>>>>> "Lex" == Lex Spoon <lex at cc.gatech.edu> writes:

    > Patrick Logan <patrickl at servio.gemstone.com> wrote:

    >> I would get one of the real Web servers like Apache. I am
    >> currently trying out the AOLserver, which is also free and
    >> full-featured. I would connect one of these Web servers to
    >> Smalltalk...

    Lex> Once you've got "parse a request" and "lookup a handler",
    Lex> what more features does a web server need?

The benefits depend on your needs. Here are some things on the
AOLserver feature list that I would rather use than build myself:

* Web-based Administration

* Fast and efficient handling of simultaneous connections through a
                                combination of multi-threading,
                                in-memory caching, and single-threaded
                                asynchronous I/O.

* Multihomed Architecture

* Secure Sockets Layer

* Hierarchical Access Control - Restrict access to all or part of your
                                Web through lists of users, groups,
                                and/or client address

* FTP Server - Uses the same access control as the HTTP server and
                                lets you write scripts that run every
                                time pages are uploaded or downloaded

* SHTML server-side includes

* etc.

-- 
Patrick Logan                 mailto:patrickl at gemstone.com
Voice 503-533-3365            Fax   503-629-8556
Gemstone Systems, Inc         http://www.gemstone.com

Now they have Isomighty Apomorphin Power LaGrangers.  Kids.