Marvster Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 Hey Guys, I figure this post isn't *entirely* off-topic, since even independent musicians may want to take their sites to another level at some point. I'm interested in building my first database-driven site, but: (a) It has to be something that can be hosted by somebody like Verio. I don't want to buy and maintain my own servers. (b) It has to be built on a cheap platform that a non-programmer (though generally tech savvy) guy like me can grok and learn. I don't want to do anything fancy -- just start finding my way out of flat HTML. Should I go with ASP? PHP? Something else? Any advice is much appreciated! Marv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudyba Posted June 23, 2001 Share Posted June 23, 2001 Your BEST option at this level is to start learning PHP and how to get around using MySQL as a RDBMS (relational database management system). There's tons of resources on the Net, just start by using your favorite search engine. And as for books, everyone seems to suggest going to your local Borders and read a couple chapters of various books and buy one that you feel is your "speed". Granted I don't know PHP nor MySQL, but everyone I'm in contact with says it's simply the BEST open source (read: free!!!) combination out today... In the past people have (and still do) used cgi combining it with HTML and text files but if you really want something that will kick ass, go with the PHP/MySQL combo...many a hosting company allows customers access to the tools necessary to use it... CD Baby uses this combo to power it's site. I know that Derek (derek@cdbaby.com) would be more than happy to offer more suggestions. Feel free to contact him... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvster Posted June 27, 2001 Author Share Posted June 27, 2001 Granted I don't know PHP nor MySQL, but everyone I'm in contact with says it's simply the BEST open source (read: free!!!) combination out today... Thanks for the advice! Thought I'd let others know what I've learned since asking around. 1) Easily 80% of those I've asked say to go with PHP/MySQL. However, some say that combo is harder to learn than ASP or ColdFusion if you're a programming newbie. 2) Lots of places to host PHP/MySQL and ASP. One PHP/MySQL hosting solution that's been mentioned several times is Pair Networks . I've also heard good things about Verio . 3) If you're an UltraDev user, ColdFusion might become Macromedia's language of choice since they bought Allaire (ColdFusion). 4) A couple of folks spoke highly of other database or scripting solutions (PostgreSQL and MGI), but there doesn't seem to be the huge community built around these that's available for PHP and ASP. 5) Some people suggest ASP or ColdFusion not because they're necessarily better, but because they're good technologies to know if you're job hunting (most big companies don't run on PHP). However, if you're just looking to build a small site, PHP seems to be a good solution. 6) One fellow said PHP/MySQL didn't scale well for him past 100,000 page views a day or so, but it's great if you're not doing that kind of traffic. 7) All these languages do pretty much the same thing, so a lot of this comes down to feel factor. The other thing I found is there's *really* not a lot of well organized information on this topic. Saw one good shootout on Webmonkey: http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/99/46/index1a.html This must be what's it's like for a software engineer to buy a keyboard. Marv (Probably about to become a PHP Head....) This message has been edited by Marvster on 06-26-2001 at 09:30 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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