Complete Guide To Hosting - Part 2

PHP

PHP comes in two flavors: you can install it as an Apache module (which is great if you have Apache) or you can run it as a stand-alone CGI application. The CGI application is usually slower than the Apache module, so if you want to speed up your PHP scripts it's usually best to go for PHP installed on an Apache server.

Note that PHP is not as well supported as Perl across the operating systems, although it is supported by all the major players in hosting. PHP also has functions that are specific to Apache and particular databases. File system functions are likely to cause problems with Windows systems, as many are *nix specific. Fortunately these functions are relatively few, and are noted in the documentation.

While the usage of PHP is still not as widespread across the Web as Perl, it has increased in recent times. This growth can be attributed to both its open source background and exposure to a wider audience. Being more straightforward to use than Perl, and boasting better support for interaction with remote servers than does ASP, PHP is set to continue its growth in popularity.

At the moment, most PHP hosting facilities are provided on *nix systems that run Apache, so PHP developers are more likely to find a Unix based host that will meet their requirements. Unless you make heavy use of ASP, it would probably be a good idea to go for a *nix system running Apache if you require the use of PHP; after all, the Apache module was specifically designed to speed up the execution of PHP.

Active Server Pages (ASP)

ASP is essentially a Microsoft invention, and until the advent of projects such as Chili!Soft ASP, Instant ASP and the Apache ASP module, it was limited to the Microsoft IIS server family. ASP support is fully integrated into IIS servers, so if you know that you're hosted on IIS (which is typical for Windows machines), then you'll probably be able to run your ASP scripts.

If a host offers you support for ASP on a *nix machine, they're likely to use Chili!Soft ASP (I've yet to find a host that uses either of the other two solutions). Be aware however that this is not true ASP support; there are several important differences that should be taken into account if you intend to migrate your ASP scripts from one platform to another.

ASP 3.0 introduces features (namely the Server.Transfer method) that allow for dynamically including files based on server variables (which is a common request for ASP developers). Unfortunately, ASP 3 is only supported from IIS 5 (which is a feature of Windows 2000 machines), and has not yet been made available to users of earlier products. ASP developers that use Windows 98 or Windows NT machines to test their ASP pages will have to limit their use of the new ASP features if they wish to continue to test "in house".

FrontPage Extensions

Not a scripting language in its own right, FrontPage Extensions do offer some basic CGI interaction on sites. While they are associated with the Microsoft FrontPage series, they are not limited to Windows servers.

FrontPage Extensions are merely an extension of the FrontPage program. The files, when installed on a server, allow the program to interact with the server; it can upload your entire Website without your knowing anything about FTP. Other features of the extensions are that they allow you to add some limited functionality to your site. For example, you can allow your visitors to leave messages on a comments page, or make your entire site searchable without knowing any scripting languages or installing any scripts.

Having said that, if you require FrontPage support from your host, make sure that you have the right extensions installed for the product you use. Trying to use one of the latest features of the extensions when the extensions are, in fact, older than your program can lead to problems.

Language Resources

Perl FAQs - frequently asked questions about Perl from the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network.
Perl Faqts - another useful resource for those that have questions about Perl.
Platform Dependant Perl Modules - make sure you know what they are if you use different servers.
PHP.net - keep yourself updated in the latest developments in PHP.
PHP Faqts - useful PHP links as well as many PHP related questions and answers.
ASP Faqts - ASP resources with a publicly available question and answer area.
Chili!Soft - learn more about Chili!Soft ASP for *nix systems.
Instant ASP - a Java based solution for getting ASP support on *nix systems.