Website Professional was the first Web server that didnt make me edit config files to run it, so it holds a special place for me. Testing the new version, 3.0, from OReilly & Associates brought back a lot of memories, as some things havent changed much from the first version I used in 1995.
In many ways, the Windows-only WebSite Professional is superior to Microsofts Internet Information Server, especially when it comes to ease of use (although it still lacks browser-based management). Performance, always a low point for WebSite Pro, is better, although its still not a good choice for high-traffic Web sites.
WebSite Pro, with its broad support for scripting languages, is a good choice for developers. And the products ability to run on almost any Windows operating system, combined with intuitive configuration management, makes it well-suited to complex sites that dont expect lots of concurrent connections.
However, these features may not be enough to get would-be buyers over the $995 price for WebSite Pro, especially when the two most popular Web servers, Apache and IIS, are essentially free.