This is interesting.

Is there any significance to what Web server/platform combinations 2004 presidential candidates are using?

As we swing into the thick of the 2004 electoral playoffs, it's interesting to see what kinds of platforms are running under the candidates' official campaign Web sites. Netcraft has a handy feature called "What's that site running?" that lets us see combinations of Web servers and OS platforms. So here's a quick rundown, in alphabetical order:

* George W. Bush: Microsoft IIS on Windows 2000

* Wesley Clark: Apache on Linux

* Howard Dean: Apache on FreeBSD

* John Edwards: Microsoft IIS "behind a computer running NetWare"

* Richard Gephardt: Microsoft IIS on Windows 2000

* John Kerry: Apache on Linux

* Dennis Kucinich Apache on Linux

* Carol Mosely-Braun: Apache on FreeBSD

* Al Sharpton: Apache on Solaris 8

* Joe Lieberman: Apache on FreeBSD

For what it's worth, the Republican National Committee is running Microsoft IIS on Windows 2000, while the Democratic National Committee is running Apache on Linux.

As of this writing, November 5, 2003, the RNC has an uptime of 4.26 days (maximum of 39.04) and a 90-day moving average of 16.91. The DNC has an uptime of 445.02 days (also the maximum) and a 90-day moving average of 395.38 days.

Draw your own conclusions.

Doc Searls is Senior Editor of Linux Journal