Member Avatar for merse

It is possible to run dynamic web pages on a pocket PC without internet connection?
I would like to read/write files using a browser on my pocket PC without internet connection.

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Short answer: yes — but not by installing a desktop Apache/XAMPP build on a Pocket PC. Windows Mobile 2003 (Pocket PC) is a Windows CE–based, ARM-targeted platform, so common desktop stacks (Apache/XAMPP) compiled for x86/x64 desktop Windows will not run there. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical approaches that worked historically and are still the usual options are:

  • Use a Pocket-native tiny server that includes a scripting engine (examples from the era: PocketHPH — a compact PHP+webserver with SQLite support). (4pda.to)
  • Use an embeddable/small HTTP server that can be built/ported for WinCE (people have used thttpd/mini-httpd ports and embedded libraries such as Mongoose/CivetWeb on WinCE). These keep memory/CPU use low and allow simple CGI/REST that reads/writes files. (arcb.csc.ncsu.edu)
  • Or keep the full Apache/PHP/MySQL on a laptop/PC and point the Pocket PC browser at that host over Wi‑Fi (or tether/USB networking) for local testing without Internet. The iPAQ/PocketPC community often used this model because it avoids trying to run heavy server stacks on the PDA. (arcb.csc.ncsu.edu)

Notes and quick troubleshooting tips (ties to and ):

  • If trying a Pocket-native package (PocketHPH or similar), install the CAB, set the server document root and port in its config, copy pages to that folder, start the service and access it at the device loopback (or device IP) in Pocket Internet Explorer. Example minimal config style (edit per server docs):
    [HPH]
port=8080
document_root=\wwwroot
  • If the browser can’t reach the server: confirm the server is running, check IP vs. localhost (loopback behaviour can differ), ensure the device and host are on the same subnet, and disable/adjust host firewall when the desktop is serving pages.
  • For DB-backed pages prefer SQLite on-device (far easier than trying to run MySQL on a PDA). (4pda.to)

Security/caveats: handheld servers are resource-limited and often incomplete PHP implementations; avoid exposing them to the public Internet and prefer local-only testing or desktop hosting for heavier work.

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Member Avatar for Graphix

A pocket PC is just like a regular computer, so you just need to do the following things (assuming you want to create dynamic sites using PHP & MySQL):

- Install a Apache server, preferably with MySQL implemented: I would suggest XAMPP

- Place the files into the xampp/htdocs/ folder (for example: xampp/htdocs/MyPage.php)

- Edit the files using a text editor, I would recommend one with syntax highlighting (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/)

- Open the files using a modern browser, I would recommend Firefox or Chrome, and not Internet Explorer, as IE has the nasty habit of caching pages so you can't see changes you keep making in the code. You can open the files by typing in: http://localhost/MyPage.php

And thats about it, it is the same as with an normal computer (but only pocket size)

~G

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Member Avatar for merse

I cannot find Apache Server for pocket PC WM2003 op.system!

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