This is a copy of the C2Net Press Release from 22 Jun 1998

Apache quickly became the most popular web server on the Internet since it was introduced. A recent survey found that over 53% of the web sites on the Internet are using Apache and its derivatives - thus making it more widely used than all other web servers combined. Apache's success is partially because the Apache server is free of charge, partially because the open source development model generates fast bug fixes and wide implementations, and in large part because Apache is generally acknowledged as the most flexible and powerful Web server software available.

ApacheCon '98 is a celebration of this success, and an opportunity for the Apache community to contemplate the future of the server widely acknowledged as the engine that is driving the Internet's phenomenal growth. With four in-depth tracks teaching Apache skills, techniques, and strategies, ApacheCon '98 is sure to be a hit with Internet professionals around the world.

This success has raised eyebrows all around the software industry. Coded by a team of volunteer programmers from around the world, Apache is an open-source HTTP server for various modern desktop and server operating systems, such as UNIX and Windows NT. The goal of the Apache project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible server which provides HTTP services in sync with the current HTTP standards.

The Apache Web Server is coming off a year of explosive expansion and headlines in the computer press worldwide. "The Apache Project has changed thinking about software development across the industry," said Steve Cook, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of C2Net Software, Inc. "Open standards are the cutting edge of the computer industry, because they reflect the needs of the market and not any particular agenda."

"It really is a labour of love," said Jim Jagielski, member of the Apache Group. "Every one of us in the Group are committed to making Apache the best it can be. We are all experienced Net citizens and therefore have a real feel for what's needed. We also listen very intently to what is needed and desired by the Net community, so we can implement those features into Apache. And since we don't have the huge inertia of a commercial company to worry about, we can do it quicker and better than anyone else."

"Apache is the ideal platform for building mission-critical web-based applications," said Sameer Parekh, President of C2Net Software, Inc., whose Stronghold Web Server is the most widely used commercial Apache-based server. "We are especially excited about IBM's recent decision to support the Apache Web Server and the demonstration of this commitment to Apache by sponsoring this conference."

C2Net Software will be handling the logistics and execution of this conference, in keeping with its strategy of synergy with the Apache community. C2Net's Stronghold Secure Web Server, a full-strength, 128-bit encrypting SSL web server, is partially built using code from the Apache server; as a result, the growth of Apache as a web solution has been accompanied by the growth of Stronghold as a secure web solution. "We hope that by coordinating this conference, corporate IS and IT managers will see that Apache presents serious, world-class competition to commercial offerings," said Parekh.

C2Net Software, Inc. is a leading provider of uncompromised network security software. Through its international offshore development programs, all C2Net products are exempt from U.S. government export restrictions, allowing the company to offer uncrippled, strong cryptography solutions to customers worldwide.

The Apache Project is a collaborative software development effort aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade, feature-rich, and freely-available source code implementation of an HTTP (Web) server known as the Apache Web Server. The project is jointly managed by a group of volunteers located around the world, using the Internet and the Web to communicate, plan, and develop the server and its related documentation.