Java vs PHP vs ASP

[ajhendel]

I was wondering what the pros and cons of the different languages are. From what I gathered the key points are as follows:

Java: Easily Scaled easily ported to other systems Performance???

ASP: Easy to program; too much dependency on microsoft, poor performance

PHP: Open source so its easily modified on your own. Open source communities will debug code for free. Cheaper.

I was thinking about using an outsourced java e-commerce solution for a site that uses a lot of downloadable goods. I could not find a good out of the box ecommerce program with PHP or ASP that worked well with downloadable goods. In particular I want to start the download after purchase without needing to send a URL via email. Security and anti-piracy measures are also extremely important.

[veridicus]

My write-up of Microsoft .NET might be of help. There's sections for comparisons to PHP and Java.

I'm a professional software developer, so keep in mind it's from that point of view.

[kyleposey]

When speaking of web scripting languages, the Java you refer to is actually JSP, and is actually no more portable than ASP or PHP. In fact, PHP is probably the most portable scripting language you mentioned (runs on Apache Web Server out-of-the-box, and easily integrated into IIS Web Server).

Being a evangelical PHP developer, I can vouch for the community support available for debugging. I think it has to do with the open-source nature of the community.

I have programmed ASP (as in VB, since I presume a majority of people write VB when they refer to ASP) before, and have found it to be a little clunky and less flexible than PHP. However, I came from programming Perl and VB, and have always found VB script to be a clunky language.

Honestly, the best programming language is going to be the one that you are the most comfortable with. The PHP/ASP/JSP communities could go back and forth all day long on which one is better...

To find a good out-of-the-box e-commerce solution? Not sure I can help there. I've tried a lot of the free/open-source PHP solutions and haven't really liked any of them. I imagine there is pre-packaged commerce software out there, but since I write my own shopping carts, I find it pointless to purchase someone elses.

[cimmeron]

my fav, for ease of use and the ability to set it up for immediate download on info products is WebContactPro. I know, it's not something you can really tweak yourself, but it's basically bug-free, been around long enough that they really aren't going anyway, affordable, and easy to set up. just my opinion, of course