Introduction to Active Server Pages, Continued

ASP is a powerful tool for dynamic web content, but like other solutions, it does have some drawbacks. ASP is only available for Windows (NT and 95). It has traditionally required that you be running a Microsoft web server (generally Internet Information Server), though that may change with a product called Chili!ASP, which is marketed as ASP for other servers. ASP also uses cookies, which means people using the Lynx browser can't access pages. However, the number of people using Lynx is very small, and they may not be a significant part of your target audience.

Depending on your situation and needs, ASP might be the best solution for you. ASP does have competition, mainly from a product called Cold Fusion. Cold Fusion, made by Allaire, will also let you talk to databases such as an Access file or SQL Server. However, Cold Fusion's tags can be very confusing and difficult to debug, and some people report memory leaks.

To find out more about ASP, you might want to pick up a copy of Professional Active Server Pages 2.0, join an ASP-related mailing list, or contact a knowledgeable ASP programmer. Try starting with the resources mentioned in this guide, including some sample code.

Buz has been a freelance computer applications consultant/programmer for the last 12 years. He speaks five computer languages and four human ones. You can email Buz with questions.

Chili!Soft
Creators of Chili!ASP, a product that makes ASP available for a variety of web servers.

ListServs for Active Server Pages
Describes several ASP-related mailing lists you can join, including an ASP newbies list.

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