Many programmers have boasted, "if the hardware can talk, I can make it sing." How true the statement really is depends on the individual programmer.

Peter N. Lewis and Chuck Shotton are two of the better known Mac Web Server Programmers. Their programs, FTPd (distributed by Stariways Software) and WebSTAR (distributed by StarNine Technologies) are the best WWW server software you can buy. Their shareware versions can start you on your way to a full Web Site in a matter of minutes.

Before buying software, consider what machine you're going to put it on. Minimum requirements for most web server software are System 7.1 and MacTCP. On a Mac Plus or SE, System 7 requires 4 megs of RAM. One of the few server software packages that does run on System 6 is FTPShare, by White Pine Software. FTPShare will add to System 6 the missing filesharing components found in System 7. However, before you get FTPShare to add filesharing to your system 6 machines, note that: 1) it is only for the FTPShare software, 2) it is similar to but incompatible with system 7, and 3) it requires System 6.0.4.

This project is only for those machines that can be pulled from the closet or rescued from the trash cans; once you have a small machine running as a Web Server, it can never again be used as a word processor. Even with the multi-tasking abilities of System 7, running anything more than the server and its associated software will grind your Web site to a halt. Let's start building the server:

• For a small Web site HTML Server you need: Mac Plus/SE with 4 megs of RAM and a 500Meg hard drive. WebSTAR PS (formerly known as MacHTTP, both the shareware version of WebSTAR) would be its server software. From here simple web pages can served on the net.

• For a medium sized web server you need: Mac IIcx with 16 megs of RAM and a 1 Gig hard drive. The choice of server software would be WebSTAR, or FTPd. Extensions added to WebSTAR can give it CGI (Common Gateway Interface, which allows web pages to be connected to other applications such as databases), clickable Maps (those large graphic Yes/No/Choose buttons you use on the Web, again part of CGI), and NetForms (those web pages that seem to want personal information about you). With FTPd, you can turn on all the bells and whistles, making it a Web/FTP/Gopher site. In either case, you maybe able to add an e-mail service with the right SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) software. StarNine Technologies has one for their WebSTAR software (called: ListSTAR), but it can run independent of WebSTAR and work with anything else. Other programs include: Microsoft Mail, Apple Internet Mail Server, Macjordomo, and even Claris Emailer can be set up to send and process e-mail.

• For a large web site, with a Mac IIfx or Quadra system, the sky's the limit. The choice of software is simple:
  
• WebSTAR for a Web page Server, with extensions to add on to its capabilities (WebSTAR PS or MacHTTP for the Shareware version)
  
• FTPd for a full blown FTP/WWW/Gopher server; its capabilities are so easily expandable.
  
• FTPShare for an FTP site running on System 6.0.4
  

Other software packages to look into (I didn't):

• InterServer Publisher by InterCon; a full commercial package for a FTP/WWW/Gopher server.
  
• NetWingsª by ACI SA; another full commercial package for a WWW/Gopher/Mail server for 4th Dimension database program.
  
• Chat(v1.1 by P.N. Lewis, v2 by Nathan Neulinger); provides simple IRC chat on your server.
  

Fernando Gutierrez is the moderator of the Vintage Mac SIG at NYMUG; as head of the Computer Center at the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center, he has rescued countless Macs and made them useful again. He has also been a NYMUG member for several years.