Coding - Which way to go?

LazyManc said:
I think there's a little confusion - Ruby itself doesn't do anything special from a web perspective, but the Rails framework that's used with it provides some nice functionality relatively easily, which may include the "interactivity" he was talking about.
That's what I'd like expanded... i.e. why so better than Apache etc...
 
jdickerson said:
Could you expand on that a little?

I was refering to the new languages that are beginning to emerge such as ruby. I do not think these new languages will catch on easily, as PHP is highly professional and practical unlike other languages which are trying to add new layers of intereactivity such as ajax.

I beleive that PHP will be behind all of these flashy front ends for a long while and will continue to be updated seeing as its constantly being developed.

Hope you understand what I mean because i put that point over very badly :)

£300k a month they earn!

Better pull my socks up and keep getting more experience meh thinks :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Ok, still a little confusion here so i'll try and clear it up a little. I've knocked up a quick diagram to try and show the different parts that go into making a website.

tehinterweb.gif


click here for the original png.


The application layer is largely independent from the web server. You can run php / python / perl / ruby on both Apache and IIS, and ASP.net on IIS (although there are projects to get it running on Apache, not sure how far along they are).

The framework is tied to the scripting language. You can only use Rails with Ruby, Symfony with PHP etc. You can also skip the framework layer altogether and write perfectly good scripts without one. The purpose of the framework is to provide a structure to your code, seperate data access / business logic and presentation, and in some cases, provides helpers to gerenate code for you and speed up the development process.

The presentation layer is what the browser sees. This is usually HTML or XHTML, but doesn't have to be - you can send XML or CSV or PDF, etc, it's up to you how you format it in your application.

In the case of HTML or XHTML, you can use CSS to change the way it looks in a browser, and you can use JavaScript to add dynamic functionality such as animations or background loading / updating without a page load. This is completely independent of whatever scripting language you use on the server.

JavaScript now has a number of frameworks with pre-built code that does all of these fancy wizzy animations and features that usually result in a website being branded "web 2.0".

How you tie all of these together is completely up to you.
 
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Slogan said:
Nice diagram, LazyManc.

Just to ask the question, what language makes up the 'visual element' of ASP.net?

You can send whatever you like to the browser, be it HTML, XHTML, XML, or something else entirely if the browser supports it. ASP.net just handles the generation of said content before the webserver sends it to the client. Your browser doesn't need to know or care what scripting language is used on the server - infact as far as the browser is concerned it may as well be a static page.

The diagram isn't 100% accurate, as although the application layer generates the content, it's actually sent back to the browser via the webserver itself, so I should probably swap where the arrows are pointing.
 
Slogan said:
I probably wouldn't be creative enough to compete currently.

You'd be surprised. The (IMO) better setup design companies have different people doing different sections of each project.
Where I work, I receive a layout from one of the designers and then create a fluid template with XHTML and CSS. I test it on different resolutions/browsers and make sure it validates. I then convert it into a Master and Default page in Visual Studio and then send it off to the C# developer who completes it.
Then we have writers who actually put the content into the databases.

I rarely have to do any design and I'm kept very busy.
Heck, I'm still getting calls from recruitment agencies every few weeks wanting an XHTML/CSS developer and I haven't been looking for a job in months.
 
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