Also new in this release is WebStar Lasso Publisher, a plug-in module that's a subset of Blue World Communications' Lasso Web Data Engine. By combining Lasso with HTML forms, you can also create new database records. The plug-in can't update or delete existing records, however, and suffers from several other limitations compared to the full Lasso Web Engine product. StarNine has paid attention to security, too, giving WebStar Mail comprehensive antispam features that prevent unauthorized mail relaying. The monitor function keeps tabs on queued mail, traffic rates, and access violations.
Users can access their mail via traditional Internet-capable mail clients or with any Web browser.
Unfortunately, users can't store read messages or replies, organize messages into folders, change account settings such as their password or vacation message, or filter messages. Nor does the suite offer Web access to advanced mail functions, such as IMAP-stored mail or the LDAP directories. Speed, in Moderation We tested the suite's Web server informally using the Unix-based WebStone tool, and found WebStar 4.0 easily 50 percent faster than version 3.0. We did not, however, see the promised 100 percent improvement in throughput. Macworld's Buying Advice WebStar is still the easiest Mac Web server to set up, use, and administer, and the new mail-server component removes one more headache for Mac Webmasters.