Question:
As a Web designer, I’ve used HTML, JavaScript, and DHTML in my projects. But now I see the need for server-side programming/scripts for my near future projects. I did a little bit research on CGI and ASP. I found that ASP seems to be easier and faster, but can only run on MS servers. While CGI is cross-platform, it might be slower. My company has Internet Information Server (IIS) for our intranet and Sun Solaris for our Internet. I know that I have to use CGI at least for our Internet. But ASP seems so hot these days, I wonder if you could compare CGI and ASP.
Answer:
ASP is surely the easiest way to add server-side processing to your Web sites. Compared to CGI, the learning curve is relatively flat. From the browser-side, ASP is completely cross-platform. Because your Web applications can be written to return pure HTML, any browser can be used. From the server-side, ASP can run on several different Web servers. There are versions of ASP that run on Windows NT IIS, Windows 9x Personal Web Server, and Macintosh. In addition, Chili!Soft Software enables ASP to be run on other platforms, including AIX, HP-UX, Linux, OS/390, and Solaris. Other places ASP can run include Oracle Web Server and Netscape Web Server. Its power, ease of use, and the many platforms on which ASP runs make it a great choice on which to build your site.
