Help to make the best choice..

[oss]

Hi..
I would like to know which among the server side languages (asp,php,perl,coldfusion etc) is the best in general.
I know this would depend on my uses...here are some things i am lookin for:
1) easy access to a database system(read,write and modify its contents dynamically)
2) can help me open website hostings and automatically fill in text and click buttons..yup..for logging in...
3) copy text from a webpage displayed .. even from its address url..
4) manipulate,send data and control other applications..
Please do advice...
Thanking in advance..

[AndyD]

Hi,

Working with any of the scripting language like php or asp needs a database in the backend to access the fields having all sort of info you need to be displayed on your webpage etc. Further, as far as working of a scripting language with a db is concerned, PHP is always preferred with MySQL and ASP with MSSQL. So choosing a language would again depend on the db query language you know
Anyways, the answer to your questions is as below: (NOTE: Languages below would refer to only PHP as that's the one I would prefer)
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1) easy access to a database system(read,write and modify its contents dynamically)
A: I would prefer PHP in this case as most of the control panels have a feature called PHPMyAdmin in-built that can be used to access your db through a GUI interface and thus manage the related tables, fields, etc. easily and with convenience.

2) can help me open website hostings and automatically fill in text and click buttons..yup..for logging in...
A: Yes, you can do even this using PHP/MySQL and it would be easy for your to go with it as PHP is much simple and user-friendly for coding. You can refer http://www.php-mysql-tutorial.com/us...tion/index.php for further details on using this feature.

3) copy text from a webpage displayed .. even from its address url..
A: Well, I would be able to help you better on this if you elaborate your question. Please lemme know a bit detail about copying text from webpage or address URL.

4) manipulate,send data and control other applications..
A: Well, as I said most of the control panels provide a feature called PHPMyAdmin that can be used to manipulate data.
Again, getting PHP to Talk to MySQL and manipulate data in the database is an easy to do task once you are familiar with using PHP and MySQL. You can begin using PHP to display and modify data from the database. PHP has standard functions to get this stuff working. You can refer to the guides and articles available on the internet to accomplish this.
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Well, hope that answers all your questions and that you shall be able to chose the best. Good Luck mate !!!

[dado0583]

Hey OSS.

In my view, the easiest setup for developing webpages is ASP.NET with MSSQL server. Visual Studio and MSSQL both cost money if you want to get the full versions and take advantage of all the features, but I've used PHP, Java, ASP and ASP.NET and I find I'm most comfortable with .NET.

This however, is just my personal view. The list you have given above should be easily done in any language/database combination as they have been done many times over. I would recommend looking at the more advanced things you would like to do on the website hosting and then research which languages are suited for it.

For instance, if you want to do lots of fancy stuff where parts of your page is updated without refreshing the users page then you will need to learn AJAX. ASP.NET has good AJAX support, so this might be something you need to think about.

If you are going to have lots of database tables, then I would recommend using something like Java, ASP.NET and using dataobjects to interact with the tables. It saves lots of time in the long run, and you can find lots of tools to generate these object for you.

All said and done, if you are just looking to do a run-of-the-mill website hosting then it doesn't matter too much which you use as there will be free tools to help you do whichever you want to do. I suggest picking a language that you have already had exposure to, or, to pick a language which looks readable and easy-to-learn.

If you want, post some more details on the type of website hosting you are looking to create and we can give you some more insightful help. Also, if you're just starting out some of that might have sounded like gibberish so give me a shout if you want me to explain anything more....

[DPS Computing]

In my experience PHP / MySQL has been a very successful combination to use. Also it means that you arn't stuck to either Windows or Linux - you can choose which one to use (if you haven't done this already). Also PHP / MySQL have proven themselves through the amount they are used and the time that they have lasted.

Hope that helps

[dado0583]

My major annoyances with PHP are the following two drawbacks:

- There is no namespace support, so you end up have lots of global functions (a function that is available on every page). This can be good as importing and using some functions is simple. However, it does mean you can have lots of functions with similar names that do different things. So you end up having to learn what each function does:

e.g. strcasecmp. I don't think you could look at this and instantly know if this function compares a string being case sensitive or insensitive (It is actually insensitive).

Whereas in Java you might have myString.equalsIgnoreCase(anotherString).

- The other gripe is that it is not strongly typed. So you can have "15" and easily use it as a string or a number. Although it means a bit of ease of use, it can quickly lead runtime errors in your website hosting if you receive a value from something that you're not expecting.

I know I probably sound quite biased on this subject in favour of Object Orientated Languages, and I am...

[DPS Computing]

I use both Java and PHP - I learn Java on my Uni course so that is how I am getting into that but I do like PHP as well.

[eUK-Martin]

What ever you said or ask for, are supported and possible with both combinations, PHP with MySQL and .NET with MSSQL. But it all depends on how comfortable you are with them. Also they both have their advantages as well as disadvantages, like:

-- If you go for .NET with MSSQL you will not be platform independent as well as it will cost you a fair ammount of money.

-- If you go for PHP with MySQL, since this is an open source there are alot of chances for you to get compromised if you have not coded well.

So the moral is, go with the one you will comfortable with.

[DPS Computing]

They are valid points Martin - Both the reasons you have given are hard to decide between as you don't really want to have either situation!