[WEB4LIB] Re: Creating local content for web

[Darryl Friesen]

> Isn't any database package going to need functions that are specific?
> I don't see any disadvantage.

No.  You can write SQL queries that will work against (almost) any SQL
server.  Or you can use queries that use database specific functions, then
rewrite them all when you switch the backend from mSQL to MySQL to MS SQL to
Oracle.  There's the disadvantage.

> If you really don't want to learn programming, and depending on how
> cheap is cheap, go for Filemaker.

[shudder]

> If you're just starting out, and if you're not generating dynamic
> content right away, I feel like PERL is a better choice.

Maybe, although the syntax of PHP and Perl is very close.

> PERL is available for your PC (ActivePerl), Mac (MacPerl), various
> Linux/Unix servers, and anything else you can think of.

So is PHP though.

> What I really like about PERL, and took for granted when I started
> working with PHP, is that you can run it from the command line. With
> PHP (and someone tell me how if I'm wrong about this), you have to do
> all your testing with your browser.

This is true when PHP is compiled as a web server "module" (for Apache or
any other web server that supports ISAPI, NSAPI etc).  That's one of it's
strengths; it's bundled into the web server, so it doesn't need to spawn a
separate process when processing your script/page.

However, the CGI version of PHP functions just like the external Perl parser
(i.e. the server spawns the CGI version of PHP to process the page).  You
can also use the CGI version from the command line just like you would Perl.
I've got both the module and CGI versions installed on our Digital Unix box.
I use the CGI version for testing and for some scripts run through cron.
Works pretty well.


- Darryl

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  Darryl Friesen, B.Sc., Programmer/Analyst    Darryl.Friesen at usask.ca
  Education & Research Technology Services,     http://gollum.usask.ca/
  Department of Computing Services,
  University of Saskatchewan
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  "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes"