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nightshade
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Posted: Fri Apr 18th, 2003 02:17 pm |
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OK. We just started to switch over to Macs. And ASP is a Microsoft Technology. Although, I'd like to get rid of the "Blue screen of death" syndrome, I can't at this time.
I would like some feedback on some benefits of using PHP vs using ASP (compatibility over server platforms). What can PHP do that ASP cannot. I just want to know if it's worth the investment at this time.
Please also note if you've worked with ASP and only respond if you use a programming language.
I appreciate it.
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Aycan
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Posted: Sun Apr 20th, 2003 03:08 am |
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First of all, I have little experience with ASP. But, as an experienced PHP programmer, I can point out the strengths of the PHP language. I think one of the biggest reasons behind PHP's popularity is that PHP is battle tested. Almost all the functions that come with PHP are there because they are needed in the real-world.
While PHP is a great scripting language, it has its weaknesses too. If you are a fan of object oriented programming (OOP), you'd find PHP's implementation of OOP tedious and slow. However, the forthcoming PHP 5 is promised to offer a better OOP implementation. Also, constants can be very dangerous if you are not careful. Constants don't use the $ sign unlike variables, and even if a constant is not defined, you can still use it (mostly by mistake if you forget the $ sign in front of a variable). An undefined constant can be a big headache, since, unlike an undefined variable, it will have a default value of its own name, not 0. So, conditional expressions like if (constant) will return true, which could cause bugs very hard to detect.
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nightshade
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Posted: Sun Apr 20th, 2003 04:20 pm |
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It sounds just as powerful as Active Server Pages. However, that's not convincing for me to switch to PHP. I might have to invest in ChilliSoft.
I only wish I started out with PHP. But then again, I have no complaints with ASP - It has given me the world as promised. I just don't like the fact that I have an Apache server now. ::sigh::
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Aycan
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Posted: Sun Apr 20th, 2003 07:00 pm |
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nightshade,
If you think ASP does the job for you and PHP doesn't offer more then stay with ASP. In the meantime, you don't need Apache to run PHP scripts. PHP can work with many web server programs including Microsoft's IIS/PWS. Pleae see the installation page of the PHP manual for more information.
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Someguy
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Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 08:27 am |
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I use PHP and I much prefer the error handling of PHP over ASP. ASP will give you a 'something's broke' type error while PHP tends to be more verbose with a specific error and line number. Also, the resources out there like php.net and phpbuilder.com help a LOT.
Just my two cents.
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icelander
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Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 04:41 pm |
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Aycan is right on the PHP corner. The Mac users of the world will unit and break the microsoft hold over the world. I started out on a PC and hated mac's. ASP worked great for me. Then I found a Mac, and now I'm hooked. The PHP handling, and programing capabilities are endless. My feelings atleast.
Just a few words from a PHP user.
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nightshade
Member
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Posted: Tue Apr 22nd, 2003 10:32 pm |
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| Nice. Thanks all. I appreciate the input and still accepting new input.
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VIZID
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Posted: Wed Apr 23rd, 2003 03:28 am |
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Frankly, This is a great question. I own a web development firm, and to satisfy clients needs have had to use both. While I specialize in ASP, I have no personal bias, as I've seen some of our guys do great work with PHP.
BUT as the guy that deals with the clients, I have a unique perspective on this. In client meetings discussing ASP is incredibly easy for a number of reasons. First, it's a Microsoft product, so I can bring up the "Incredible support and documentation" argument. This is incredibly important to clients as they are already afraid of most things web related. PHP is open source - so when I need to talk about that I use the "Lower cost, and ongoing development" arguement.
Either way, whichever technology you use, make sure you know how to sell it. As each have their unique sales proposition, know when to use 'em.
Adam Emery
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nightshade
Member
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Posted: Thu Apr 24th, 2003 12:56 am |
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Now this is what I'm talking about. Thanks for the feedback. I gave you some mana.
ASP users, don't be shy! Get on here and post some stuff. PHP users, tell us why you love PHP!
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zepner2k
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 12:36 am |
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i am an avid asp fan and developer but i've always wanted to use php because of its implied simplicity and the stability of its residing servers. the fact is however you can run php on a wintel box or asp on a linux box, so you should probably just stick to what you learned first. don't fix what ain't broke. btw if your using an SQL database you may want to switch to php/mysql to avoid SQL licensing fees...
just my 2 cents.
Fred Epner
Last edited on Mon May 12th, 2003 03:31 pm by zepner2k
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nightshade
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 01:23 am |
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 Ah. That's interesting. You're kind of throwing me a curve ball. Save money with PHP? I like that though. Anybody know what the licensing fee is for SQL? I remember it being something outrageous. 
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coletassoft
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 06:54 am |
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Unless you need something *huge*, mysql should serve just fine... and like PHP, you can get it for free 
And to answer your question about why I like PHP: a. the great flexibility it offers the programmer an b. you can fix errors and breakdowns even with a bare minimum of PHP know-how (let´s face it, we all were PHP-newbies at some point  )
Just my $0.2
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BillC
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 08:26 am |
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To get in here too - I am interested in the same question. ASP has always served me well and I know the language. But I like Open source and would like to learn. I got started in asp pretty easily, because I already had PWS and IIS. How do you get started in PHP?
Bill Creswell
http://www.vaneerden.com
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Aycan
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 03:32 pm |
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Welcome to the Wow Web Designs Forums BillC,
Simply download a Windows binary from http://www.php.net/downloads.php. You might want to download the PHP installer since it automatically configures IIS/PWS. If you want to use Apache, take a look at this article for installation and configuration help.
I started using PHP in early 2000. Back then, in the PHP3 days, there was only one (yes one) book about PHP. I didn't buy it though. Since I had toyed with Perl before, PHP came very natural to me. All programming languages are more or less similar, and in the end, it all comes down to reading the reference manual to learn what's your favorite function called in a new language. Fortunately, PHP has an excellent manual in various formats.
In my opinion, the best way to learn a new language is to use it in real world tasks. Be goal-oriented, that is try to write a program in PHP to achieve a particular goal. While doing that, you will immediately start hearing voices in your head that tell you things like: "Ok, now I need an array sort function. PHP must have one, but what's it called?" While searching for your function in the manual, you will also see and thus become aware of the existence of lots of related functions. That's real learning. You actively seek what you need, not what you are told in a boring lecture.
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REEAit
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| Joined: | Sat Apr 5th, 2003 |
| Location: | Torino, Italy |
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 06:34 pm |
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| "PHP" Last edited on Fri Apr 25th, 2003 06:35 pm by REEAit
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zepner2k
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 06:52 pm |
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for the newbies.
Aycan is 1000% correct. you can learn something like database web app programming significantly faster if you actually need to get something done or if a person offers you a few grand and a limited timeline to do it. i would never take classes in asp or php. read 2 books and scour the internet for any information you might need like SQL strings to pull data records. i think the entire education system needs revamping.
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nightshade
Member
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Posted: Fri Apr 25th, 2003 07:41 pm |
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| Good reflection zepner2k. For all the "newbies" to programming languages, If you have any foundation for HTML, try and pick up a book and see how well you hit off. I recommend, Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0. It's an excellent book.
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firemaster
Member
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Posted: Mon Apr 28th, 2003 03:39 am |
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| Have you ever considered using JSP? I thought JSP was a LOT more powerful than PHP.
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nightshade
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Posted: Mon Apr 28th, 2003 06:30 pm |
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JSP, huh? Actually I have to be honest. I never entertained the thought of JSP. I'm sure it could be as powerful as PHP and ASP. But PHP seems to be more predominant.
I do have to say something though. Everybody is talking about how PHP's error handling is the cat's meow. I have to stick up for ASP because it has an excellent error handler as well, the
<% Option Explicit %>
Does anybody have any input to firemaster's JSP input?
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WeedPower
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Posted: Tue Apr 29th, 2003 07:42 am |
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I would like to thank everybody that has been replying to this forum, because you guys have been a very good help.
I use some php in my html webpages, and I have the need to explore it's beneficts, like automation of creating similar and followed pages.
I hope to find more arguments about this topic now that I'm learning how to use PHP and ASP. Thank you all.
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