What is ASP?
Active Server Pages (ASP) is a technology that enables you to make dynamic and interactive web pages. ASP is processed by the server to dynamically produce web pages and thus does not affect the type of browser the site visitor is using. When an ASP page is accessed by a browser, the web server interprets any ASP commands contained within the web page before sending the produced HTML to the browser. Simply opening an ASP page in a browser will not do. It must be requested through a web server that supports ASP hence, the name Active Server Pages. No server, no active pages.
What are the benefits of ASP?
ASP is very easy to learn. It is built into Windows 2000 and can be installed on most Windows versions. Maintaining an ASP site is simpler because of SSI (Server-Side Includes). It decreases the number of HTML files and web sites can be maintained without HTML knowledge.
How does ASP compare to PHP?
One of ASPæ¯ major strengths over PHP is that it is not tied to one language, but can operate with VBSript, Jscript, PerlScrip and PythonScript, etc. In ASP, the dominant model for database access is ADO, which provides a degree of database independence. PHP has separate functions for each database type and requires an additional layer to achieve that same degree of independence.
Is There A Cost Advantage/Disadvantage Using ASP?
If you’re hosted on a shared server, your web host makes most software investments. Running on your own server or co-located hosting, you will be making the investments that can be costly especially if you want to have database integration, shopping cart and so on. With other languages like PHP, they are offered open source minimizing your initial outlay.
