Which one will suit me the best - ASP, PHP or something else?

php syntax is very similar to c++, so that should be easy enough (you could also use C# as part of the MSFT .net framework which also uses very similar syntax to c++). I use php because webhosting is cheaper and b/c there's so much help out there in prewritten libraries. It makes coding anything very simple, since someone probably did it before you and it's there online for the taking.

 

I'd honestly go for php as well. First of all as almost everyone here said, hosting is widely available and is cheap, heck some are even free. Also php has a very big following and the resources out there are immense. If you get stuck there's a bevy of groups,forums,wikis,source etc to get you going on the right track again.

 

I would suggest PHP due to the volume of servers & hosting platforms that support it.

But since you are just starting out why don't you try to learn the basics of both and then decide for yourself?

 

Sorry Windows hosting is not that much different from linux based. Now you won't find free hosts and 2 per month but if you were serious about your site you wouldn't wnat either anyway

 

Definately PHP.
You'll find more resources and help with php, and lots of hosting options as well...

 

Yes, but you can say the same things about ASP and ASP.NET! Hosting is widely available, cheap, and free (although I don't know anyone that wants to promote a serious website using free hosting, right?). These languages have an immense following and tons of free and professional resources.

One of the biggest advantages of going with ASP or ASP.NET is the MS newsgroups on usenet. The Microsoft MVPs have an incentive to quickly and accurately answer your questions because providing that volunteer support is part of their certification requirements.

 

Free windows hosting... doubtful unless you're forced to have bunch of ads on your site, as they gota pay a license to run a windows server.

 

linux hosts have to buy machines and pay for bandwidth so not impossible but to be honest this is just a foolish criteria for choosing a language. If your goal in programming is to run your app from a free host then you are in need of ambition.

 

True enough I guess if you're writing free php scripts to start with that would certainly maximize your eligible recipients

 

LOL - I gotta remember that one!!!

 

It's a fact, linux hosting is cheaper, both need bandwidth,both need hardware but one doesn't need a license.

And php has courses too, just because it's not a microsoft certification doesn't mean who develops with it will not give you a good answer and vice versa, having a microsoft certification doesn't make you god either.

Anyway bottom line, to develop for asp you need a bunch of stuff, most notably a decent enough pc with a windows license. PHP on the other hand can run perfectly on old hardware with a linux distro and you can write it in VI if need be. you don't need some obese app like visual studios.

thats just my 2c

 

No.

You can get an ASP.NET website with a dedicated IP address, 500MB disk space, MySQL database, 24/7 telephone tech support, daily backups, and 50GB of bandwidth on a Windows 2003 shared server for $7.95/month

Maybe you can get cheaper, but not with 50GB bandwidth, daily backups, and 24/7. And oh, it ALSO has PHP.

 

That's exactly right... and for $4.77 you can get a linux one with unlimited bandiwidth (within reason), unlimited diskspace,unlimited mysql databases from a2hosting and if i spent a bit more time i could probably find cheaper too.

 

Bull. There is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth, unlimited diskspace, unlimited MySQL, etc etc.

ESPECIALLY unlimited bandwidth - there is absolutely no way any company can offer you "unlimited bandwidth", period. And when you state "within reason", all that means is the limit is a secret until you hit it, your website is shut down, and they demand extra $$$ for more bandwidth - assuming they can provide it. It's "unlimited" as long as your website is only popular with a handful of friends, right? But once you get that prime link to your site, from a media outlet or a mention on the news, then your "unlimited" bandwidth will disappear, your MySQL database will choke, and your website will crash like a test dummy. After that, you will remember it as a lost opportunity you will regret for the rest of your life.

And I'm pretty confident that a chepo outfit like you describe only offers online support. If you need emergency telephone support at 3:00am because somene from China is hacking your site, you are SOL, right?

For almost everyone on the web, the specs I already stated is pretty much "unlimited" because they will never approach it. And if $8/month is too much for you, then maybe you have life problems other than cheap hosting.

Free hosting is for people with no ambition.

 

That's why i said within reason, if your site hits the news and gets bombarded then your 50g aren't gonna help much either.

Lets get one thing straight here, first of all I don't know who you think you're talking to here but you don't know me, don't judge me...life problems... Secondly, i never said free hosting is good, learn how to read. But if this guy is just starting off and doesn't have a clue about any programming language,why would i suggest him to go spend money on hosting when he doesn't even know if he's gonna want it when he tries it ?

Its easy to say go get this and that when it's not your money pal. Be responsible and show him the way to start, such as installing WAMP (which is free) on his own pc and see if php is for him first, or download a trial version of visual studios to see if ASP is for him first before sending him to spend money on hosting! Now, if you're offering to pay his hosting, then i guess you have a point suggesting him to pay for something he doesn't even know if he's gonna need it in the first place.

 

I agree with that 100%, also like to add that cheap hosting even with php means your have problems ...buy peanuts get .......

 

Lets put it this way...

You can pay bout 40/month for a dedicated server at serverpronto, lets say something like AMD 2000+ (1.6ghz single core), 1.5GB rams, 2TB bandwidth, 100mbit metered line and 80GB hdd.

Well You could decide to install something like Ubuntu Server, the usual Apache+php+mysql and perhaps run BIND (though I would use an off-server solution such as everydns.com), and not have a control panel at all, and you would actually do quite decent in performance, or hell go the Nginx + fastcgi PHP route and maximize the reasources and still have well over 60% memory free with CPU rarely over spiking 30-50%

Install Windows Server 2008 (+ 26$ a month plus 99/month if you want Microsoft SQL) instead, and you'll find that configuration starts to seriously crawl with the same amount of traffic and your memory and processor being strained. So what's one to do but upgrade the hardware to something a bit more powerful for more money in order to handle the same amount of workflow.