Friday, March 23, 2007

WK9 - LAMP vs. WISA

As we know LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, an alternative dynamic web platform, WISA is no doubt another good choice. WISA stands for Windows, IIS (Internet Information Services), MS SQL, and ASP.


The OS is platform on which all the other components run. Windows is easier to use, however, advanced controls needed to administer a dynamic web-site are often buried or only available by modifying configuration files. For small websites, the hosting server is not allowing us to access to OS level controls. For large websites, you have your own dedicated machine, or located in-house. So the choosing is based on other components we prefer.


The web server is the program that takes request for pages from a browser, interprets the request, and returns the results. IIS and Apache both are free. IIS is tightly integrated with Windows, and is easy to install, and is part of the default installation of Windows 2000/2003. Apache is open-source, meaning to advanced programmers can customize the way it runs and have more flexibility with if. Generally speaking, Apache is more secure than IIS, but its security features can sometimes be difficult to configure.


The database stores information that can be retrieved, stored, and manipulated by the scripting language. MySQL is a free database that can run on all OS. MS SQL costs $5000, can only runs on Windows, and is considered an enterprise-level database. MySQL is not as powerful as MS SQL, but is sufficient to almost all web application. If the difference in price may not be a factor in the decision if your website is to be hosted, as this is a cost to the hosting company. MS SQL is recommended while you anticipate using the database for non-web applications that need massive amounts of power, or if you are incorporating the features that are not available on MySQL.


Script is requested by a browser, the web server transfers control to a script engine which reads a program written in scripting language. PHP is a free scripting language and offers many OO features, integrated tightly with HTML, and is similar to other languages such as C++ and JavaScript. Active Server Pages (ASP) is not actually a scripting language, but is a Microsoft Technology that allows existing scripting languages to be used in a web context. ASP/VB is often said to be easier to program in than PHP. PHP has more standard features than ASP, most of which are open source such as shopping carts and web forums. However, to get functionalities in ASP one must purchase third party modules. The features on the free PHP are often better than ASP packages, but may be difficult to install and may have incomplete documentation.


In summary, I would recommend LAMP for most web sites because of its cost, since PHP’s simple web integration, and Apache’s security. I would recommend WISA for enterprise-level sits because of MS SQL Server’s raw power and Microsoft’s support services.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In what ways is MySQL not as powerful as MSSQL? I'd recomend that you never use WISA unless you have lots of money and are prepared to spend it - windows as a server is horrible.