Hello Everyone I want to convert some web processing data from MySQL to MS SQL Server, but im not sure what interface to use: PHP vs ASP. i am currently using PHP, but that will all be rewritten in the conversion. the programmer doing the job knows PHP better, and promises that PHP will deliver as much usability and function as ASP in relation to MS SQL Server. I would not think this is the case since PHP is open-source and asp is MS. i could see php delivering plenty of functionality now and in the future if use MySQL, since that is opensource also... My summarized question is: what are the advantages to using ASP in this situation? PHP? In the future? Thanks a lot for any help

If your only choices are PHP and classic ASP, then PHP is your better choice unless you want to do windows-specific tasks with ActiveX controls (ie manage IIS, etc.) In relation to SQL Server, both will go through ODBC so they will perform more or less the same. ASP is outdated and frankly, one of the worst options for a web application. If you have the option to use ASP.NET, however, that's a totally different beast and will provide you with a lot of functionality (and performance improvements when dealing with SQL Server) that PHP does not have. It's harder to learn than PHP, but it's many times more powerful. The down side is that it's more expensive to host. If ASP.NET is an option for you, post back with a general idea of what your project is and we'll go more into detail on PHP vs ASP.NET and which one will better suit your needs. Good luck, -SN

SN- thank you VERY much for your reply. I am sorry, I am talking about ASP.NET vs PHP. We are building a somewhat complex MSSQL table structure, we are interested in relating table information, and reporting outcomes of. All in all, we would like to organize and manage data from 3 different corporate departments in this table structure. Ofcourse all info will be mission critical, so we need to focus on security, usability, expandability. I can reply with more detailed answers as time goes on. Once again thanks much for sharing your knowledge.

It sounds to me like it's a no-brainer to choose ASP.NET if your focus is on security, usability, and expandability. Here's why: 1. Security - ASP.NET supports 3 kinds of security 'out of the box' - Forms (a typical username/database scenario), passport (users use their MS passport to log-in), and integrated windows (good for intranets where everybody is on the same domain). All three kinds of authentication are fairly easy to implement (particularly if you can use the recently released version 2.0) and very secure. In PHP, security needs to be written from scratch and is completely in the hands of the developer...So it could be more or less secure than ASP.NET's, but probably less secure. However, for very complex authorization schemes, PHP would be easier. 2. Usability - Here it's a toss up. ASP.NET's big downfalls are that it at times does not generate w3 compliant code, and sometimes relies on IE specific javascript where it shouldn't. On the other hand, it has some very cool controls (calendar, repeater, etc.) that would be difficult to do in PHP. 3. Expandability - Here's where ASP.NET really shines. It's completely object oriented, and really allows separation of UI from UI logic, business logic, data access, etc. If you use VB.NET or C#, you have the benefit of having strong types, which allows your data models to be very complex without bogging down the development cycle. It's for these three reasons that ASP.NET is the most popular among fortune 1000 companies. However, for smaller applications, PHP is great because it's free and easy to learn. As far as SQL server goes, ASP.NET will definitely have performance and functional superiority to PHP. In ASP.NET, you have datasets that can hold multiple data tables, maintain their relationships, and sync the copy in memory with the database copy. You also have command objects to call stored procedures, connection objects to handle connections and connection pools, etc. There's entire class libraries dedicated to using SQL server, none of which PHP has. Good luck, -SN

I think it is better to use PHP since it can works in every OS (windows,Linux.....) .ASP on the other hand works only on machines which are using Windows OS. EADM

SN- Thanks very much for the reply, you seem to have a great deal of knowledge regarding this issue. You have given me a leg up on the topic, I will continue from here. Do you by chance have an email address I could use to contact you directly? Thanks either way.

pap0007- My e-mail address should be linked above. EADM- Although I agree with you in principle, you should have a look at the mono project. Good luck, -SN