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diff --git a/ABOUT_APACHE b/ABOUT_APACHE new file mode 100644 index 0000000..490b806 --- /dev/null +++ b/ABOUT_APACHE @@ -0,0 +1,244 @@ + + The Apache HTTP Server Project + + http://httpd.apache.org/ + +The Apache HTTP Server Project is a collaborative software development effort +aimed at creating a robust, commercial-grade, featureful, and freely-available +source code implementation of an HTTP (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. In addition, hundreds of users have contributed ideas, code, +and documentation to the project. + +This file is intended to briefly describe the history of the Apache Group (as +it was called in the early days), recognize the many contributors, and explain +how you can join the fun too. + +In February of 1995, the most popular server software on the Web was the +public domain HTTP daemon developed by Rob McCool at the National Center +for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. +However, development of that httpd had stalled after Rob left NCSA in +mid-1994, and many webmasters had developed their own extensions and bug +fixes that were in need of a common distribution. A small group of these +webmasters, contacted via private e-mail, gathered together for the purpose +of coordinating their changes (in the form of "patches"). Brian Behlendorf +and Cliff Skolnick put together a mailing list, shared information space, +and logins for the core developers on a machine in the California Bay Area, +with bandwidth and diskspace donated by HotWired and Organic Online. +By the end of February, eight core contributors formed the foundation +of the original Apache Group: + + Brian Behlendorf Roy T. Fielding Rob Hartill + David Robinson Cliff Skolnick Randy Terbush + Robert S. Thau Andrew Wilson + +with additional contributions from + + Eric Hagberg Frank Peters Nicolas Pioch + +Using NCSA httpd 1.3 as a base, we added all of the published bug fixes +and worthwhile enhancements we could find, tested the result on our own +servers, and made the first official public release (0.6.2) of the Apache +server in April 1995. By coincidence, NCSA restarted their own development +during the same period, and Brandon Long and Beth Frank of the NCSA Server +Development Team joined the list in March as honorary members so that the +two projects could share ideas and fixes. + +The early Apache server was a big hit, but we all knew that the codebase +needed a general overhaul and redesign. During May-June 1995, while +Rob Hartill and the rest of the group focused on implementing new features +for 0.7.x (like pre-forked child processes) and supporting the rapidly growing +Apache user community, Robert Thau designed a new server architecture +(code-named Shambhala) which included a modular structure and API for better +extensibility, pool-based memory allocation, and an adaptive pre-forking +process model. The group switched to this new server base in July and added +the features from 0.7.x, resulting in Apache 0.8.8 (and its brethren) +in August. + +After extensive beta testing, many ports to obscure platforms, a new set +of documentation (by David Robinson), and the addition of many features +in the form of our standard modules, Apache 1.0 was released on +December 1, 1995. + +Less than a year after the group was formed, the Apache server passed +NCSA's httpd as the #1 server on the Internet. + +The survey by Netcraft (http://www.netcraft.com/survey/) shows that Apache +is today more widely used than all other web servers combined. + + ============================================================================ + +The current project management committee of the Apache HTTP Server +project (as of March, 2011) is: + + Aaron Bannert André Malo Astrid Stolper + Ben Laurie Bojan Smojver Brad Nicholes + Brian Havard Brian McCallister Chris Darroch + Chuck Murcko Colm MacCárthaigh Dan Poirier + Dirk-Willem van Gulik Doug MacEachern + Eric Covener Erik Abele Graham Dumpleton + Graham Leggett Greg Ames Greg Stein + Gregory Trubetskoy Guenter Knauf Issac Goldstand + Jeff Trawick Jim Gallacher Jim Jagielski + Joe Orton Joe Schaefer Joshua Slive + Justin Erenkrantz Ken Coar Lars Eilebrecht + Manoj Kasichainula Marc Slemko Mark J. Cox + Martin Kraemer Maxime Petazzoni Nick Kew + Nicolas Lehuen Noirin Shirley Paul Querna + Philip M. Gollucci Ralf S. Engelschall Randy Kobes + Rasmus Lerdorf Rich Bowen Roy T. Fielding + Rüdiger Plüm Sander Striker Sander Temm + Stefan Fritsch Tony Stevenson Victor J. Orlikowski + Wilfredo Sanchez William A. Rowe Jr. Yoshiki Hayashi + +Other major contributors + + Howard Fear (mod_include), Florent Guillaume (language negotiation), + Koen Holtman (rewrite of mod_negotiation), + Kevin Hughes (creator of all those nifty icons), + Brandon Long and Beth Frank (NCSA Server Development Team, post-1.3), + Ambarish Malpani (Beginning of the NT port), + Rob McCool (original author of the NCSA httpd 1.3), + Paul Richards (convinced the group to use remote CVS after 1.0), + Garey Smiley (OS/2 port), Henry Spencer (author of the regex library). + +Many 3rd-party modules, frequently used and recommended, are also +freely-available and linked from the related projects page: +<http://modules.apache.org/>, and their authors frequently +contribute ideas, patches, and testing. + +Hundreds of people have made individual contributions to the Apache +project. Patch contributors are listed in the CHANGES file. + + ============================================================================ + +How to become involved in the Apache project + +There are several levels of contributing. If you just want to send +in an occasional suggestion/fix, then you can just use the bug reporting +form at <http://httpd.apache.org/bug_report.html>. You can also subscribe +to the announcements mailing list (announce-subscribe@httpd.apache.org) which +we use to broadcast information about new releases, bugfixes, and upcoming +events. There's a lot of information about the development process (much of +it in serious need of updating) to be found at <http://httpd.apache.org/dev/>. + +If you'd like to become an active contributor to the Apache project (the +group of volunteers who vote on changes to the distributed server), then +you need to start by subscribing to the dev@httpd.apache.org mailing list. +One warning though: traffic is high, 1000 to 1500 messages/month. +To subscribe to the list, send an email to dev-subscribe@httpd.apache.org. +We recommend reading the list for a while before trying to jump in to +development. + + NOTE: The developer mailing list (dev@httpd.apache.org) is not + a user support forum; it is for people actively working on development + of the server code and documentation, and for planning future + directions. If you have user/configuration questions, send them + to users list <http://httpd.apache.org/userslist> or to the USENET + newsgroup "comp.infosystems.www.servers.unix".or for windows users, + the newsgroup "comp.infosystems.www.servers.ms-windows". + +There is a core group of contributors (informally called the "core") +which was formed from the project founders and is augmented from time +to time when core members nominate outstanding contributors and the +rest of the core members agree. The core group focus is more on +"business" issues and limited-circulation things like security problems +than on mainstream code development. The term "The Apache Group" +technically refers to this core of project contributors. + +The Apache project is a meritocracy--the more work you have done, the more +you are allowed to do. The group founders set the original rules, but +they can be changed by vote of the active members. There is a group +of people who have logins on our server (apache.org) and access to the +svn repository. Everyone has access to the svn snapshots. Changes to +the code are proposed on the mailing list and usually voted on by active +members--three +1 (yes votes) and no -1 (no votes, or vetoes) are needed +to commit a code change during a release cycle; docs are usually committed +first and then changed as needed, with conflicts resolved by majority vote. + +Our primary method of communication is our mailing list. Approximately 40 +messages a day flow over the list, and are typically very conversational in +tone. We discuss new features to add, bug fixes, user problems, developments +in the web server community, release dates, etc. The actual code development +takes place on the developers' local machines, with proposed changes +communicated using a patch (output of a unified "diff -u oldfile newfile" +command), and committed to the source repository by one of the core +developers using remote svn. Anyone on the mailing list can vote on a +particular issue, but we only count those made by active members or people +who are known to be experts on that part of the server. Vetoes must be +accompanied by a convincing explanation. + +New members of the Apache Group are added when a frequent contributor is +nominated by one member and unanimously approved by the voting members. +In most cases, this "new" member has been actively contributing to the +group's work for over six months, so it's usually an easy decision. + +The above describes our past and current (as of July 2000) guidelines, +which will probably change over time as the membership of the group +changes and our development/coordination tools improve. + + ============================================================================ + +The Apache Software Foundation (www.apache.org) + +The Apache Software Foundation exists to provide organizational, legal, +and financial support for the Apache open-source software projects. +Founded in June 1999 by the Apache Group, the Foundation has been +incorporated as a membership-based, not-for-profit corporation in order +to ensure that the Apache projects continue to exist beyond the participation +of individual volunteers, to enable contributions of intellectual property +and funds on a sound basis, and to provide a vehicle for limiting legal +exposure while participating in open-source software projects. + +You are invited to participate in The Apache Software Foundation. We welcome +contributions in many forms. Our membership consists of those individuals +who have demonstrated a commitment to collaborative open-source software +development through sustained participation and contributions within the +Foundation's projects. Many people and companies have contributed towards +the success of the Apache projects. + + ============================================================================ + +Why The Apache HTTP Server Is Free + +Apache HTTP Server exists to provide a robust and commercial-grade reference +implementation of the HTTP protocol. It must remain a platform upon which +individuals and institutions can build reliable systems, both for +experimental purposes and for mission-critical purposes. We believe the +tools of online publishing should be in the hands of everyone, and +software companies should make their money providing value-added services +such as specialized modules and support, amongst other things. We realize +that it is often seen as an economic advantage for one company to "own" a +market - in the software industry that means to control tightly a +particular conduit such that all others must pay. This is typically done +by "owning" the protocols through which companies conduct business, at the +expense of all those other companies. To the extent that the protocols of +the World Wide Web remain "unowned" by a single company, the Web will +remain a level playing field for companies large and small. Thus, +"ownership" of the protocol must be prevented, and the existence of a +robust reference implementation of the protocol, available absolutely for +free to all companies, is a tremendously good thing. + +Furthermore, Apache httpd is an organic entity; those who benefit from it +by using it often contribute back to it by providing feature enhancements, +bug fixes, and support for others in public newsgroups. The amount of +effort expended by any particular individual is usually fairly light, but +the resulting product is made very strong. This kind of community can +only happen with freeware--when someone pays for software, they usually +aren't willing to fix its bugs. One can argue, then, that Apache's +strength comes from the fact that it's free, and if it were made "not +free" it would suffer tremendously, even if that money were spent on a +real development team. + +We want to see Apache httpd used very widely--by large companies, small +companies, research institutions, schools, individuals, in the intranet +environment, everywhere--even though this may mean that companies who +could afford commercial software, and would pay for it without blinking, +might get a "free ride" by using Apache httpd. We would even be happy if +some commercial software companies completely dropped their own HTTP server +development plans and used Apache httpd as a base, with the proper attributions +as described in the LICENSE file. + +Thanks for using Apache HTTP Server! + |