May 26, 2009
Popular Options for Dynamic Web Pages
Today's web hosting services give you a plethora of options in the feature department. You typically get to choose the utility you want to build your site with, two to three options for webmail and your choice of the available shopping cart applications. In a Windows package, you may also have the choice of utilizing a Microsoft database such as MS SQL or Access or open-source varieties such as MySQL or Postgre SQL. Another aspect of web hosting that tends to offer a great deal of variety is scripting technologies. With these programming languages installed on their server, a host provides a great deal of power by allowing you to create feature-rich, interactive websites. Of course, there are numerous programming languages but here are some of the most popular options used to create dynamic websites.
ASP.NET
Now a main attraction of many Windows hosting solutions, ASP.NET is a server-side language that has characteristics of Microsoft's classic Active Server Page technology and the .NET Framework. This new version offers far more power than its predecessor, decreasing code density in a manner that makes web development faster and much easier. ASP.NET shares many similarities to open-source languages such as PHP as its code can be implemented into HTML tags. The major difference is that the technology was specifically designed to run on the IIS web server and Windows operating system.
CGI Scripts
CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts are pre-installed tools based on the executable CGI files that are typically stored in the CGI-bin on your web host's server. They allow you to incorporate simple features such as clocks and hit counters onto the web page of your choosing. With CGI, all you have to do is add a line of code into the HTML tag of your web page and a request of the desired action is executed when a web browser loads the page. Many hosting packages come with a full library of CGI scripts that require absolutely no manual coding. While easier to use than other dynamic technologies, CGI scripts are notorious for draining resources and causing pages to open slower.
Up and Coming Frameworks
PHP is perhaps the most widely used server-side language while ASP and ASP.NET are becoming dominant as enterprise-level solutions. However, there are few scripting languages that are gaining ground quickly in both environments: Ruby on Rails, SMX and Lasso. The Ruby on Rails framework is based on the Ruby programming language, serving a purpose to make to data-driven websites faster and more efficient. Considered a macro-processing language, SMX is often overshadowed but has actually been around from the beginning. This tool is quite similar to ASP and PHP, making it a perfect choice for creating HTML or XML web pages. Lasso makes another great option for building a dynamic website. This language produces clean code, works fast, and offers a flexibility that allows it to run on virtually any server be it Windows, Linux or Mac OS X.
Conclusion
When it comes to dynamic content, there is certainly no shortage of available tools. The key is choosing a technology you feel comfortable working with. You may also want to find one that can serve as a building block that enables you to scale up to more powerful languages in the future.
Categories: Scripting |
Tags: Scripting,
ruby on rails,
Postgre SQL,
php,
mysql,
MS SQL,
Lasso,
Windows hosting,
SMX,
dynamic web pages,
CGI,
asp.net
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