Ken's Talks/Papers/Presentations

Last updated: Monday, 28 March 2005 14:08 -18000

There are two kinds of presentations here: those which are self-contained, like PowerPoint files, and those which are collections of HTML pages and meant to be viewed online.

All presentations are copyrighted by Ken Coar, and may not be modified or altered for reuse without his permission. If you use them as is, I'd appreciate (but by no means demand) that you let me know.


Online Presentations

The following items are Web-based presentations that require the Podium presentation package to be viewed.

HTTP Chalk-Talk

Given in 2001 to IBM technical support.

The Synergy of Open Commercialism

Presented by in February 2002 at NordU2002 in Helsinki, Finland.


Slideshows and Handouts

Unless otherwise noted, these documents are uncompressed Microsoft PowerPoint and/or Acrobat PDF presentations with long filenames. They're listed in alphabetical order with no attention paid to size or chronology.

Advanced Apache Configuration

This is a roughly 10-page presentation prepared for ThunderLizard Productions' 1999 Web Design World Apache Summit. It covers as much of the topics of virtual host setup, content negociation, and the proxy as possible in a 50-minute presentation. In short, it's more of an introduction to advanced topics.

Size:
114K (Microsoft Word)
Size:
30K (Microsoft Word [gzipped])
Size:
48K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
33K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])

Apache Development Process

Prepared for the November 1999 Alternative: Linux conference in Montréal, and also for the December 1999 The Bazaar conference in New York, this presentation describes how development is done on the Apache HTTP Server project. It covers the mailing lists, how they're used, how the core development team makes decisions, how the source code is managed, and how new contributors can join the project.

Size:
72K (Microsoft Word)
Size:
21K (Microsoft Word [gzipped])
Size:
187K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
170K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
0 (Microsoft Powerpoint [gzipped])
Size:
28K (Adobe Acrobat [slides])
Size:
20K (Adobe Acrobat [slides, gzipped])
Size:
48K (Microsoft Powerpoint [slides])
Size:
12K (Microsoft Powerpoint [slides, gzipped])

Your First Time: Apache Setup and Configuration

Prepared for the ThunderLizard Productions' 1999 Web Design World Apache Summit, this presentation describes the initial installation and configuration of the Apache Web server software on both Windows and Unix platforms. It is not an in-depth treatment, being only 50 minutes in duration.

Size:
244K (Microsoft Word)
Size:
79K (Microsoft Word [gzipped])
Size:
435K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
323K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])

Basic Apache Configuration and Tuning

A presentation given at ApacheCon '98 in San Francisco, 14 October 1998. This just gives an overview of fetching and installing the Apache Web server, and gives brief treatment to various directives and subjects that affect server performance.
Note: The Acrobat PDF version is missing a background graph found in the PowerPoint version. It was dated anyway; you can see the current graph at the Netcraft site.

Size:
256K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
84K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
106K (Microsoft Powerpoint)
Size:
42K (Microsoft Powerpoint [gzipped])

Care and Feeding of CGI Scripts

A presentation given at various U.S. and European DECUS Symposia since 1995. CGI stands for the Common Gateway Interface, and it describes how Web servers can call external applications to add value. This talk describes the server<-->script communication mechanism, the environment variables used, and things of which script writers should be aware. This does not cover the "WinCGI" interface.

For a more in-depth description of the Common Gateway Interface, see the CGI RFC project.

Size:
178K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
76K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
180K (Microsoft Powerpoint)
Size:
91K (Microsoft Powerpoint [gzipped])

Introduction to Apache

"Apache" is a very popular open-source (i.e., free) Web server package. This document is a PowerPoint presentation giving people new to the subject a brief introduction to how to install, configure, and start using Apache. This presentation was originally given at the Eureka98 conference in Paris in September 1998.
Note: The Acrobat PDF version is missing a background graph found in the PowerPoint version. It was dated anyway; you can see the current graph at the Netcraft site.

Size:
238K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
79K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
98K (Microsoft Powerpoint)
Size:
40K (Microsoft Powerpoint [gzipped])

Introduction to Dynamic Web Pages

This PowerPoint presentation give a brief overview of three of the currently popular ways in which Web content providers can enhance their pages beyond being just simple unchanging static content. JavaScript, Server-Side Includes, and Java are covered. This is a very high-level overview, so don't bother with it if you're looking for details.

Size:
108K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
33K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
100K (Microsoft Powerpoint)
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25K (Microsoft Powerpoint [gzipped])

Writing Modules for Apache 1.3

This presentation was prepared for and given at the O'Reilly Open Source convention in Monterey, California on 24 August 1999. There are actually two parts to it: the handout itself, which wasn't available at the conference, and the slides I used during the talk.

It's quite impossible, of course, to fully confer the mantle of Expert Module Writer on anyone with a 90-minute talk. However, this handout should at least provide a high-level outline and pointers to area for further study.

Size:
64K (Adobe Acrobat)
Size:
44K (Adobe Acrobat [gzipped])
Size:
61K (Adobe Acrobat [slides])
Size:
72K (Microsoft Powerpoint [slides])