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PocketPC Wireless Webserver

Patrick Morris writes: "I learned that I could put Linux on my iPaq... so of course I did. I did a little research and found thttpd already ported to the ARM platform... So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver. Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it."

206 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. 46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by metacosm · · Score: 3, Funny

    I am currently taking time (measured in seconds) until total slashdot meltdown of the poor little ipaq.

    1. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by ImaLamer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      300+ when I went.. very good I would say.

      Good idea giving your ipaq the stress test this way. Very, very cool hack.

    2. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by pi+radians · · Score: 1

      I got to it at 130 hits.

      Honestly, I'm surprised to see that it has done as well as it has, although the real bottle neck won't be the processor as much as the connection probably.

      Here's to another 130 hits!

      --

      sin(6cos(r)+5A)
    3. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by geoffreya · · Score: 1

      As of this post it's still up. I'm thinking though that it is the bandwdth issue, and not the capabilities of the OS or server, that would be the limiting factor. What are the connectivity specs?

    4. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by zardor · · Score: 2

      519 hits, and iPackedUp

      Do Not Surrender to the lameness filter!

      --
      -- We don't understand software, and sometimes we don't understand hardware, but we can *see* the blinking lights
    5. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by Xaoswolf · · Score: 1
      Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand

      slashdot meltdown

      And it's even cooler when the ipaq fuses directly to your hand. No clue how many hits it has, since it's suffering from the slashdot effect. I'm sure it was a good idea while it lasted

    6. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by MaxVlast · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Is it really that cool? (Disclaimer: It's slashdotted, so I can't see the details.) From the post, it looks like a guy installed linux on his ipaq and found a ported version of httpd, turned it on, and submitted the story. Big deal.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    7. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by mjstrom · · Score: 3, Funny

      That burning sensation in your pocket? That's your iPaq on Slashdot....

      1...2...3.... its down for the count.

    8. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except it isn't cool. He took existing tech and didn't do anything exceptionally impressive. Running a webserver with a GameBoy Advance was cool. This is not worthy of /..

    9. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by Locutus · · Score: 2

      This isn't too unlike Bill Gates putting a WiFi card in a flatpanel computer and acting like David Copperfield by walking around with it like it's magic. That capability has been built into X11 for over 10 years but it's big news when Bill finally figures out how to do it....

      You are correct, this is really no big deal but it won't get on the front of eWeek either.

      by the way, it must have been cool enough for you to click thru to the forum..... If you don't think a story is interesting, why not skip it?

      LoB

      --
      "Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
    10. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by MaxVlast · · Score: 2

      I haven't done anything cool today, but I've done cool things in the past. I built a wearable webcam back in '98-'99. I think that's a lot cooler than installing software. I install software every day. I don't submit stories to Slashdot about it. Maybe that's why I'm not cool. If that's it, then I'm glad I'm not cool.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    11. Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet? by MaxVlast · · Score: 2

      Well, the device wasn't responding, so I wanted to read the comments before being cynical. It might have been legitimately cool, but I wouldn't have known without reading the first few comments.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
  2. Comment edited obviously by rhadamanthus · · Score: 3, Funny
    What he originally said was, "So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver, and I want to kill it"

    ----rhad

    --
    Slashdot needs to interview Natalie Portman.
    1. Re:Comment edited obviously by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 1
      "What he originally said was, "So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver, and I want to kill it""

      This article is proof that getting slashdotted has become a covetted honour.

    2. Re:Comment edited obviously by kzinti · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Really. Do us a favor, Taco & Co.: the next time someone writes in to say that he has a web server running on his ancient computer / handheld computer / kitchen appliance / Craftsman power tool / wife's electronic pleasure toy, please DON'T BOTHER to post it unless the submitter can reasonably claim that said device can handle the slashdot effect. Now, if they have a how-to / making-of site complete with story and pictures, on a server that can handle the load, now that's cool. But this assisted suicide of unusual web servers is just kind of pointless and perverse otherwise.

      --Jim

    3. Re:Comment edited obviously by SuperguyA1 · · Score: 2

      Because the only interesting thing about this is seeing the webpage? What about the cool use of wireless technology. What about the potential of keeping your webserver with you to tell your family/friends where you are via http. Who cares about the /. effect. If the owner of the ipaq doesn't then no big deal. I don't mean to flame but I hate reading an interesting story only to be filled up with comments from people who don't care about it. IF YOU DON'T CARE WHY TAKE THE TIME TO COMMENT!

      --
      "as plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee" - Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz. (One man's humorous is another mans flamebait)
    4. Re:Comment edited obviously by adaknight · · Score: 1

      In fact, his original caffeinated words were "look, I have this iPaq running linux and a webserver." The BOFH response: "we'll see about that ..."

      --
      hrm. then again. maybe not.
    5. Re:Comment edited obviously by errxn · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, I'd love to see a webserver on an "electronic pleasure toy" that can "handle the load".

      --
      In Soviet Russia, Chuck Norris will still kick your ass.
    6. Re:Comment edited obviously by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 3, Insightful
      "I don't mean to flame but I hate reading an interesting story only to be filled up with comments from people who don't care about it."

      Try reading the comment you replied to a little more closely. The person explicitly supported the notion of publishing these things if there's an actual story we can read. But in a case like this, all we have is a Slashdot summary that boils down to, "So I, uh, installed the prepackaged webserver and stuff on my iPAQ."

      I hate the people who mindlessly bash every interesting project, but in this case, there's nothing to actually read about here. It isn't even an interesting hack, in that the webserver was apparently already packaged and ready to go. All this guy did was install it. And if he actually did more, we wouldn't know since there's no link to a robustly hosted story of what was done.

    7. Re:Comment edited obviously by neilb78 · · Score: 1

      I think it's really neato :) I just love crashing stupid people's lame devices.

      --
      © 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  3. It's just as cool by Enry · · Score: 2, Interesting

    as getting slashdotted. You dork.

    There's a bunch of web servers ported to ARM. Heck, my Zaurus can run Apache and PHP.

  4. Visitor 118 by Trak · · Score: 1

    I'm probably one of the very few people that will see the page before the PDA explodes in flames. I can't believe he posted the URL to /.

  5. ... not anymore by darekana · · Score: 2, Funny

    ya don't.

  6. Not any more.... by billnapier · · Score: 1, Redundant

    , I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver.

    Not anymore. Why would you put a link to it on /. of all places? Even huge sites quiver at the thought of the /. effect. That poor ipaq...

  7. This guys cool, but a little nuts... by Bryan_Casto · · Score: 3, Funny

    Anyone ever seen an iPaq burn before?

    --

    Bryan J. Casto
    bryan.casto(a)gmail.com
  8. Re:First Post!! by MImeKillEr · · Score: 1

    Foiled again!

    Stupid 20 second rule (and 2 minute rule as well... *sigh*)

    --
    Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
  9. We need a new Slashdot poll. by Tweezer · · Score: 5, Funny

    How long until this Ipaq is slashdoted?

    30 sec.
    1 min.
    5 min.
    10 min.
    1 hr.
    CowboyNeal

    1. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by Mr.+Sketch · · Score: 2

      I got a connection refused, so I'm guessing it took about 5-10 minutes.

    2. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by adamjaskie · · Score: 1

      Well, its gone now @ 30 minutes, so your poll doesnt have the correct answer (i did access it about 5 minutes ago, so i know it wasnt down then, but i just tried a few times and get a connection refused)

      --
      /usr/games/fortune
    3. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by adamjaskie · · Score: 1

      hmm it seems the clock on my computer is somewhat innacurate. ATM it says 12:00 lol. Make that 14 minutes rather than 30 minutes.

      --
      /usr/games/fortune
    4. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by gustave7 · · Score: 1

      its a little late now ........ it has already been /.ed ...... he should install ..... panoptis (panoptis.sourceforge.net) ......... wait not anti DOS software can thwart the /. effect ......ahhhhhhh

    5. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by djdavetrouble · · Score: 1

      maybe he just got on the subway or a elevator...

      and he was definitely asking for 'it'

      --
      music lover since 1969
    6. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by zmooc · · Score: 2
      I haven't seen the site so I don't know how large it is, but last time I checked, a 200mhz pentiumpro was fast enough to fill a 10mbit link so I don't see how it's even interesting when it gets slashdotted; when the iPaq is properly configured, the uplink will be the bottleneck, not the iPaq.

      I don't see what the big deal is; a few years ago 200mhz/64mb was a pretty normal configuration for a webserver. The iPaq is just a bit smaller. Maybe if a take a picture of my cellphone running tetris, I'll make it to /. mainpage as well! woohoo.

      --
      0x or or snor perron?!
    7. Re:We need a new Slashdot poll. by arivanov · · Score: 2

      Nope. These are numbers for normal/benchmark load. Not for half of the geek universe trying to get to it.

      After the link will get severely congested the number of SYNs flowing towards the IPAC will exceed what it can handle.

      In order to survive a slashdot effect on a low end device you need to rate limit them. Otherwise you are dead. In other words the slashdot effect nowdays is by no means different from a decent SYN flood.

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
  10. Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by DavidpFitz · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm sure that this poor little beastie will buckle sooner rather than later, here's what it said: (Plus a hit counter underneath, at 165 when I visited)

    ---

    This server is running from a Compaq iPaq 3765 running the Familiar distribution of the linux operating system. The http server is thttpd which can be found here. Furthermore, this server is completely wireless. The only cable plugged in is a power cord to replenish the battery.

    1. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by MrSeb · · Score: 1

      435 when I visited - it's standing up pretty damn well...

      Bear in mind that the 'wireless' bit is most likely Bluetooth, which has a theoretical cap of 720KBps, sooo...

      The Slashdot Effect gets yet another new type of target to kill.

    2. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Verteiron · · Score: 1

      It's at 418 as I post this... going pretty well so far!
      <ObMSTroll>Already doing better than some IIS installations I have seen</ObMSTroll>

      --
      End of lesson. You may press the button.
    3. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Sc00ter · · Score: 2
      Why Bluetooth? I would assume either compact flash WiFi card, or a PCMCIA WiFi card, that will bring you up to 11Mbps.

    4. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by DavidpFitz · · Score: 2

      I forgot to mention it's also got a picture of itself underneath the main text. It's not very exciting, just a picture of an iPaq and a bluetooth card. Took so long to appear I didn't realise it was there originally! Also, it seems to have timed out half way down. Poor little thing.

      Mind you, 610 hits and still going... I'm impressed. It must have had 500 in 5 minutes.

    5. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by cetan · · Score: 1

      I saw the hit-counter reach 479 but when I went to re-load a few minutes later it stopped responding.

      --
      In Soviet Russia...michael would be rotting in Siberia!
    6. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by zadkat · · Score: 1

      I saw 354... and now... Nothing. I hope he's proud of taking a defenseless little beastie, Teathering it by it's power cord and then calling us to hunt it. Well, that little Ipaq is free of our injurious gaze. At least I only took a screen shot of it. Leave nature where you find it!

    7. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by WoofLu · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ok.. now you can stop .. the owner has finished heating up his meal!

    8. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by MrSeb · · Score: 1

      Probably because the model he has (the 3875) has built-in Bluetooth capabilities.

      If he wanted to use the Wi-Fi PCMCIA card/CompactFlash-style card then he'd have to get the iPAQ expansion jacket, which costs quite a bit :)

      And neither of the 11Mbit solutions are cheap at all for PCMCIA or CompactFlash.

    9. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Sc00ter · · Score: 2
      You can get a PCMCIA WiFi card for $70, that's not bad. It would make more sense to use that too. Since wouldn't using the Bluetooth require some hacking around? I don't know if you can do TCP/IP over Bluetooth without messing around, but as long as you have the drivers for the WiFi card it will work like a charm with no modifications.

    10. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Strog · · Score: 1
      You can get a PCMCIA WiFi card for $70, that's not bad

      But you have to get a $150 sleeve to plug it into an iPAQ.

    11. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Rogerborg · · Score: 2
      • here's what it said: This server is running from a Compaq iPaq 3765 [...]

      Aww, bless. It's like the real (the real) old days of the web, when you would actually hear by word of mouth that there was a new picture of a shiny rock or a dinosaur over at http://160.111.252.106, and you'd rush to view it! (And for those who weren't there, no I am not being sardonic).

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    12. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by MR.Gates · · Score: 1

      Acually it's a 3765, I have the same model. The 3765 does not have bluetooth. Also if you look at the image on the page(or one of the mirrors) you will see that the WiFi card is a Linksys wpc11 802.11b.

      --

      A few hours grace before the madness begins again.
    13. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Strog · · Score: 1

      The parent of the post I replied to stated that it was a model with bluetooth so wireless would be free. The post I replied to said it would "only" be $70 to add a PCMCIA card. My response is that it is more like $70 plus $150. $220 wouldn't be a deal-breaker for most people but seems ridiculous to spend if you already had wireless built-in.

      It seems that the iPAQ in question didn't have bluetooth so the cost would be very similar either way if he had to go wireless.

      If you think that adding half the cost to an item is insignificant then I wouldn't want you doing any type of accounting for me.

    14. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by Myko · · Score: 1

      The only cable plugged in is a power cord to replenish the battery.

      Um, isn't that a wire? Maybe the Net connection is wireless, but the server is far from completely wireless if it requires a power tether...

    15. Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed... by twiztidlojik · · Score: 1

      Yep. He should have a tesla coil or something running so it gets a little power. Oh, and shield the innards from the tesla coil. Just expose a little wire for charging. THAT would be cool, a completely wireless webserver, but the power bill would be a bitch.

      --
      I will now redundantly add my name to the end of my post. You know, in case you forgot me or something.
  11. the question is by Jacer · · Score: 1

    will he run out of bandwidth, or processing power? it's 206mhz, but also, he's probably got a cable connection or some sorts, i thought karma suicide was stupid until i posted my webserver on slashdot, my webserver running on my iPAQ

    --
    --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
    1. Re:the question is by danamania · · Score: 2

      will he run out of bandwidth, or processing power? it's 206mhz, but also, he's probably got a cable connection or some sorts

      Even at the relatively low amount of hits my server gets from posting here - and a few extra when I post the odd +5 modded post, it's bandwidth that's sucked up far before the machine itself crawls to a halt - and thats on a 40Mhz 68040!. Serving to my internal network keep shuffling along happily :)

      Getting it to the outside world isn't like pumping water through a small pipe... it's kinda more like trying to pee cold tar.

      a grrl & her server

    2. Re:the question is by Jacer · · Score: 1

      my server is on a 400, and i use was use between 60-80% normally, when i really get in a bind i get that horrid 99% usage, ish! anyways, i run a counterstrike server, a ftp server, a web server, and a file server, and a NAT/router box....for all of my room mates

      --
      --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
    3. Re:the question is by Geekboy(Wizard) · · Score: 1

      40Mhz 68040

      Is that a Quadra 950?!? I always wanted one of those (well, after the 840AV of course ;-)

    4. Re:the question is by danamania · · Score: 2

      Is that a Quadra 950?!? I always wanted one of those (well, after the 840AV of course ;-)

      Whoops - I lied! it's a 33Mhz 040 - in an Overclocked Quadra 605 - just for the fun of it - as with the iPaq. It's not like it'll REALLY kill the lil handheld - just keep it a bit occupied for a while!

      a grrl & her server

  12. Up to 239 hits now. by DysonSphere · · Score: 2, Funny

    about a 10 second access time..

    Put up some porn ;-)

    --
    Mommy. What's a karma whore?
  13. At least he was smart enough... by freerangegeek · · Score: 1

    Not to try to run the webserver under Windows CE using IIs. :)

  14. Ha by almeida · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it."

    Right, cool until it melts in your hand and you end up looking like Johnny Tremain.

  15. The first webserver on an IPAQ by Mr.+Sketch · · Score: 4, Funny

    is now the first slashdotted handheld device.

    1. Re:The first webserver on an IPAQ by Test+Drive · · Score: 1

      No, no.. I think my iPAQ was the first one to be slashdotted. ;)

    2. Re:The first webserver on an IPAQ by Strog · · Score: 1

      Thank goodness. I didn't think I was going to be able to hold this webserver in my hand much longer. Good thing they didn't mention it on /. 3 years ago or it would have been pummelled into the ground too. Oh wait, they did.

  16. Mirror by myz24 · · Score: 1

    Since there is not way in hell this little guy is going to take a slashdot style beating, I've mirrored it here

  17. So? by noahm · · Score: 5, Informative
    Honestly, what's the big deal here? There's a Linux box running a web server. Is that a big deal anymore, even if it runs on "exotic" hardware? I'm sure this isn't the first web server run on a handheld. It's definitely not the first web server run on a Linux handheld. And it's not the first web server run on a Linux handheld over 802.11b.

    Here, just for fun, is a link to my iPaq running thttpd over a wireless link. It's really nothing spectacular.

    noah

    1. Re:So? by dinivin · · Score: 2, Flamebait


      Agreed. I did the same thing with a IBM z50 last year. Slashdot is getting even more pathetic than usual, posting this kind of crap.

    2. Re:So? by Erasmus+Darwin · · Score: 4, Insightful
      "Is that a big deal anymore, even if it runs on "exotic" hardware?"

      I have to agree with you on this not being anything noteworthy. Slashdot has had a number of interesting wacky webserver postings over the years (including the one that was supposedly potato powered and one running off a pinball machine), but the iPAQ one just can't compete on pure novelty. Hell, the platform isn't even particularly underpowered -- I'm sure there are quite a few traditional Linux boxes that've run webservers with less memory and processor speed.

      I could understand if it had some sort of actual feature on the site that related to its handheld nature (such as tying it to a GPS and allowing people to track the server), but that doesn't seem to be the case here (though it's slashdotted, so I can do little more than guess).

    3. Re:So? by BagOBones · · Score: 1

      I am getting a little tired of these projects as well..

      My question is WHY?? because you can??

      Why not put more effort in to user interface design, usability or something to advance the platform instead of these gee whiz personal projects. What purpose does you web server hold (it can't support more than a few megs of content and a handfull of users)? If you where the one who ported thttpd then it would be new because you where making it more efficient and usefull.

      --
      EA David Gardner -"... but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun."
    4. Re:So? by realdpk · · Score: 2

      It's things like this that remind me of the good ol' days of the Internet. Call me nostalgic, but I have fond memories of the fishcams, the Internet-connected Coke machines, the Internet-controlled robotics, etc. It didn't matter if they were first, they were still fun toys.

    5. Re:So? by Rogerborg · · Score: 2
      • Here, just for fun, is a link to my iPaq running thttpd over a wireless link [18.24.6.206]. It's really nothing spectacular.

      Ah, you're just griping because the story submitter is getting a thorough slashdotting, and your server (as I write) is still up. Tell you what, I'll keep hitting refresh until it dies. ;-)

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    6. Re:So? by noahm · · Score: 2
      My question is WHY?? because you can??

      Well, there's nothing wrong with trying to do something just to see if you can do it, especially if it's somehow novel. But when it's a simple matter of running 'ipkg install thttpd' to get a web server up and running, there's nothing newsworthy about it. Hell, the mere fact that thttpd is already packaged with familiar should have been an indication to the guy that there's nothing new about the idea of a web server on an iPaq.

      noah

    7. Re:So? by NeMon'ess · · Score: 2

      Call me crazy, but when your comment is at score 3, is it not? I clicked on the #3652860 but it has no moderation. I thought "underrated" shows up. On the reply screen, your comment is rated score 2. I refreshed the first screen and it is still score 3. What the hell? What bug is this, how does it happen?

    8. Re:So? by alistair · · Score: 2

      From Netcraft

      "The site 24-6-206.wireless.lcs.mit.edu is running thttpd/2.20c 21nov01 on Linux.

      Linux users include Rackspace, www.dialtone.com, www.vasoftware.com and Borders.com

      We have no uptime data for 24-6-206.wireless.lcs.mit.edu at present, and cannot plot a graph.

      The host 24-6-206.wireless.lcs.mit.edu has been added to the list of sites that we may monitor. We will start monitoring 24-6-206.wireless.lcs.mit.edu in the next daily monitoring cycle.

      We will continue to monitor this host for a few days, to get enough values to plot a graph. After this time the host will not be monitored again unless it's requested again, or it is one of the most frequently requested hosts."

      So for those that are intersted, keep checking this on Netcraft to see on the sitability of the wireless iPac as a hosting platform, you could even compare it to slashdot's uptime.

    9. Re:So? by noahm · · Score: 2
      We will continue to monitor this host for a few days, to get enough values to plot a graph. After this time the host will not be monitored again unless it's requested again, or it is one of the most frequently requested hosts."

      Well, I do plan on going home tonight, and I have better uses for my wireless card than to sit and accumulate uptime for my little web server. So netcraft is going to end up plotting a flatline for this guy.

      So for those that are intersted, keep checking this on Netcraft to see on the sitability of the wireless iPac as a hosting platform, you could even compare it to slashdot's uptime

      Now that would be interesting. I wish I had a microdrive so we could install slash on the iPaq and see how it would handle dynamic sites and databases. It's not having any trouble with the load from Slashdot. It's served over 3000 pages and it's load average is consistantly around 0. It hasn't had any trouble with the kids out there who keep clicking reload rapidly in an attempt to make it fall over.

      I do wonder how many pages the original story submitter's iPaq managed to serve.

      noah

    10. Re:So? by malfunct · · Score: 1

      Hmmmmm too bad I sold my ipaq, thats kind of a nifty idea :P Though what I really wanted to use my ipaq and GPS for was to make maps of trips I had taken. Never got the energy to do that though and having back the $400 was nice.

      --

      "You can now flame me, I am full of love,"

  18. it's not the size of the cpu... by eyeball · · Score: 2

    poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver.
    We used to run a 100mhz sparc with 64mb that did 750k dynamically generated hits per day.

    It's amazing what is considered slow...

    --

    _______
    2B1ASK1
    1. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by MaxVlast · · Score: 2

      Hell, when I was a freshman, I used a DECstation 5000 to serve a pretty busy webcam and an elaborate cgi-based dynamic site. It wasn't the fastest thing in the world, but it never got bogged down. People these days! Sheesh.

      --
      There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
      Max V.
      NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
    2. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by mj01nir · · Score: 2

      poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver.

      It's amazing what is considered slow...

      No kidding. My current production SNMP management box is a P133 w/ 40MB. It happily runs full-blown Apache, Postfix, MRTG, NetSaint, et. al. *Never* throw away old hardware! :^)

      --
      the no .sig .sig
    3. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by astroboscope · · Score: 1
      > poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver.

      We used to run a 100mhz sparc with 64mb that did 750k dynamically generated hits per day.

      205 mHz is possible (1 cycle roughly every 5 seconds), but how do you get 64 millibytes? Case matters in metric!

      --
      If we were ants living on a Rubik's cube, differential geometry would be a little more confusing.
    4. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      That's pretty vague. What makes the SPARC better than the StrongARM? As one of the prior posters mentioned: It's mostly a perception thing that we think of these PDAs as slow. I recently picked up a Toshiba e310, and was grimacing over its limitations, until I realized that it has 192x more memory (including the flash card), and a CPU that is over 200x faster (given that a 8Mhz 68000 pushed about 0.8 MIPS, and the 206Mhz Strongarm does about 220 MIPS) than the Atari 512ST that I owned as a youth: The Atari ST that seemed virtually limitless, on which I played some great games, and did programming in C++ and GFA Basic (and others did MIDI composition, document publishing, etc). This is ignoring the fact that the 512ST was worlds ahead of the prior generation like the Commodore 64 and Apple IIe. These little PDAs pack a tremendous amount of punch for their size.

    5. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      Doh...I did programming in _C_ on it, not C++. Sorry about any confusion this may have caused.

      BTW: If there are any Atari fans out there, I came across this site that is quite a walk down memory lane.

    6. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by eyeball · · Score: 1

      Point wasn't that one CPU is better than another. It was that the original post said 'poor little cpu' implying that it was overburdened by the task of serving web pages. My point was that the pda is pretty powerful!

      --

      _______
      2B1ASK1
    7. Re:it's not the size of the cpu... by eyeball · · Score: 1

      Oops, sorry, ignore my response. I thought you were referring to my post, not the "yeah but SPARC > ARM. It's not all about the raw Mhz" troll :)

      --

      _______
      2B1ASK1
  19. Other Web Server by timothy_m_smith · · Score: 1

    FYI, Microsoft also ships a micro-web server with the Pocket PC OS. I'd like to compare how long it would take the MS web server to get /.ed vs the Linux/Apache combination on the Pocket PC.

  20. pr0n server ;-p? by fallen1 · · Score: 1

    I guess adding a mobile camera to this would bring a whole new meaning to the pr0n server ... especially if you forget to turn it off and the girlfriend is over for a visit *blink*

    --

    Dream as if you'll live forever.
    Live as if you'll die tomorrow.
    ~Anonymous~

  21. Why use an iPaq? by Grax · · Score: 1, Funny

    when you can use a beowulf cluser of Commodore 64s?

    I'm just kidding. I'm sure you'd have to write your own clustering software in C-64 basic.

    1. Re:Why use an iPaq? by Grax · · Score: 2

      I thought the topic was "what kind of underpowered computers can we use to run a web server and the brag about it so slashdot so they can cripple it with many hits?"

      But what do I know?

  22. what's that you're ipaq'ing? by L.+VeGas · · Score: 5, Funny

    geek: "Hey, is that a webserver in your pocket?"

    me: "No, I'm just happy to see you."

    1. Re:what's that you're ipaq'ing? by WolfWithoutAClause · · Score: 3, Funny
      So, its in his trouser pocket, I just hope he hasn't got a web cam too...

      "Put it away- no take it; I mean, look away loooook awayyyyy"

      --

      -WolfWithoutAClause

      "Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"
  23. It's dead, Jim by Dark+Nexus · · Score: 2

    I hit it at 359.

    Refresh and it was dead.

    Well, on the upside.... If it was the iPaq that burnt out and not the connection dying, he'll be able to try to fix it on his way to the hospital to get those burns he woulda got from holding it when it died!

    --
    Dark Nexus
    "Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."
    1. Re:It's dead, Jim by TaxSlave · · Score: 1

      I hit it at 359.
      Refresh and it was dead.

      So, what you're trying to tell us is that it's YOUR fault.

      One pageview per user, please. No seconds until everybody's had a chance to DDOS a little.

  24. And it goes down by Flagbrew · · Score: 1

    I got to the page when the counter read 531 -- alas, now it is dead.

  25. Re:And if I could install a webserver on a toaster by spectral · · Score: 1

    I would be quite impressed. As opposed to the gingerbread house witches and the swamp witches, the sand witches are the worst kind of all! They have the worst temper of any witch you'll ever hear about. Getting anything installed on them, especially when they're already covered in peanut butter AND jelly, would be quite a feat!

  26. Obligatory visitor count post.... by Anemophilous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I reached it at 9:32am MST and it had 506 hits at that point. That was about 7 minutes or so after the /. post.

    I just went back there at 9:34am and could not reach the server.

    Elsewhere in a galaxy far, far away...but at the exact same time....

    - "what happened? Are you alright?"
    - "I just felt a great disturbance in the force. It was as if a million transistors in an IPaq all cried out at once, and then were silenced. I feel something terrible has happened."

    - A non-productive mind is with absolutely zero balance.
    - AC

  27. R.I.P. by Mr.+Sketch · · Score: 3, Funny

    iPaq webserver
    9:25am-9:35am (MDT)
    May it rest in peace.

  28. Zaurus by IceFox · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For those that have a Sharp Zaurus pda we have been doing this for a while.

    How about Apache with PHP


    Or maybe the smaller Boa web server


    How about a GUI Server manager for these? (screenshots)


    Maybe put MySQL on it too have some more fun!


    How about instructions on how to set up all of the servers (including smb)

    There is nothign quite like getting your data by putting your sd card into the Z, selecting it as the root page and then browsing to it from another box.

    Benjamin Meyer

    P.S. How would you like to play Doom full framerate, multiplayer on the Zaurus! (for free too) It is coming soon! (Quake is more of a technical demo, can't do much without a floatingpoint, but if you want to see Quake on the Zaurus packages are already made.)

    --
    Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
    1. Re:Zaurus by IceFox · · Score: 2

      The link to the Quake demo:

      here

      --
      Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
    2. Re:Zaurus by frankmu · · Score: 1

      and all we need to do is plug a CF wireless card into the zaurus, or a bluetooth SD card. Don't need no stinking sleeve!

      --
      Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
  29. Lets.. by mlati · · Score: 1

    fsck the sucker! ...

  30. I think it died by giskard · · Score: 1

    shame :)

  31. The Trick Would Be If The iPaq Was Streaming Video by thedanceman · · Score: 1

    Now if was doing that...it would be cool!

  32. That's the Tiqit ... by SuperRob · · Score: 2

    The Screen Savers on TechTV had a couple of folks demoing a handheld REAL PC from Tiqit. A full 640x480 screen, built-in keyboard, PCMCIA, Secure Digital, docking ability. Price tag will be steep (upwards of $1000), and the processor isn't as beefy as I'd like, but the built-in screen is SEXY.

    1. Re:That's the Tiqit ... by Animats · · Score: 2
      The designer of the Tiqut showed it in EE380 at Stanford a few weeks ago. It's kind of cute to see a 640 x 480 screen running Windows on something that looks like a Nintendo Game Boy. You need a magnifying glass, though.

      It's not clear what it's for. They're still searching for the killer app.

  33. 615 hits and not slashdotted yet? by Billkr · · Score: 1

    Counter says 615 now.
    Poor thing took 120 seconds to load, but it finally got to it. Time to upgrade to an Xscale processor

    --
    ~Billkr
    1. Re:615 hits and not slashdotted yet? by colmore · · Score: 2

      Now I'm a little confused. 200 MhZ and 64 Megs of ram. Wasn't too long ago when that was standard issue for low-end webservers. I think with proper configuration, it should be able to handle a reasonably heavy load (certainly a few thousand hits)

      Or is the slowness and dropping just from the small pipe?

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    2. Re:615 hits and not slashdotted yet? by rodgerd · · Score: 2

      Wasn't that long ago it was a *high* end web server. Or a high end server, period.

      I'd be interested to know where the bottleneck on the system serving is, because you'd think a 200 MHz CPU serving content off solid state disk would scream along quite nicely.

  34. Add a microdrive to it... by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    Then a gnutella port .... Perfect little device to to carry around then...

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  35. Wireless server farm? by HighTeckRedNeck · · Score: 1

    The question isn't how long till it gets slashdoted. The question is what should happen if it doesn't. Will all the big isp's go to ipac's for their server farm. So (wait for it) imagine a beowulf cluster of these.

  36. threaded webserver maybe ? (like apache) by johnjones · · Score: 2

    oh for gods sake ive been running apache on ARM for a long time

    the reason that you run apache is that it is threaded and can handle multiple connections at the same time and a bunch of other features that I wont list here see httpd.apache.org

    compared to thttpd wich while tiny has no real performance

    I wrote a webserver in about 200 lines so its not hard (mine had images as well)

    the cool thing would be porting a 802.11b stack to a uCOS or eCOS now that would be cool

    regards

    john 'MIPS rules' jones

    1. Re:threaded webserver maybe ? (like apache) by jefp · · Score: 1

      >compared to thttpd wich while tiny has no real performance

      Buh?

      Perhaps you are talking about some other web server called thttpd.

    2. Re:threaded webserver maybe ? (like apache) by joib · · Score: 2

      Well, unless you're running apache 2.x, it ain'tthreaded...
      And thttpd is imho a select() based webserver, which generally means high performance.

  37. Sheesh this isn't special. by juuri · · Score: 2

    The 206mhz strongarm was the CPU used in lots of Network Computers, like the Dnard from Digital which became most of the NCs (that all flopped of course).

    --
    --- I do not moderate.
  38. I must say though ... by TheViffer · · Score: 3, Funny

    /. history "might" have been made with this being the first "hand held" to feel the /. affect.

    Any also why did he do it?

    Because he could :-)

    --
    -- Knowing too much can get you killed, but knowing who knows too much can make you rich.
    1. Re:I must say though ... by maan · · Score: 1

      Oh come on...I still remember the "webserver on a chip" I think...a tiny tiny little tiny chip that had a tcp/ip stack and a minimal web server. IIRC, it also couldn't handle the load (figures...)

      Maan

  39. He did not... by mu_wtfo · · Score: 1

    He did *not* just post a link to a wireless httpd on a freaking *I-PAQ*, did he??? Good lord, he's running the risk of immediate cancer just from the amount of RF energy being channelled through that poor little machine.
    "You're either incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid."
    Naah, it really is pretty cool. Nice work.

    --
    If all the world's a stage, anyone who says they want better lighting spends far too much time in a dark theatre.
  40. YO, PATRICK!!!! by mckwant · · Score: 2

    How long 'till it puked? I'm imagining the following conversation:

    Patrick: Please slashdot my handheld.
    Slashdot Community: Well, OK, if you insist.

    At least let us know how it went....

    --
    ceci n'est pas un sig.
  41. The slashdot effect by zbuffered · · Score: 1

    I'm curious: could a well-configured firewall and lots of bandwidth outside the firewall take care of most of the /. effect? I know ppl like to DOS a lot of these sites, but if you filter that out so that only legitimate hits get through, how much is the load on a simple page (this one's probably ~2k) going to be? I wouldn't think you could handle /. on an iPaq, but what would it take, do you think? What kind of webserver would it take to handle this amount of traffic?

    --
    Synergy is your friend
    1. Re:The slashdot effect by gooberguy · · Score: 1

      Why don't you ask slashdot?

      I think a 1GHz x86 machine with a gig of RAM and a nice SCSI hard drive running linux and Apache 2.0 would be more than enough to withstand a good /.ing (as in "on the front page in a really interesting article" /.ing) Most sites run out of bandwidth first though. A T1 can only get you so far.

      D/\ Gooberguy

      --


      Karma: Meh (Mostly from meh.)
  42. Not Really A Big Deal by great+throwdini · · Score: 2

    I mean, c'mon ... there is at least one person who ported Apache to Windows CE (ApacheCE), so it's not like this particular example is unique in terms of serving networked content. One wouldn't even have to go through the pain of configuring Familiar Linux, as was the case here. Slow news day already?

  43. The real potential of these devices by abe+ferlman · · Score: 2

    The real potential for these devices lies in giving individuals the inalienable right to surveil their personal surroundings at all times. Attach a tiny mic and webcam to this device. Goodbye police brutality. Human rights abuses? Perfect, realtime, documentation.

    Sure there's problems, but if airplanes get blackboxes, humans surely deserve something similar.

    Propose this in congress, and watch which agencies get themselves bent out of shape. Ask yourself what they have to lose from such a device.

    --
    microsoftword.mp3 - it doesn't care that they're not words...
    1. Re:The real potential of these devices by avgjoe62 · · Score: 1
      Oh, give me a break....

      Utterances in a public place or on private property (such as your friend's apartment during a party...), where the speaker has no reasonable expextation of privacy, can be freely recorded, remebered and/or repeated. This is what gives police the power to investigate you when an informant says "I heard these guys the other day..."

      Running a camera in a public place is not prohibited. Your right to privacy and to be consulted about the use of the recording is voided if you perform an illegal act.

      --

      How come Slashdot never gets Slashdotted?

  44. in other news... by mocktor · · Score: 1

    scientists announce webserver discovered running on GM mouse. Slashdot crowd stamp on mouse.

    posting that had to be someone's idea of a joke, right?

    I wonder how long before people combine this sort of thing with mesh networks? Then you could wander around getting your pockets slashdotted all day

  45. Load Test in Progress.... by bahtama · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Can't companies pay Slashdot and it's readers a ton of money to do load testing on servers? Now that would be cool. We could give out a "Slashdot-Proof" certificate or something.

    I was surprised to see Moshe Bar's web server handle the slashdot load just fine. He even says, The server handling this site is a noname PII 500Mhz machine with 256MB RAM, Apache 1.3.20, Mysql 3.23, Linux 2.4.18 and two IDE 6GB disks. Very simple hardware, but it still can withstand the Slashdote tide.

    So what troublemakers really should do is stop writing trojans/bots and instead concentrate on building a community website and make sure it becomes really popular. Then, when you want to unleash a DOS attack, forget bots, IRC and all that other stuff, just post it and away you go! :)

    --

    =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
    Oh bother.

    1. Re:Load Test in Progress.... by realdpk · · Score: 2

      One of the biggest reasons sites succumb to /. is because their pages are created dynamically, either through PHP, perl (or ick, mod_perl), ASP, etc. If all you're serving is static content and you have your web server tweaked properly (in Apache, KeepAlive off, MinSpareServers 4, MaxSpareServers 4, StartServers == MaxClients) you can serve many hundreds of pages per second.

      You might need dual NICs or a gigE though. :-)

    2. Re:Load Test in Progress.... by shess · · Score: 1

      "The slashdot effect" isn't anything amazing, it's not a force of nature. People lard up their http server with all sorts of offpoint crap - mod_perl, mason, php, servlets, database access on every single page (including images), etc, etc, without considering whether that stuff is really necessary, or just cool. And it all works just fine so long as they're getting only a couple dozen hits per hour.

      I remember someone a year or two ago doing a "study" of the slashdot effect. Their hit rate went from something like 30-100 pages per hour to more like 2000-3000 pages per hour, at which point they had a cascade failure (more requests initiated per unit time than requests completed). The machines at work handle a couple thousand pages per minute, day in, day out, and I'm not even certain we could see "the slastdot effect" on our graphs.

      Most sites could save themselves from slashdot by tuning their cache directives and installed a simple http accelerator. Under Linux, it might take a half hour to setup.

      [Unfortunately, you do get the periodic site slashdotted through simple lack of bandwidth. But that's hardly the fault of the machine at the far end of the connection...]

  46. It's pocket dotted! by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

    I fucking HATE iPaqs! People were running webservers on Newtons Aeons ago...

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
    1. Re:It's pocket dotted! by colmore · · Score: 2

      isn't HATE a bit strong of a word? What's there to HATE? I mean, we don't even hate windows. We hate it's market dominance, we hate the business tactics used to gain that market dominance, we hate certain features of it that make working with it a chore, but we really just dislike the product itself and would prefer to use something for ourselves.

      Why do you hate the iPaq? It's certainly not a dominating market force, Palm OS products still command something like an 85% market share, it is a fairly resonably priced bit of equipment (half as powerful as a low-end laptop, a fraction of the size, and half the price)

      I can see where you'd get annoyed about the big deal everyone keeps making about PocketPC devices, but that doesn't mean you hate the products themselves. I mean, as far as I know, an Ipaq has never hurt anyone, no children were born without arms due to the Ipaq, the Ipaq hasn't been found to cause any sort of cancer.

      If you don't see the point, ok. If you'd buy something different for yourself, that's cool. If you think slashdot posted a story that isn't even really news, hey I'm with you. But too HATE the iPaq (all caps no less!) is a little extreme.

      I mean, if you HATE a little computer, what do you feel toward Osama Bin Laden? (or George W. Bush, I'll make no assumptions)

      I don't like this kind of language, because it devalues the few strong terms that the english language has left. I think there are some words that are meant to express strong feelings and should only be used as such.

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
    2. Re:It's pocket dotted! by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

      I hae 'em because I had to make some video for them once - and it's probably the feeblest video playback device ever created.

      --
      That was classic intercourse!
  47. he asked for it. by BenTheDewpendent · · Score: 1

    Hes now walking around with a 2nd degree burn on his leg from the slashdotting and the server is down why didnt he make a mirror 1st?

  48. Why would it die? by tweakt · · Score: 5, Informative
    Guys, it'n on 802.11 wireless.
    Running @ 200Mhz.

    Last time I checked that was more than enough for thttpd. thttpd is a non-blocking non-threaded design... (select()). It's supposed to scale BETTER than apache, etc..

    It will just have it's network link congested I think, but it won't *die* or *crash*.

    1. Re:Why would it die? by richie123 · · Score: 1

      I think your talking about tux2, thttpd is not the same thing.

  49. Re:I don't get it. by hendridm · · Score: 1

    Oh, you must be new here. The goal of any article posted on /. isn't to appeal to EVERYONE all the time. If this was the case, there would be no articles.

    I have found a neat little trick - if you're not interested in an article, skip over it.

    However, I do agree it lacks content. A HOWTO would have been neat, but this is nothing new.

  50. Connection Refused by mu_wtfo · · Score: 1

    "The connection was refused when attempting to contact www.muppas.net."

    Well DUH. Like I didn't see *that* coming.

    --
    If all the world's a stage, anyone who says they want better lighting spends far too much time in a dark theatre.
  51. And as I clicked... by Rexburg · · Score: 1

    All I could think was, "This poor, poor man."

    --

    ---------
    Launch all sig
  52. Timothy agrees by dfenstrate · · Score: 2

    Which is why he posted the story- to punish him for thinking he's creative when he's not. What better way to get the point across than to initiate a core melt down of his ipaq?

    --
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
  53. Re:And if I could install a webserver on a toaster by Alan+Partridge · · Score: 1

    you're not a nerd if you don't care about this kind of techno-trivia. To a nerd this is the very meaning of life itself!

    --
    That was classic intercourse!
  54. I thought timothy was smarter than that! by peterdaly · · Score: 2

    "Hey guys, you know how lots of big servers die when we link to them? I just approved a submition with a link to a webserver running on a hand held! I got a stop watch...want take bets on the number of seconds it lasts? Better hurry!"

    Come on timothy. How stupid is it to post to slashdot a link like this!?

    -Pete

  55. Hello, it's been done by TheHornedOne · · Score: 1

    The Newton had a personal web server written from scratch as far back as 1996. I improved it from 1998 to 1999 and released it to much fanfare, including such features as built-in HTTP-based instant messenging and Newtonscript server-side includes. Heck, some guys with wireless modems in the bay area were able to use it to serve wirelessly. One guy liked it so much, he featured it in Wired mag (when Wired was still cool). The code was released under the GPL in the summer of 1999 and it's been taken and used for rather extensive development. Check out http://npds.free.fr/ for details on the continuing story of the earliest (and perhaps the coolest) handheld web server.

  56. The reson this got posted... by healy · · Score: 1

    As has been pointed out, this is not anything revolutionary. However, /. needed more ad revenue :)

    Being /. Lemmings, we all rush to it. Wait...is that a cliff I see ahead?

    --
    "Jesus saves sinners...and redeems them for valuable coupons"
  57. Try out Linux on an iPAQ by Test+Drive · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you want to try out Linux running on an iPAQ for yourself, we happen to have one in the HP Test Drive Program. We also have a cross-compiling toolchain that lets you compile for the StrongARM from our Alpha servers. Additionally, we have a number of DEC Shark systems which are also based on the StrongARM processor available for your use.

  58. Hmm by alphabet26 · · Score: 2, Informative

    That is very cool... But I'm wondering if this would be a way to host "unsavory" web sites. For example, if you were posting code for building worms or a hate web site. It's easier to hide a ipaq then it is to hide a tower, monitor, keyboard, etc.

    --
    -AlPhAbEt
  59. Re:I don't get it. by MaxVlast · · Score: 1

    So?

    --
    There should be a moratorium on the use of the apostrophe.
    Max V.
    NeXTMail/MIME Mail welcome
  60. Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised... by GeneralEmergency · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...by Microsoft in the early developer kit promotion literature but it never was delivered. I suspect that the RIAA got to them and persuaded them to drop it because the last thing that they wanted to see was people sharing music/files on a mobile, wireless basis. Imagine a subway car full of people sharing music files.

    Now if someone could come up with a wireless, peer-to-peer Gnutella type client....

    --
    "A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
    GeneralEmergency
  61. 'ipkg install thttpd' by moray · · Score: 5, Informative
    Yup, all you need to do to replicate this amazing feat is:

    • Take a few minutes to download Familiar
    • ipkg install thttpd


    There's also the BOA web server if you prefer.
  62. I don't get it by Mike+McTernan · · Score: 1

    What is so impressive about this?

    Writing a webserver for a pocket calculator maybe, but modern handhelds and mobile devices are so powerful that they are close to early desktops in power and storage.

    Mike

    --
    -- Mike
    1. Re:I don't get it by Delight-Delirium · · Score: 1

      Its not impressive, its cute. Just imagine it,

      Hey baby, I've got a web server in my pocket, wanna see???? [eybrow wiggle]

      Do people not have a sense of cute anymore? Yeesh!

  63. Apache for WinCE by boggsj · · Score: 1

    Web server on handhelds is nothing new...
    http://www.rainer-keuchel.de/wince/apache-ce.html
    Only this runs on Windows CE, no Linux...

  64. meanwhile on irc.openprojects.net/#handhelds.org by honeypea · · Score: 5, Funny

    raduga> check out headlines on slashdot!
    raduga> some crazy hacker has apparently managed to run linux on an ipaq!!!!
    dc_> OMFG
    dc_> who??
    dc_> I want one!
    raduga> i dunno
    raduga> but slashdot seems to think its amazing
    raduga> not only linux but an http server!!
    raduga> and wifi!
    dc_> hahaha
    dc_> omg.
    dc_> somone's actualy installed linux on an...
    dc_> iPAQ!!
    raduga> WEIRD
    * honeypea goes to read :)
    dc_> really
    honeypea> theyre really on the ball, arent they
    raduga> slashdot is news for nerds!
    raduga> er. you *are* a nerd, aren't you?
    honeypea> stuff that used to matter!

  65. Re:I don't get it. by moray · · Score: 1

    Um, I've previously had non-firewalled public machines on the net whose last hop was wireless - they had no problem at all running the usual range of service.

    I also have an iPAQ running Linux, and part of the reason I like it is that it's more powerful than the Acorn (ARM-powered) workstation I was still using as my main machine a couple of years back.

  66. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by Mr_Silver · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Now if someone could come up with a wireless, peer-to-peer Gnutella type client....

    Now that would be cool and something I'd love to have a hack at, however, doesn't 802.11b require a base station? In other words, you can't have two people with wireless cards communicating with each other without going through a base station. If thats the case then you couldn't just wander out into the street and hook up with a bunch of people nearby as they'd need access to your network.

    Of course, you could just use bluetooth or IR, but that would mean you'd need 15,000 people stood just a bit too close to each other for comfort.

    --
    Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
  67. oooh-la-la by rocket97 · · Score: 1

    Is that the web in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

    --
    "The two most abundant elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity." -Harlan Ellison
  68. Woo-hoo... by cluening · · Score: 2

    If I had known this was newsworthy, I would have posted a few months ago when I got my Visor (Manos, the Handspring of Fate) running httpd with a Xircom wireless ethernet module...

    --
    Posted from the wireless couch.
  69. iPod by paradesign · · Score: 1

    now it it was on an iPod, that would be cool/newsworthy.

    --
    I want 2D games back.
  70. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by macpeep · · Score: 2

    Yes you can. Either using ad-hoc WLAN or using GPRS. Or using Bluetooth. All three work great for me..

  71. Already done...On 4 year old technology by mkarpinski · · Score: 1
    The Newton 2100 webserver.

    From the United Newton Network Archives:

    Can I use my Newton as a Web Server?


    Yes, there is software called Newton Personal Data Sharing (NPDS) that does that.

    You can also use a NotesWeb by T. Kuwabara

    Check this out: http://www.tow.com/photogallery/20010629_newton_we b_server/

    --
    As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn beyond the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
  72. Sorry we crashed your iPaq, baby, by Delight-Delirium · · Score: 1

    But I think that its simply adorable!! I'd like to walk around with a webserver in my pocket!

    And to those who already did this a year ago: Should've made a post about it! Then it would be you we're all complementing. See?

  73. It's even more fun... by bigfatlamer · · Score: 1
    Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it.

    ...to slashdot the fuck out of it
    --
    There's one thing computing teaches you, and that's that there's no point to remembering everything.
    --Doug Copland
  74. His site is... by jbarr · · Score: 1

    ...obviously /.'ed, so I mirrored his site here...wait...ever mind.

    --
    My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
  75. I have the Fuel Injectors running SMTP and my.... by Razzious · · Score: 2

    Thats right my car is a driving Network. The Chip running my fuel injectors is a mail server. My steroe is cleverly a front for a file server. I have the main combustion system running an apache web-server.

    The neat part is each of the disc brakes are actually Harddrives. Thats right and they are a raid too!

    Oh and I didn't bother with that linux stuff... ALL MS HERE....

    Anyone wanna Drag Race My Web Server?

    --
    Razzious Domini
    I could be a GREAT KARMA WHORE if I could just shed the few morals I have left.
  76. Awesome, but! by InnereNacht · · Score: 1

    "So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver."

    *clicks the link and checks his watch*

    Not anymore!

  77. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by mocktor · · Score: 2, Informative

    >however, doesn't 802.11b require a base station?

    No - 802.11b has two modes, managed and ad-hoc. Ad-hoc sacrifices a bit of performance for the ability to join peer-peer networks that don't have any base station

  78. Toasted Webserver, In more Ways Than One... by virg_mattes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The point is to do something like this to demonstrate that it can be done, because it'll find a use eventually. For example, wouldn't it be really handy to take this toy to a conference, and after giving a presentation, host the support files on it for the day or two? That's just one use I came up with in ten seconds. The reason for doing this may seem silly now, but then the reasons for networking PCs together back in 1980 were fairly dumb, too. Sure, an iPaq won't handle much, but maybe the iPaq2 (or 3 or 4) will have the bandwidth necessary to make this happen. Who knows? But saying it's dumb because you can't conceive a practical purpose for it right now is short sighted and arrogant.

    Virg

    1. Re:Toasted Webserver, In more Ways Than One... by noahm · · Score: 2
      The point is to do something like this to demonstrate that it can be done, because it'll find a use eventually.

      Err, yeah, except that it was demonstrated ages ago and is just not news in any way at all. thttpd is included as a part of Familiar, the iPaq Linux distribution. What "research" did this guy do to find that it had been ported to the ARM? 'ipkg list'. Then 'ipkg install' and he's suddenly got a web server running on an iPaq. Wow, that's some 31337 h4X0r1ng there. If this was something new and different, it might be worth mentioning on slashdot. But it is not new or different.

      noah

  79. TWO IN ONE DAY!!! by mekkab · · Score: 2

    This is incredible news! Release all zig for great justice!

    There are two wireless Ipaqs running web servers!
    Maybe they will vie for control of the airwaves! It'll be duelling, http serving ipaqs!

    Every sentence ends in an exclamation point! The subject line has three! I have a very low threshold for stimulus so everything is exciting!

    --
    In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
    1. Re:TWO IN ONE DAY!!! by mekkab · · Score: 2

      OH MI GOOD GOLLY GOSH! You just blew my mind!

      Again!

      --
      In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
  80. Mine's Smaller! by SuperCal · · Score: 1

    OK that subject line sucked, but anyways... I'm running the httpd webserver on my samsung i300 (a palmOS cell phone). To tell you the truth I find it quit usfull, when one of my fraturnity brothers needs the phone list or GPAs from last semester instead of reading 50 names and numbers out over the phone I turn on the webserver app and give him a URL that he can load up and print out. I think these small PDA/Cell webservers are the prototypes of the small servers almost everything is going to have built in. Imagine having car problems and even befor you know about it the diagnostics computer in you car has already uploaded that information though a wireless link to your local shop, who can then give you a call and set up a repair.

    --
    Business News and Resources: www.usasource.net
  81. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by class_A · · Score: 1

    You do need a base station, but one of the devices can act as a virtual base station allowing you to create a "computer to computer network" in Apple AirPort speak.

  82. Re:thttpd by RetroGeek · · Score: 1

    And that is why you are an AC.

    Those of us who have an account know how to use search engines.

    --

    - - - - - - - - - - -
    I am a programmer. I am paid to produce syntax not grammar. Deal with it.
  83. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by 4of12 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This sounds interesting.

    Do these iPAQs or Zauri come or be augmented with audio, for example?

    A portable web server that streams out live music or video from remote locations (concerts, theatres, seminars, political speeches) would be quite useful.

    Practically, though, you wouldn't want everyone connecting directly to the BW limited wireless device. Better to relay to a cache server with big pipes to handle the multicasting.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  84. oh boy... by tps12 · · Score: 1

    Talk about getting a "hit"...this is gonna be more like a nucular meltdown! LOL.

    --

    Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
  85. Been there done that by cliffjumper222 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Two years ago -
    JUMPtec AMD 486 DIMM PC 66MHz running a Slackware with apache and pppd, getty etc. and ccam (connectix camera capture software) INSIDE a Omnipoint Redhawk 2000 GSM modem hooked up to a Connectix Quickcam bought on eBay for $40. Linked up to mobilewebcam.com (I let it drop so someone else has got it now). Unfortunately, most of this hardware is end of lifed but it was good while it lasted.
    The whole lot spent time between the dashboard of my car and being nailed to a tree looking at my house being built.
    The aim was to build a totally autonomous web cam capable of working anywhere. To avoid slashdotting (even a few hits maxed out the connection) we had it uploading JPEGs to a server but it could be accessed directly, no problemo. The only issue we had was the 9.6k circuit switched connection to the ISP would drop every so often, indeed there were telephone numbers that wouldn't even accept 9.6k connections! Nowadays, we'd use a miniscule GPRS module like this one to get a 33k uplink always-on Internet connection.
    One other problem was that the picture took quite a long time to scan - it was a parallel port connection. So if you moved the camera, like when I was driving, the picture washed out to white fairly quickly. When stationary it worked fine though.

  86. Big Deal.. Sharp Zaurus has Apache + PHP already by gururise · · Score: 1
    If you think thttpd on PocketPC running linux is cool, you'll be surprised to know that the Sharp Zaurus already has Apache and PHP ported to it!

    I have run apache/php on my Zaurus and it works great for serving web pages across 802.11b! I don't know if anyone would try this setup as a production web server; however, it's cool that it works.

    Guru
    ERA Champion Real Estate

  87. Slow news day? by dasmegabyte · · Score: 2

    About six months ago, somebody excitedly mentioned that they had successfully ported a webserver to WinCE. And I was thoroughly unimpressed, since the first thing I ever ported to the OS was Apache and it was almost a cakewalk.

    Now, somebody has done the exact same thing except they've bound the webserver to a wireless card. Is this worthy of another post? I say thee nay, CorporalBurrito.

    Anyway, I think the key here is that you palm kiddies don't understand an important thing about PocketPCs: they are not data managers, they do not simply replace a pad and pencil, they are not neat toys, they are not proof of concept demo pieces. They are PCs that fit in your hand, and anything you can do on a PC and fit into the 320x240 resolution you can do with a palm PC. My Cassiopeia has about the same power and ability of my old Cyrix 166, and I use it to do the same things I used to do -- I play games, I word process, I web browse, I manage files, I play music and movies, I compile programs and so forth. It's not like the palm world, where you're often crippled by the same design requirements that give you your long battery life -- a weak screen, a slow chip, little memory.

    Is it impressive that I can play networked Quake and use Java c-s apps and run PostgreSQL and ssh into my server wirelessly from my pocket pc? Yes. Is it newsworthy? Not on your life.

    --
    Hey freaks: now you're ju
  88. /.ed Pocket PC by ehiris · · Score: 2

    Try explaining that to the Compaq tech support.

  89. What about an app server on an Ipaq?? by jamesdood · · Score: 1

    What about a Java app server on a Ipaq?? check this out http://www.zeosoft.com Web servers on an Ipaq are not that exciting. This server runs on WinCE and Savaje very cool...

    --
    *narf!*
  90. Until... by DraKKon · · Score: 1
    Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it."


    Until you submit it to /. and get the crap beat out of it. :)
    --
    "It's not like your minds are as open as the source you love..." - Me to the majority of Slashdot.
  91. Newton Message Pads... by heyjero · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...have been doing this for a long time. Here is a site that lists a few running Newton Message Pad web servers.. http://misato.chuma.org:2110/ I didn't get to see the IPaq's page, but the Newton's pages listed here are pretty remarkable.

    1. Re:Newton Message Pads... by tech_ed · · Score: 1

      Agreed... I've been running a Newton webserver for a while now! And there are even some that are running webservers wirelessly! And that's on machines that were discontinued 5 years ago! Heck, my current Newton Webserver is an 8mb MP2100, and it hums along just fine at 219Mhz! Ed

  92. Palm Pilot Web Server by Aldurn · · Score: 1

    Okay, so it's neither Linux, nor Apache, nor thttpd, but it's Palm, so it's not Microsoft, so it's not evil, right?

    There exists a web server for Palm, which will serve up your memos, documents, addresses, and whatever else you want. And you can connect your Palm to the Internet through a cell phone (yay, 14.4Kbps.)

    My friend decided to try buffer overflows on the thing, and it survived. Didn't even go down with a "ping -f", which I thought was fairly amazing.

    --
    char sig[120] = "\0"
    1. Re:Palm Pilot Web Server by SuperCal · · Score: 1

      I like to run it on my Samsung i300(Palm powered Cell phone). I have found however that it will go down with only two requests at the same time. Oh well. Its still fun

      --
      Business News and Resources: www.usasource.net
  93. Webserver in your hand by karlowfwb · · Score: 1

    "Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it."

    You mean, as opposed to a laptop?
  94. can it beat webACE ? by geekFromHell · · Score: 1

    http://d116.com/ace/
    [No, dont expect the webserver to be up and running]

    But its a lot better, cheaper than a *gigantic* IPaq+Linux+thttpd. Sheeesh!
    Show me a webserver running on a PIC microcontroller
    scalable enough to handle the /. crowd, and I'll agree.

  95. Next Week - iPaQ Clustering by ZeroIdea · · Score: 1

    I can see it now, a rack full of iPaQ's running linux in a huge cluster. Should be interesting, who's first?

  96. How long before... by sterno · · Score: 2

    ... some clever hacker has a T-1 hooked up to the wife's electronic pleasure toy? :)

    --
    This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
    1. Re:How long before... by ncc74656 · · Score: 3, Funny
      ...some clever hacker has a T-1 hooked up to the wife's electronic pleasure toy?

      You'd need to find a hacker with a wife before that can happen...

      --
      20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
  97. Check out the intimate project by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 2

    This is old news... the webserver has been abailable on handhelds.org for a while now.

    More intersting in my opinion is the intimate project. Full Debian distro, in your pocket. I currently dualboot to Familiar/Qtopia (for PIM and such, it has a nice UI and fits on my 'paq without a CF sleeve) and Intimate (for everything else, it's a full linux distro). Check it all out at handhelds.org!

  98. Don't forget Sharp by hrbrmstr · · Score: 1

    A wireless web server was s/w task #3 on my new Zaurus. Way no-brainer. (and I bet my linux-native, developer Zaurus/wireless combo was cheaper than the crappy IPaq one...and my battery death won't cause me to have the unit shipped back to home base for repair).

    maybe timothy is just having a bad day. or dreaming [see http://www.monkey.org/~timothy/ @ end of page)...

    --
    Mind the gap...
  99. Another ingenious starwars quote applied by Gekko · · Score: 1

    Honestly how many times do we need that EXACT same quoute used for a slashdotted server. It stopped being funny a few years ago. This is the perfect time in my opinion for a reduant mod. Not redundant in the article itself but repeated ad infintum in a million articles.

    --
    I mod down any one who says "I'm sure I will get modded down for this"
  100. Re:thttpd by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

    Voyeurweb has been running thttpd for over a year now. It has to be one of the best web server softwares out there. We can make a 500Mhz machine serve 100Mb/s of small files and images, without loading the machine down. We typically do thousands of simultanious connections.

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  101. Killer Tiquit App by Llama+Keeper · · Score: 2

    The company I'm working with just got two test Tiquits, we are working furiously on a killer app. Think medical practices.

    --


    Rule of Life Number 2: Remember, it can all go to hell at any minute. --Jimmy Buffet
  102. but the question how does he SYNC his apps? by ericsante · · Score: 1

    How does he sync his datafiles (email, calendar, addressbook) with like Evolution?

  103. Re:meanwhile on irc.openprojects.net/#handhelds.or by npsimons · · Score: 1

    Wow. Someone who reads slashdot AND IRCs at the same time. And I thought I was a loser.

  104. Slashdot - the Dr. Kevorkian of the Internet by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 4, Funny

    Future Slashdot story:

    Man Claims Development of Invulnerability Fabric
    John Q. Public writes, "I just developed a new kind of fabric that renders the wearer invulnerable. I can be found at 123 Main Street, Smalltown, USA and I'll be wearing a suit made from this fabric in case anyone who reads this wants to drive by and take a shot at me."

    --
    A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  105. Ad-Hoc Mode by Akardam · · Score: 2

    If memory serves, most 802.11b wireless card software allows the card to be put into Ad-Hoc Mode, which effectively eliminated the need for a base station. From what I remember, this significantly reduces your range, but it should work in the aforementioned subway car full of wifi users.

  106. 3G by 00_NOP · · Score: 2

    I do think these things are fun. Seems to be that 3G mobile phones will offer the ultimate in 'vanity' servers - does anyone know if the telcos are actively looking at hosting services going on their phones?

  107. A webserver for the PocketPC already exists by seligman · · Score: 1
    Microsoft actually has a web server for the PocketPC 2002. Here's a bit of information on it.

    The basic idea was to be able to port your existing ASP applications to the PocketPC quickly, so you can run them on the device without needing access to a net connection.

    --
    -- It is too late for the pebbles to vote, the avalanche has already started.
  108. Dead by SeanAhern · · Score: 2

    It's dead, Jim.

    1. Re:Dead by noahm · · Score: 2
      It's dead, Jim.

      Mine? 18.24.6.206? Yeah, I only have one wireless card, and I needed it elsewhere. In fact it is now plugged in to the laptop on which I'm typing this post.

      The iPaq handled the load well. It served up about 6000 pages during the day, and the load average was just about 0 the whole time. That makes sense, really, since thttpd only runs serially and was able to keep the single HTML doc cached most of the time.

      Maybe I'll plug it back in tomorrow to see if people keep trying to hit it.

      noah

  109. Still can't connect by KeelSpawn · · Score: 1

    It's been about 5 hours since the first time i've tried to connect to it...but i still can't..geez..

    --
    http://www.palmzone.net
  110. debian.lcs.mit.edu by noahm · · Score: 2
    This thing hauls ass! You should consider adding the kde debs from kde.tdyc.com. Deb heads would love a spry kde apt source.

    Yeah, the box is a 1 GHz P3 with a gig of RAM and a fibre-channel RAID array for storage (no internal disks at all...way cool). It does nothing but mirror debian.

    I don't have the disk space for extra stuff, but I'll happily add kde.tdyc.com once the new disks come. Maybe then I'll also be able to put up ISO images if they're helpful. I've already contacted the vendor and will probably install them by the end of the month. (and if you think SCSI disks are expensive, check out fibre-channel)

    And of course, it's on Internet2, so you'll get very good connectivity if you are on it too.

    noah

    1. Re:debian.lcs.mit.edu by noahm · · Score: 2
      Is this MIT funded box, or are you so hardcore you spent all this $$$ just for the debian cause? Either way you rule.

      It was paid for out of the budget for the group that I work for within the Lab for Computer Science. There are quite a few good mirrors here. Check out xyz.lcs.mit.edu for a bunch more.

      Is this really just a protocol I can compile into my kernel, configure a few things and just punch in a ipv6 link? Or is it much more complicated than that, requiring special network hardware and access. I'd love to play around with it, I'm sure we'll all make the switch one day, I'd like to be ready.

      You don't need to do anything special at all to be on Internet2, except be in the right place. You don't need to speak IPv6, either. Most I2 traffic is IPv4 generated by people who don't even know they're going over I2. The only thing is, you pretty much have no choice but to be at a US university in order to access I2. Chances are, if you're at one, and communicating with another, you're going over I2 without even needing to know about it.

      On the other hand, if you want to play with globally routable IPv6, there are tons of resources for that and you don't need anything that you can't download. I posted some links in a recent Ask Slashdot article on IPv6. Check them out. You will be able to speak IPv6 on the Internet using 6-to-4 translation, which Linux and *BSD can do just fine. Or you can get a free tunnel via Freenet6, though I've not played with that at all.

      Have fun.

      noah

  111. Here it is... by athlon02 · · Score: 1

    one guy posting articles trying to get his PDA slashdotted and I can't even afford an entry level PDA... In case the person who submitted the article sees this:

    if you have that much money to throw away, can I have enough for a 4MB PDA? (Palm or PocketPC based matters not, just needs 4MB, handwriting support, and enough docs so I can write apps in c/c++ and upload them to the thing.)

  112. Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised.. by wjsteele · · Score: 1

    Actually, they did ship a web server for the PocketPC... it is included with the platform development kit. I use it all the time.

    --
    It's my Sig and you can't have it. Mine! All Mine!
  113. Re:meanwhile on irc.openprojects.net/#handhelds.or by npsimons · · Score: 1
    Shut up.


    Oh! I think I hit a nerve! And what witty repartee!


    BTW, YHBT. YHL. HAND.

  114. Palm Vx campus wide (CDPD) wireless web server by jaydho · · Score: 2

    Last year at Drury U in Springfield MO I had a Palm Vx ($199) with a Minstrel CDPD modem (off eBay for $40.) With that you have a dedicated IP anywhere in town and actually in the downstairs below the Commons (cafeteria.) We used to post log entries from the Palm during live band performances downstairs, anyhoo, we also had a web server on the Palm and it was pretty pimp.

    Here are some photos of the setup:
    Pimp Palm Vx with Minstrel Wireless Modem


    Shot of the Palm Vx serving web pages through httpd application (wirelessly!)

  115. Zaurus + TivoWeb + Wireless CF = Remote Control by rwaldin · · Score: 1
    The subject pretty much says it all. I have a Zaurus running Opera, with an 802.11b Compact Flash from ZCom. I also have a DirecTivo with a TivoNet card connected to my network running the TivoWeb service. So what good is all that? I can sit on my couch with the Zaurus and browse to my Tivo and change the channel, rewind, fast forward, etc. Pretty cool, eh?

    OK, fine, I can do the same with my remote control, but Rube Goldberg would be so proud!

    -Ray

  116. It seems as though... by Scoria · · Score: 2

    ... he's replaced his "wireless iPaq" website with a more mundane version. He may have been merely attempting to advertise his URL freely to a wide range of individuals.

    After all, he didn't accomplish an amazing feat. A few commands and some retail hardware will render your iPaq a wireless webserver.

    --
    Do you like German cars?
  117. Pirate internet. by GothChip · · Score: 1

    At first I thought it was useless, then I remembered the end scene of Pump Up The Volume when Christian Slater hooks up his pirate radio to the back of his jeep and drives around so the FCC can't pinpoint his location.

    Get a selection of these IPAQs and mirror illicit content on all of them. Then hide them in the backs of taxis (need to work on a power supply). Host lots of MP3's on them (or a napster style directory).

    Watch the RIAA try and shut this network down when no-one knows the physical location of any of the webservers at any one time.