Sun dropping Netscape Application Server Linux Port
Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the gone-with-the-wind dept.
Matt Fotter was one of the first to write with the news that Sun has decided to re-nege on their original
promise to port Netscape Application Server to Linux, and will be re-leasing the new version next month, sans a Linux port.
What is an Application Server?
by
CodeShark
·
· Score: 4
Simply put, an application server is a translator between HTML requests and (a back end business application (usually a database). My guess is that this definition doesn't really answer your question, so, let me offer a progression which may help you understand where the "web server" ends, and the "application server" begins.
No frills Web Server: can serve static HTML pages, images and links.
Web Server + basic CGI: adds basic forms processing
Web Server + Advanced CGI, or Extensions and database on the same machine (such as Apache's mod-perl to mySql): complex applications including database access, etc.) In this example, mod-perl is actually functioning as an "application server" with Apache being the web server.
Web Server with extensions such as mod perl (or the NSAPI, ISAPI, etc.) with the database on a separate machine: complex applications, etc. This would be a true "application server", like NAS.
Finally, there are extremely high end systems such as Bluestone's SapphireWeb or IBM's Web Sphere where multiple numbers of machines are linked together; there can be multiple HTTP servers, multiple application servers, and even multiple RDBMS layers.
Hope this helps.
-- ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Legacy app tech != Java, CORBA, EJBs, etc.
by
CodeShark
·
· Score: 3
People who need to leverage existing legacy applications using tech such as Java, CORBA, EJBs, etc are the people who need such 'bloated app server'
Hate to rain on your parade, but Java, Corba, EJB's, etc. have nothing to do with the bloat in app servers. And they are not tools for accessing legacy applications, they are tools for more easily creating effective middle layers between the back end databases and the users.
Consider this: I could have a Java Application, a C++ application, a VB application, and even Perl/CGI applications running over the 'net all communicating with an ORB (Object Request Broker) at the same time, and have the ORB process the requests as an application server - transparently to all of the users.
Don't knock what you don't understand.
-- ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Hmmm. Zope sounds good...
by
CodeShark
·
· Score: 3
I've got a bookmark to their page and am very interested, but haven't had much extra time in the way of doing an evaluation.
So I'm posting this question (and may even do an "Ask Slashdot") here: does anybody have performance figures, independent evaluations, experience that they would like to share?
-- ...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Btw NAS costs $35,000 PER CPU! They cite "lack of demand" as a reason for not doing the Linux port (yet). Btw they only sold 75 copies in the last 3 months. (and that was their best yet). Given the cost, it's not surprising Linux demand is low - it's an app for really high end stuff.
Here's a press release about the next version, to ship next month.
This isn't that big a deal. NAS is a very expensive product, and I doubt many places would spend that kind of money on the product and not run it on a Sun system, with a big ol' company behind it that you can sue when it doesn't work.
I'd be a lot more watchful about Sun's involvement in Jakarta, and what support they've had for the Java ports for Linux, than this. The issue is, was this a true demand based decision, or a political decision masked with a demand-based excuse? If its the latter, projects like the Java port for Linux, and Jakarta are probably on pretty tenuous ground.
Wouldn't suprise me in that case if we stop seeing "official" status for Communicator ports for Linux. Thank god Mozilla's coming along quickly -- they can't do squat about that.
Sun is a company that loves Linux because it helps them kick Microsoft around, but may be wising up to the fact that it'll probably turn around and kick them around too. They need to ensure that Linux dominates the low end server area that Microsoft represents a threat to them in, without becoming so capable that it takes over the high-end server area.
Need I say, much kudos to SGI for being much cooler about their Linux support?
Slashdot Mirror
- No frills Web Server: can serve static HTML pages, images and links.
- Web Server + basic CGI: adds basic forms processing
- Web Server + Advanced CGI, or Extensions and database on the same machine (such as Apache's mod-perl to mySql): complex applications including database access, etc.) In this example, mod-perl is actually functioning as an "application server" with Apache being the web server.
- Web Server with extensions such as mod perl (or the NSAPI, ISAPI, etc.) with the database on a separate machine: complex applications, etc. This would be a true "application server", like NAS.
- Finally, there are extremely high end systems such as Bluestone's SapphireWeb or IBM's Web Sphere where multiple numbers of machines are linked together; there can be multiple HTTP servers, multiple application servers, and even multiple RDBMS layers.
Hope this helps....Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Hate to rain on your parade, but Java, Corba, EJB's, etc. have nothing to do with the bloat in app servers. And they are not tools for accessing legacy applications, they are tools for more easily creating effective middle layers between the back end databases and the users.
Consider this: I could have a Java Application, a C++ application, a VB application, and even Perl/CGI applications running over the 'net all communicating with an ORB (Object Request Broker) at the same time, and have the ORB process the requests as an application server - transparently to all of the users.
Don't knock what you don't understand.
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
So I'm posting this question (and may even do an "Ask Slashdot") here: does anybody have performance figures, independent evaluations, experience that they would like to share?
...Open Source isn't the only answer -- but it's almost always a better value than the alternatives...
Btw NAS costs $35,000 PER CPU! They cite "lack of demand" as a reason for not doing the Linux port (yet). Btw they only sold 75 copies in the last 3 months. (and that was their best yet). Given the cost, it's not surprising Linux demand is low - it's an app for really high end stuff.
Here's a press release about the next version, to ship next month.
This isn't that big a deal. NAS is a very expensive product, and I doubt many places would spend that kind of money on the product and not run it on a Sun system, with a big ol' company behind it that you can sue when it doesn't work.
I'd be a lot more watchful about Sun's involvement in Jakarta, and what support they've had for the Java ports for Linux, than this. The issue is, was this a true demand based decision, or a political decision masked with a demand-based excuse? If its the latter, projects like the Java port for Linux, and Jakarta are probably on pretty tenuous ground.
Wouldn't suprise me in that case if we stop seeing "official" status for Communicator ports for Linux. Thank god Mozilla's coming along quickly -- they can't do squat about that.
Sun is a company that loves Linux because it helps them kick Microsoft around, but may be wising up to the fact that it'll probably turn around and kick them around too. They need to ensure that Linux dominates the low end server area that Microsoft represents a threat to them in, without becoming so capable that it takes over the high-end server area.
Need I say, much kudos to SGI for being much cooler about their Linux support?