web-server software? You can make compelling arguments on both sides of the equation, thanks to two outstanding Web-server packages that warrant attention from anyone in the market for a new or improved Web server. On one side is Netscape Communications' release of Netscape Enterprise Server version 4.0-a big package meant for the enterprise. On the other end is Scriptics Corp.'s Tcl Web Server, a smaller-scale tool designed to generate dynamic page content using the I/O tools included in the Tcl scripting language.
Direct comparisons of two drastically different tools are misleading. Enterprises looking for large-scale solutions won't bother with Tcl Web Server, while more creative souls dedicated to open-source software will be put off by the massive size, bulk, and proprietary nature of Netscape Enterprise Server.
If you're charged with choosing Web-server software, these are the sorts of decisions you'll face when evaluating your needs and whether they'll be served by new or upgraded software. Such is the diversity of the Web-server world, where both Netscape Enterprise Server and Tcl Web Server exist in the same software space.
NETSCAPE
Netscape pioneered the Web server in the corporation, only to see its advantage lessen in the face of Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft's Internet Information Server. Add to the mix the onslaught of application servers nibbling at the edge of the Web-server world, and it's amazing that Netscape managed to hang onto its sizable installed base without releasing a major new version in two years. That's why it's good to see the release of Netscape Enterprise Server v. 4.0.
We reviewed a beta copy in anticipation of the product's August 1999 release. There were some holes in the version, typical of beta releases, but we expect that the product will be relatively bug-free by the time it enters general release.
In all respects, Netscape Enterprise Server has been improved. With better database connectivity, moreadvanced security features, and enhanced connectivity to third-party software tools, v. 4.0 is perhaps the most advanced Web server on the market, and blurs the line between Web servers and application servers at a time when the application-server market is beginning to explode.
Management in v. 4.0 has been streamlined with the elimination of a...