Lasso 9.1.4 Release Announced

October 27, 2011

Lasso Server 9.1.4 sees an important change in the introduction of a custom replacement of the FastCGI module for Apache. The new module is called mod_lasso9.

LassoSoft's R&D team developed mod_lasso9 to solve an inherent limitation found in communication between Apache and mod_fastcgi. According to Kyle Jessup, LassoSoft's Lead Lasso Developer and Architect, it allows Lasso 9 to speed up file uploads, which was a universally desired improvement. With processor speeds doubling every two years, and bandwidth speeds also steadily improving, peoples expectation of file uploads has also risen. Lasso 9 is noted for it's high performance overall, so finding an area that was bottlenecked by third-party components made us think strategically and invest the time to customize a module to do this for ourselves.

The custom mod_lasso9 module still talks FastCGI, so other modules will continue to work as before. The new module avoids conflicts with other server tools like Plesk and CPanel, making it easier for Lasso 9 to share the server, play nicely, and not get blamed for playground bust-ups. 

Additional changes are made to improve memory use on file uploads, added an UploadTracker LassoApp (acknowledgement: Steffan Cline), and improved the performance around locked database handling with sqlite_db. Full change notes are provided on the LassoSoft site.

Strengthened and improved backwards compatibility including search and sort arguments and pdf_serve, as well as a number of fixes proves the number of people wearing a groove in the upgrade path. 

This is the fourth update to the Lasso 9 product line since LassoSoft Inc was formed.

Windows Version of Lasso 9

"The next step for the Lasso Development team is to deliver Lasso 9 for Windows", says Sean Stephens, CEO of LassoSoft Inc. "Windows owners have been asking when Lasso 9 would be available to them, and now they have a new hope for their Lasso future. We are working steadily through our Roadmap, I say steadily and yet I am constantly amazed when I look back and see how much we have achieved and delivered in just a few months."

An official release date for the Windows version is not yet set. "The Roadmap says 12 weeks, and our initial development looks promising but we won't be making promises for the due date - it's like predicting when a baby will be born - they say 3% of babies are born on the due date" says Stephens.