confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

I need some very basic advice.

Let's suppose I need to do some mysql queries and updates to a
database. I also need to dynamically update parts of a web page that
the user is looking at based on the results of these queries. What are
my options for server-side scripting languages and what you recommend.
I've heard quite about about Ruby on Rails--does that cover everything
php does or is php a better way to go.

Thanks!

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

<prieditis@lookaheaddecisions.com> wrote in message
news:1147645209.638088.286680@u72g2000cwu.googlegr oups.com...[color=blue]
>I need some very basic advice.
>
> Let's suppose I need to do some mysql queries and updates to a
> database. I also need to dynamically update parts of a web page that
> the user is looking at based on the results of these queries. What are
> my options for server-side scripting languages and what you recommend.
> I've heard quite about about Ruby on Rails--does that cover everything
> php does or is php a better way to go.
>
> Thanks!
>[/color]

You have two main-stream options...

ASP or PHP.

ASP requires IIS which is not FREE
PHP can use either IIS or APACHE (which is FREE)

For a bedroom coder or a semi-serious developer I would use PHP
If somebody else is paying for it I would probably still use PHP but might
get them to pay for ASP and IIS to try it out

Never heard of Ruby on Rails...

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

prieditis@lookaheaddecisions.com wrote:[color=blue]
> I need some very basic advice.
>
> Let's suppose I need to do some mysql queries and updates to a
> database. I also need to dynamically update parts of a web page that
> the user is looking at based on the results of these queries. What are
> my options for server-side scripting languages and what you recommend.
> I've heard quite about about Ruby on Rails--does that cover everything
> php does or is php a better way to go.
>
> Thanks!
>[/color]

You have several choices. ASP comes with IIS, and is free if you have IIS. You
can use PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, or dozens of others.

There is no one "better way to go" based on your information. There are many
other things to consider.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

Carved in mystic runes upon the very living rock, the last words of
Domestos of comp.lang.php make plain:
[color=blue]
> <prieditis@lookaheaddecisions.com> wrote in message
> news:1147645209.638088.286680@u72g2000cwu.googlegr oups.com...[color=green]
>>I need some very basic advice.
>>
>> Let's suppose I need to do some mysql queries and updates to a
>> database. I also need to dynamically update parts of a web page that
>> the user is looking at based on the results of these queries. What
>> are my options for server-side scripting languages and what you
>> recommend. I've heard quite about about Ruby on Rails--does that
>> cover everything php does or is php a better way to go.
>>
>> Thanks![/color]
>
> You have two main-stream options...
>
> ASP or PHP.
>
> ASP requires IIS which is not FREE
> PHP can use either IIS or APACHE (which is FREE)
>
> For a bedroom coder or a semi-serious developer I would use PHP
> If somebody else is paying for it I would probably still use PHP but
> might get them to pay for ASP and IIS to try it out[/color]

I still have nightmares from having to work in VBScript. It is a
horrible, horrible language. I'd rather write an RPG compiler in
Malbolge. Or vice-versa. You're not missing anything.

--
Alan Little
Phorm PHP Form Processor
http://www.phorm.com/

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

In article <B6SdncPhraKCSfrZnZ2dnUVZ_tqdnZ2d@comcast.com>,
jstucklex@attglobal.net says...[color=blue]
>
>
> You have several choices. ASP comes with IIS, and is free if you have IIS. You
> can use PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, or dozens of others.
>
> There is no one "better way to go" based on your information. There are many
> other things to consider.[/color]


A good day for interesting comments here !

I'm obviously using PHP at the moment but I'm coming across things as I
learn it that are starting to trouble me.

You mention perl as an alternative - is there a comparison of the
features of PHP v PERL anywhere or is that a daft thing to compare?

Is there any reason to use one over the other ?
I dont know anything at all about perl except I have it available.

tony

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

tony@tony.com wrote:[color=blue]
> In article <B6SdncPhraKCSfrZnZ2dnUVZ_tqdnZ2d@comcast.com>,
> jstucklex@attglobal.net says...
>[color=green]
>>
>>You have several choices. ASP comes with IIS, and is free if you have IIS. You
>>can use PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, or dozens of others.
>>
>>There is no one "better way to go" based on your information. There are many
>>other things to consider.[/color]
>
>
>
> A good day for interesting comments here !
>
> I'm obviously using PHP at the moment but I'm coming across things as I
> learn it that are starting to trouble me.
>
> You mention perl as an alternative - is there a comparison of the
> features of PHP v PERL anywhere or is that a daft thing to compare?
>
> Is there any reason to use one over the other ?
> I dont know anything at all about perl except I have it available.
>
> tony
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>[/color]

Tony,

I don't know of any head-to-head comparisons off hand. They're both good
programming languages which do the job well. In web work they have pretty much
the same features, but obviously the syntax is somewhat different.

I use mainly PHP but can dink around with Perl. I also use ASP for my IIS
customers. But I know other webmasters who use mainly Perl. Others are strictly
ASP and/or ASP.NET.

No one language is perfect - that's why there are so many of them :-). But
they're all good languages and each one works well in a web environment.

I did find PHP easier to learn than Perl; not that Perl is that hard but I
already had a strong background in both C++ and Java, and PHP is very similar to
both - a no-brainer, to me. But others have found Perl easier. It's all in
what you're used to.

And in a PHP group you're generally going to get PHP recommendations - and I
wouldn't want to see it any other way :-).

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

re: confused about which scripting language to use for server-side -- need advice

prieditis@lookaheaddecisions.com wrote:[color=blue]
>
> I need some very basic advice.
>
> Let's suppose I need to do some mysql queries and updates
> to a database. I also need to dynamically update parts of
> a web page that the user is looking at based on the results
> of these queries.[/color]

Before we do that, where is the database located? On your computer or
on a hosting company's server?
[color=blue]
> What are my options for server-side scripting languages[/color]

An incomplete list in alphabetical order:

ASP
ASP.Net
ColdFusion
JSP
Perl
PHP
Python
[color=blue]
> and what you recommend.[/color]

Well, we're in PHP newsgroup, what do you expect? :)

Seriously, though, if you already host the site somewhere and don't
want to move it, you're stuck with the choice of scripting language(s)
offered by your hosting plan. If you already have some programming
experience in any language, you should consider building on it, rather
than start anew with a brand-new language.
[color=blue]
> I've heard quite about about Ruby on Rails--does that cover
> everything php does or is php a better way to go.[/color]

There is no such thing as "a better way to go". You should think of
what is best for you in terms of your development expertise and
availability of hosting.

Cheers,
NC