ASP.Net, Php, Ruby on Rails...opinions

[bluesage]

Hi,

wanted to start a thread about the web developpement programming languages, your opinions about them :) which ones have a good future ? some that are good , rising and havent been mentioned ?

I currently use Php, am thinking about learning Ruby and Rails, but then on the other hand there is the all new ASP.NET, personally I prefer a non microsoft dependent option, and was never attracted much by VB or ASP, so not sure would want to learn ASP.NET.

[Toon]

PHP seems to be leading the way but a good source tells me ruby will lead the way before long, he uses it but claims it's quite limited and could quite easily be supaseded with a new programming language.

[GordonMac]

I think the best way to choose is by considering how quickly you would like to begin selling database-driven dynamic solutions to your clients, and the costs of the software and hosting requirements are likely to incur.

ASP.NET has a very steep learning curve, and due to it not being an open source framework there is less code samples and free community support available for it as you embark on the study.

PHP is open source, and so is the MySQL database that commonly powers sites developed using it... they are free, and hosting packages with both of those installed are relatively cheap.

PHP is easier to learn, and within a few weeks of studying code and freely available tutorials you will be well enough armed to tackle small-scale dynamic web sites.

Ruby is an exciting new technolgy that embraces all of the modern Web 2.0 functionality you could possibly ask for. I'm quite interested in Ruby... but at this point there is a general lack of community support for it, so it may well be something I'll come back to in the future.

That's my 'tuppence worth :)

[stuart.lewis]

Open source is all good and well, however if you are thinking of working for an employer, they also like to see skills like Oracle on CVs.

Big players in the web programming language market include things like Java.

So for small to medium sites PHP & MySQL etc are the biz, but you wouldn't catch Barclays Bank etc using them.

So depending on where you want to go in web programming, think big! :)

[bluesage]

I agree, knowing Oracle, MS SQL Server is always good, I have some experience with MS SQL Server :). Have some notions of Java, as that is what we work with in Uni, but wouldnt be able to get a full app going, just simple stuff :), at least I can understand the code, know the syntax, its always a good start.

I am not a "Programmer" at heart, cant stand writing pure code, and designing applications, but web design on the other hand its something I enjoy, its also a lot simpler :) I only design small to medium sized websites at the moment, so Php Mysql works fine. Designing a large scale website for a big company would be another matter entirely, on my own probably wouldnt manage anyway, would need a team.

Im currently starting with Ruby and Rails. Have heard that Python and the framework Django is also a good option.

[D'Scouser]

ASP.NET may have a very steep learning curve, but it does give you, practically, the entire Windows object model to programme with. Once the fun and frustration are appeased, there is some very in depth objects you can utilise in your web pages; such as the Cryptology classes.

I found Dreamweaver a bit simplistic, and I loath Javascript for its lack of dedicated error handling. Good or bad, VBNet does away with all these, and offers more, if you invest the time.

[tommylogic]

how did Dreamweaver come into play?

[Andy]

Commercial:

ASP is commercial based and you will need to learn either C# or VBScript to create some fancy applications... this is hard to learn if you are new to code, considering i started coding in C++ i found it easy to adapt this code style to .NET framework.. there are many overhead costs with the ASP language as you would gather it coming from Microsoft!

Open Source:
PHP is easy to learn and you could master it after a few months as there are thousands of tutorials and example codes! this has a very low if not free overhead cost so you can get started almost right away!

Commercial jobs would value ASP loads more than PHP based on the fact a company would think that paying for a commercial type script would make there site run better and look more professional, However these companies are wrong and PHP is just as good except it has its limits.


Databases:
Do learn MySQL & MS SQL as these can be used by both Languages and are very usfull to understand. this may help you make your choice on which language you would preffer to code in as one is more recommended for the languages specified above.

Also learn:
AJax
CSS

as these wil help any application you create on the web!
Best of luck for finding a solution and hope you have many good years mastering it!

[tommylogic]

L A M P
If you are building eCommerce sites. this is the way to go right now I think. Otherwise, you're developing your own applications which is a whole another ball game. Valuable skill to learn, but may not be worth the time and energy if your not an application developer.

[29FIVE Designs]

Php!!!