[Zope] Roxen

[Bill Anderson]

Giampiero Raffaini wrote:
> 
> 16/01/2000 19:43:04
> thanks.
> the point is, is it worth doing it? does it work better than with the standar zope webserver or apache?
> 


Depends on what you want to do. :-)
Also depends on who you are. Are you the administrator of the whole
kit-n-kaboodle, or are you the webdesigner?

For the webdesigner, Roxen and Zope beats Apache/Zope and ZServer alone;
hands down. This due primarily to having more options available, and
being able to make those options work together. For example, the menu to
the left on www.immortalitysystems.net is the resut of a Roxne tag for
making autmated javascript rollovers, and Zope producing the url and
information for the rxml tag. Hence, in this case, I can add a
folder/document/whatever to my menulist, and immediately I get a
javascript rollover that requires no additonal effort on my part, and is
cross-browser compatible to boot.

On www.libc.org I can offer members two ways of doing homepage urls, and
two ways of writing their html. They can choose the zope solution under
Members/membername, or they can choose the ~membername. With redirection
from either webserver, one can be made to be the other, giving a maximal
amount of options.

From the administrative side, putting Zope behind any other webserver
will increase complexity, and usually adminstration. However, there is a
payoff. With pure ZServer-Zope, you don't get SSL, nor the ability to
integrate with static html files very easily (if at all). 

On the Apache/Roxen admistrative side, I much prefer Roxen. I
administered Apache for years, and even worked on an administration tool
for it, so I am not talking from a cursory look into it. With a
Roxen/Zope combo I can completely admister the site(s) through the web
interface. Often times there is no need to restart the server(s)
(haven't had one yet, outside of upgrading, or adding products to Zope),
even when adding new sites to Roxen, adding modules, or modifying
rewriting rules.

Roxen provides many things we don't yet have in Zope, or at a more
polished level. Apache offers a larger community for support and
experience. ZServer provides a one-stop solution when appropriate. As I
said, it boils down to what you need. For some things, Roxen/Zope is
best, others only Zope, and some others Apache/Zope serves your needs.

Bill Anderson

-- 
In flying I have learned that carelessness and overconfidence are 
usually far more dangerous than deliberately accepted risks. 
          -- Wilbur Wright in a letter to his father, September 1900