php vs asp.net

[John]

Hi

We are getting a database driven b2b site built. The web developers are
currently planning to build the site using php/mysql. Is there any reason
that we should rather get them to build the site using asp.net?

Thanks

Regards

 

[John Timney \(ASP.NET MVP\)]

You should really be asking the suppliers why they have chosen this language
over another an they should be able to give you a credible answer - it may
simply be that they are more experienced in this and therefore can do your
development cheaper - however if they cant justify their product choice then
I would suggest you find a different supplier.

Nothing stopping you using mySQL with either php or asp.net.

--
Regards

John Timney
ASP.NET MVP
Microsoft Regional Director

 

[Peter Rilling]

What are your requirements of the system. Usually the technology follows
from the requirements. If you are asking whether or not ASP.NET can to
stuff that PHP can do, probably, but in the end, all environments allow you
to do what servers were meant to do, that is to deliver HTML content.

If your developers already know PHP and MySql, then there probably is no
reason to switch unless your requirments offer sufficient cause.

 

[John]

We are worried about the future. aps.net is design for now & future. How far
can php keep up.

Regards

 

[Lucas Tam]

Is there any reason
that we should rather get them to build the site using asp.net?

One is that ASP.NET is an event driven language... which makes it easy to
program complex web pages.

However, if your programmers are not familiar with .NET it will take them a
couple of months to be proficient in .NET. Actually the first few weeks
they'll probably complain how convoluted .NET is - but after a while, I
think they'll be sold on ASP.NET : )

 

[John]

Hi

If the case in favour of asp.net is strong then may be we need to change the
developers? The question is how strong is asp.net's case in comparison with
php?

Thanks

Regards

 

[Lucas Tam]

If the case in favour of asp.net is strong then may be we need to
change the developers? The question is how strong is asp.net's case in
comparison with php?

For all intents and purposes PHP is OK. You can think of it this way:

PHP is best for simple applications (quickier to build, but harder to
maintain). ASP.NET is better for more complex applications (takes
slightly longer to build simple stuff, but ASP.NET has better
maintainability).

When compared to ASP.NET PHP, ASP, CFML, etc all look primative.

PHP does have one advantage - it is multiple platform. If you need your
web applications to run on several OSes, PHP is the way to go. However,
if you're content with Windows, I personally believe ASP.NET is the best
framework to use.

If you can wait, ASP.NET 2.0 is around the corner. 2.0 adds serveral
features that will blow ASP.NET 1.1 out of the water. New features
include a built-in templating system and Client Side Callbacks which
allows a browser to refresh data or to interact with the webserver
without reloading the webpage (works only on IE but you can buy a
similar product for .NET called Dart LiveControls is multi-browser
compatible)!!!

 

[Kevin Spencer]

From my own experience, I can tell you this much - Don't mix platforms. If
you're working on a Unix/Linux/Apache box, PHP is the way to go. And don't
touch Microsoft technologies. On the other hand, if you're on a Windows
platform, use ASP.Net and ONLY Microsoft technologies. Mixing and matching
will cost you a bundle down the road when it's too late to fix.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
What You Seek Is What You Get.

 

[John Timney \(ASP.NET MVP\)]

I agree entirely with what Kevin is suggesting here..

--
Regards

John Timney
ASP.NET MVP
Microsoft Regional Director