[AWS] Re: AWS and CGI

[Warren W. Gay VE3WWG]

Craig Carey wrote:
...
>>>>Because I envision uploading my AWS applications to
>>>>professionally-run host, the way I do with my PHP scripts,
>>>>or say, a CGI program or a Java servlet, I am also
>>>>thinking it should be possible to upload an AWS
>>>>application to a professionally-run host.
>>>Although it technically isn't necessary, I think you will
>>>have to rent a dedicated host.  I don't think there are any
>>I think it may be technically necessary. You can't run multiple web 
>>servers (on port 80) on the same machine at the same time, can you? So 
>>if you want to use the standard HTTP port, the server can't already have 
>>a different websever running on 80.
>>
>>To run multiple AWS apps, you'd either have to use non-standard http 
>>ports, separate machines for each app, or put all your AWS apps into the 
>>same AWS server program.
> 
> Why not let AWS offer only a CGI feature(?), which runs programs and
> provides:
>  * a standard input, a standard output, and
>  * a string to string lookup function.

I can't speak for the authors of AWS, but I can state that
I actually prefer that AWS does _not_ have CGI capability.
If it should ever gain that capability in the future,
I would like to see it enabled/disabled at compile time.

I don't want "CGI capability" to be in the running server,
even if it is configured out. If it ain't there, I know
for certain it ain't done. Otherwise, you are never
completely sure that the CGI capability might not get enabled
by some configuration error, programming error or
some exploit.

One of the things that I really like about AWS is the "secure"
aspect of it (besides the Ada side of it :). The fewer magical
features it has, the fewer backdoors and exploits that I have
to be concerned about when preparing to put it out
on the wild woolly world.

So many things today, get heaped up with so many features
that they actually detract from some of the reasons the
product was successful in the first place for. I would
welcome continued development of AWS, but would hate
to see it get further complicated with unnecessary
additional features.

Just my $0.02 worth of perspective.
-- 
Warren W. Gay VE3WWG
http://home.cogeco.ca/~ve3wwg