Alternatives to ASP

[old.Scum]

I'd like to implement an intranet database with a web-based frontend.

Learning new programming/scripting languages holds no fear for me.

What does hold fear for me is purchasing, configuring and maintaining Microsoft stuff, so I'd prefer to use our existing Linux Apache intranet web server.

It's not that I'm anti-MS (all workstations here are Windows NT/2K), it's just that I find UNIX systems easier to configure and maintain for server tasks.

What technologies exist for implementing such a system? The key requirements are:

1. Well proven
2. Cross-platform support (eg. if something only works on Linux rather than most UNIX, that's a minus point)
3. Can interface to MS stuff if necessary using standard interfaces

I'd be grateful if someone can give me some pointers to check out.

Thanks

 

[Testin da Cable]

Perl [for sure], PHP. You can even write cgi in C if you have the right preprocessor [and if you wanted to heh].
All of those can interface quite well with a given database. Perl uses a module for it, how PHP does it I have no idea.
As for a database, there are several that run on Linux ranging from things like Oracle to PostgresSQL and MySQl etc.
You could also opt for a dedicated database server [I believe BW does this] that could run any kind of structure you wish.
As to cross platform support I believe you'll find that most of the software running on 'Unix' runs on several different flavours of it. Usually it's stated on the webpages belonging to the product.

Good luck!

-tdc

 

[old.Scum]

TDC - ta for the info.

Are you saying that generally speaking, people who want to do this bridge the gap between the web server and the database DIY style?

I was wondering if there was any software out there that (a) talks to the Web server and (b) talks to the database system. The system implementer's task would then be merely customising a template and/or writing a bit of code.

Have I explained that well enough? I guess I am lazy and want to avoid writing code that somebody has already written and debugged.

 

[Testin da Cable]

hmm I don't think I'm reading you correctly [havn't had 'nuff caffiene I guess]
what exactly do you have in mind?
The way I read it you want a three tiered system of some sort. Web frontend, DB backend. Not quite sure what you want in the middle tho.

 

[old.Scum]

Yes, a 3-tiered system describes it you consider the code that links the DB backend to the web frontend to be the 2nd tier.

I guess what I was looking for was really an application framework for making web interfaces to databases. In other words, a library of useful functions/classes/components etc. and a framework of code where you fill in the blanks. I was wondering if anybody had released such a thing.

However - I've since discovered PHP (been using it for a week now), which seems to be an amazing timesaver and has every feature that I need for writing my application.

So cheers for putting me onto PHP. I think that's it for now.

 

[Testin da Cable]

if you like PHP be sure to check out Perl