I'm sitting in Tilden Park, in the hills east of Berkeley, running a Web server. No big deal - except there's no phone line here and the only computer around is my handheld PDA, an Apple MessagePad 2100. So what if I look like a work-obsessed geek? I'm running what may be the smallest Web server around. Combined with a wireless modem, it's certainly the most portable.
Some seriously dedicated Newton fans have developed a scaled-down HTTP server that allows me to get on the Net in under five minutes. Once online, I can serve up HTML pages with images, create and host bulletin-board discussion groups, and share my personal calendar (where you'd see I had plans to visit Tilden). Future versions will let me post my contact database and create GIF images, too.
The simplicity of this Web server - known as NewtonOS Personal Data Sharing - is remarkable. Two small apps and less than a dozen settings make it easy to install. Click a button and you're online.
There are downsides to serving Web pages from a Newton, however. In my mind, the P in PDA stands for portable, and even the best wireless modems can't keep a connection while you're on the subway. You also have to disconnect your server when you take your Newton to new locations. I generally use mine on the Ethernet network at the office and shut it down when I take my MessagePad to a meeting.
As you might imagine, despite the 162-MHz StrongARM processor, the server is a little bit slow. More than a few people hitting it at once can be a problem. Still, it's amazed my Pilot-owning friends and demonstrates the power of Apple's dead product.
While it won't replace your Sparc20, the Newton Web server is simply an amazing feat.
NewtonOS Personal Data Sharing: free. Newton Personal Data Server: come.to/lightyear_media.
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