WEB PROGRAMMING OVERVIEW

The major languages used today for Web programming are ASP (Active Server Pages), PHP (PHP Hypertext Preprocessor), Perl, VB Script (Visual Basic Script), and JavaScript. ASP, PHP, and Perl are server-side languages; VB Script and JavaScript are client-side languages. Although JavaScript can be used on the server side, its major use is on the client side, using the browser to run its scripts.

Any of these languages can be used for Web programming. The one you choose to use in any particular instance depends on the tasks you want to accomplish with the script. You can even use a server-side and client-side language in the same Web page -- for example, ASP is usually used with VB Script.

The following sections review the major features of each of these languages. You'll find that each language has its dedicated group of supporters, but the differences between them are actually small. In general, they can all perform the same functions; they just do them a little differently.