Re: Web application: Programming language/Framework

Hi,

I am working on web applications based on PostgreSQL, Apache and PHP4 and Perl
(and even in C/C++ sometimes). I prefer Perl, because it is easy to use and has
lots and lots of ready-to-use modules for nearly any purpose. At the moment I am
working on XML interfaces for data exchange between our customers and our
application using an Apache webserver - pure perl (XML::Simple, XML::SAX, DBI
and some other modules), and works like a charm. PHP seems to me to be not very
open to third-party-modules, and sometimes not as reliable as Perl, and the
buglist custodians of PHP do not convince me really.

For web applications I usually use the following technique:

My CGIs are rather complete serving applications which stay resident due to the
use of FastCGI. They receive requests (by Apache), dispatch them to the
appropriate subroutines, do some work with the request and deliver the results.
Design is (nearly) completely separated from logic due to the use of
CGI::FastTemplate. HTML is developed as pure HTML Template with variables which
are filled by the CGI application in a very convenient and easy-to-use way.

All parts I use are quite mature and available since several years.

With Java I do not have lots of experience, so I cannot compare.

Your and other people´s mileage may of course vary.

Regards, Frank



On Sat, 14 Aug 2004 15:10:48 +0200 Arthur van Dorp <arthur_vd@gmx.net> sat down,
thought long and then wrote:

> Hi all
> 
> This is a bit off topic but I don't know where else to ask (please tell
> me if you know). I'm going to build a web application. The choice of the
> underlying database wasn't difficult. After a few preliminary tests I'm
> confident that PostgreSQL is absolutely up to the task. But I'm at a
> loss regarding the "middleware". I know Apache quite well, so I wouldn't
> mind continuing using it. But what language/application server/whatever
> do you recommend? Java/J2EE/JBoss, Struts, Perl, Python/Zope, PHP 5,
> XYZ...? There are a few prerequisits such a framework would have to meet:
> 
> * Reasonably scalable.
> * Works well together with PostgreSQL. An abstraction layer which
> separates the SQL stuff from the rest probably wouldn't be bad either.
> * Security:
>     * I don't like to worry to much about buffer overflows, SQL
>     injections and the like when coding.
>     * The framework shouldn't need a security update every few days.
>     * Support for encryption at the web frontend side and possibly
>     on the DB end (OpenSSL being my favorite).
> * Well established: Nothing that vanishes after a few months just
> because it was the latest craze. Something where you find documentation,
> mailing lists and a community.
> * Free (open source) and free (or reasonably priced with the possibility
> to change the provider). I've had my share of vendor lock-in.
> * Support for handling XML data as in- and output.
> * Separation of web frontend logic and web frontend design.
> * Ease of use is never bad. ;)
> 
> I'm looking forward to your suggestions.
> Thanks
> Arthur
> 
> 
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