Many web developers using IIS, having seen the widespread adoption of mod_rewrite in Apache, have been wondering about what tools are available to them.  IIS 7.0 in Vista and Server 2008 has a rewrite module provided by Microsoft, by popular demand.  However, users of older versions of IIS have been stuck in the cold with regard to a lack of rewrite options.  

Why is it so important?

Many people don’t notice the heavy usage of URL rewrites in popular websites.  It is used on this websites to produce the friendly URLs used for permalinks.  It is used to erase something unfriendly like an article id “article.php?=132&source?=20″ and change it to /articles/myarticle/source/.  This has major benefits for search engine optimization.  I used a rewrite rule to change an incredibly unfriendly DNN url to “www.exampledomain.com/blog/”.  Having these keywords available in the link drastically helps optimize your inbound links.  It can be used for untold other uses as well, since the Apache implementation is fantastically powerful.  Rewrite rules are created using regular expressions.

Your Options

Your main two options for IIS are Ionics ISAPI Rewrite and Helicon Tech’s ISAPI Rewrite.  Ionic’s is an open source implementation of a rewrite engine, and has been progressing along nicely since when I first used it (started with the 0.8 beta).  It works as an ISAPI .DLL that is applied in IIS.  The rules are put into an INI file.  There are regrettably no  way to make separate sites have separate rules barring loading multiple copies of the DLL with multiple INI files.  Helicon’s IIS rewrite solution is a lot more mature, and closely follows the Apache implementation.  You use .htaccess files to manage rewrites.  Furthermore, almost all apache mod_rewrite rules work in Helicon’s solution.  The free version only supports one set of rules, but the premium version ($80 at the time of writing) supports .htaccess files in every web directory, with different rules.  Overall, I would recommend Helicon’s software, although it would definitely be worth looking at the Ionics project to monitor how well they are doing.  The free version of Helicon’s software only has modest restrictions, and is not expensive if you’ve already paid for Windows Server and some SQL server.

Update:

Bill Staples made a note that I neglected to include a link to the IIS7 URL rewrite, so here it is:
http://www.iis.net/extensions/URLRewrite 

I just got IIS7 installed on my Vista Ultimate box, so I should have some future posts about leveraging IIS7’s new capabilities for SEO and user friendly web applications!

Soho Lychee Liqueur is around $22 per 750mL bottle in my area

I often buy various liqueurs and cordials to make drinks with, and Soho Lychee is one of the standbys.  It’s not a very common liqueur, and people are always delighted to try it when I mix it into everyday drinks. 

Flavor:

If you like lychees, you are in luck.  Opening the bottle unmasks a very strong scent of lychee that almost completely masks the alcoholic flavor.  It’s a very sharp tasting liqueur, perfect to counter the alcohol and add a punch of tartness to many of my favorite drinks.  It’s not very good with gin or whisky, but added to a fruity vodka or rum drink, it really shines.  Lychee caipirinhas are one of my favorite drinks that showcases the ability of the lychee to add a counterpoint to the tart lemon, sweet sugar, and bitter cachaça.  

Critical Reception:

Whenever I bring Soho to a party, I usually make new friends.  It’s a novel liqueur that quite competently pulls off a flavor that is very popular in asia.  I usually mix it for my friends into Sprite or Sierra Mist to when i’m in an informal situation.  If more alcohol content is required, i’ll add some coconut rum to the mix.  The lychee mixes quite well with the coconut flavor.  For more formal drinks, i’ll make my favorite, the lychee caprihinia.  To make one, just add a splash (.75 oz)of lychee to your favorite caipirinha recipe.  Lychee martnis are also a hit.  I took a bottle of Lychee Liqueur to a wushu party and it was gone within about 30 minutes.  One downside to the Soho Lychee is that it might be a little bit too acidic.  I get a bit of an upset stomach if I drink too much lychee in a sitting.

Suggested Drink:

Lychee Caipirinha

Ingredients:

•  2 oz Cachaça
• .75 oz Soho Lychee Liqueur
• 1/2 of a Lime, quartered
• 2 heaping tablespoons of cane sugar
• Ice

Add the sugar, lime and cachaça.  Muddle, add Soho, and ice.