Server2Go

Pros

• No installation required
• Runs off most portable devices, including USB sticks and CD-ROMS
• Completely free
• Offers MySQL, PHP5 and SQLite support

Cons

• Server2Go is not for everyone and may be difficult to understand for casual users
• Still lacks features that come with a full server programs that require installation

Server2Go is a Web server that requires no installation, so it can be run from a USB stick.

Review

Sometimes setting up your own Web server is the easiest solution to a problem. The only problem is that setting up a server on the go is a lot of work. Thanks to Server2Go, people have the option of running a server from a portable device such as a USB stick. It is important to note that Server2Go was originally intended to run off a CD-ROM. However, users will have no problem running this piece of software off other portable devices.

The benefits of having access to a portable server are the ability to view HTML files on a CD-ROM, run PHP-Software or run CMS-based image campaigns. The fact that content management systems like Joomla, which is an example of PHP-Sftware, can be run right from a CD-ROM or USB stick via Server2Go is a stand-out feature.

Although there are thousands of applications that this program can be used for, one of the best features is that it's 100 percent free! It also runs on just about all versions of Windows, starting from Windows 98 and up. Server2Go can be used on MAC systems as well. In the end, the biggest defining feature of Server2Go is that it can be run without installing it. There are tons of server programs out there, but most of them need to be installed on a computer.

Once Server2Go is put into a computer, either by USB stick or CD-ROM, it will automatically start the default browser on the computer. Server2Go, in a way, is the spiritual successor to a program called WampOnCD. Although WAMPOnCD was a great program, it lacked a lot of the useful features that Server2Go offers, such as SQLite, MySQL and PHP5 support.

Pros

• No installation required
• Runs off most portable devices, including USB sticks and CD-ROMS
• Completely free
• Offers MySQL, PHP5 and SQLite support

Cons

• Server2Go is not for everyone and may be difficult to understand for casual users
• Still lacks features that come with a full server programs that require installation