Dreamweaver MX 2004: Your Connection to the Internet - JavaServer Pages, PHP, and ColdFusion MX
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Java Server Pages
JavaServer Pages (JSP) is Sun Microsystems’ answer to ASP, based on its popular Java programming language. Although it provides a scripting environment comparable to ASP, JSP is actually a small part of the Java 2 Enterprise Edition, Sun’s enterprise application development framework. Included are the most popular Java technologies—servlets, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), and Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI).
One of JSP’s claims to fame is its portability. Whereas ASP is generally limited to the Microsoft platform, JSP is available on all major Web platforms. Even better, Web servers and application servers that support JSP are available from a number of manufacturers.
Like ASP, JSP is script based, meaning that your pages are a mix of HTML and script that is prepared at the server and delivered to the browser in a form it can handle. The scripting in JSP is done in pure Java, so familiarity with the Java programming language and framework is a big help.
An advantage of JSP relates to its roots in the Java Servlet framework. The first time a JSP page is called, it is compiled into a servlet that accepts requests from the user and returns a response output stream. The Java Virtual Machine in the browser then translates this precompiled code. By contrast, ASP pages are interpreted every time they are loaded. As big an advantage as this would seem to be, the interpretation of the JSP byte code and the interpretation of the ASP page take about the same amount of time, and well-written ASP and JSP usually run at about the same speed.
It is generally understood that it is a little more difficult to get a site running in JSP than in ASP, but there are definite advantages that may make the extra effort worth it for your site.
PHP
PHP (PHP Hypertext Preprocessor) is a popular choice among users of the Linux server platform. PHP is open source and freely available from the PHP Group. It runs on both the Windows and Linux platforms but is most popular on servers running Linux with an Apache Web server and MySQL database. PHP is tightly integrated with these products and makes for an efficient development platform. Dreamweaver’s implementation of PHP relies on its integration with MySQL.
ColdFusion MX ColdFusion is Macromedia’s proprietary server model. Unlike ASP and JSP, ColdFusion is tag based, not script based. This fundamental difference has made ColdFusion extremely popular among Web designers and HTML authors who are accustomed to tag-based programming. However, ColdFusion is no less capable than its competition.
Using its set of built-in tags, ColdFusion can perform any function that you could script ASP or JSP to perform. Some are even significantly easier because ColdFusion has encapsulated functions that require external components in other languages (such as file upload). It is a compact language that often requires fewer lines of code to accomplish tasks than its counterparts.
You will need to obtain ColdFusion MX Server if you plan to develop ColdFusion applications. It is available in both standard and enterprise versions, and also a developer edition, which is free and limited to one connection at a time. It is a great way to build and test ColdFusion applications locally.
ColdFusion Server is currently available for Windows, Sun Solaris, and Linux, making it as portable as it is powerful. For those needing to run a non-Microsoft server, ColdFusion
- What are the five server models supported by Dreamweaver MX? (ASP, JSP, ColdFusion, PHP, and ASP.Net)
- What is the purpose of a live data server? (To provide a Web server that Dreamweaver uses to display actual database output in a design environment)
- What is the purpose of a data store? (To provide a place to store the data with which your Web application will be designed to interact)
 This chapter is from Dreamweaver MX 2004: A Beginner's Guide, by Tom Muck and Ray West (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2004, ISBN: 0-07-222996-9). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today.
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