Purveyor for Windows 95
By Peter Varhol
Process Software's Purveyor for Windows 95 is a desktop Web server that provides the HTTP and CGI protocols for displaying and managing Web pages, and for gaining Web-based access to operating-system services and databases. It also has extensive system-administration tools for defining access privileges, creating groups, and tracking hits.
Like similar Web servers for Windows NT and UNIX, Purveyor for Windows 95 supports FTP and Gopher, in addition to HTTP. This means that your machine can be used as a comprehensive site for displaying pages, running Java applets and CGI scripts, downloading files, and accessing text information.
Why would you want to turn a desktop Windows 95 system into a Web server? Probably the most common use would be in an intranet, where members of a department or group would need access to common files. It could also be used as an Internet Web server, where visitor traffic is expected to be light. For either of these uses, Purveyor provides a set of Web services and system-administration tools comparable to more complex Web servers running on UNIX or Windows NT.
In other words, this is the poor person's Web server. Not in terms of dollars — it costs $295, while a number of other servers for Windows NT or UNIX are available for free — but in terms of the necessary hardware requirements and operating-system skills. A small Web site using Purveyor can be administered by a small firm's LAN administrator, or even by a technically knowledgeable end user.<>
