Re: Re: web programming

K Parker wrote:
>
> > (and PHP4 as well, although you really don't
> > need PHP with the built-in TCL, unless you
> > already have some PHP code)

> AOLServer comes with a built-in PHP4 interpreter these days?

No -- PHP4 supports AOLserver's API now, just like Apache.  See the PHP4
pages for more info.

>  That's fabulous; I'll have to give it another look.  As far as your statement above, in my opinion TCL itself is the
strongestargument for "needing" PHP. :-) 

Aw, tcl code is easy -- once you get past the command/string paradigm if
you're used to function/expression coding.  It's just different.

And, if you do decide to give OpenACS a try, you'll find many seriously
useful procedures defined for you, even if you don't use the actual ACS
codebase.  Stuff like the nice 'set_the_usual_form_variables' procedure.

And the AOLserver API is strong in db-functionality -- it beats PHP's db
API for one, and only one, reason -- AOLserver's tcl (and C) db API is
regular -- that is, there isn't one set of functions for PostgreSQL and
a whole different set for MySQL -- there is a single ns_db API that is
regular across all the databases.  DB-specific extensions are handled
through things like ns_ora for Oracle, ns_pg for PostgreSQL, etc.

And I do PHP programming (for hire) as well as AOLserver TCL, so I have
a good basis for that remark.  Although I wouldn't count myself a PHP
'guru', I do understand the language, and can make it do what I want.
Likewise with AOLserver TCL.

It's just another language.  No better; no worse.

If I had to use Z80 machine code (in hexadecimal) to do web pages, I
would -- it's just another language. (but, then again, Z80 hex machine
code is my native tongue, so _anything_ is easier from my point of
view).

--
Lamar Owen
WGCR Internet Radio
1 Peter 4:11