You state: "ASP is a scripting language embedded in an HTML document..."

This is not true. ASP (Active Server Pages) executes on the server, before
the page is displayed, just like Perl does. I know this because I can't put
ASP variables into a javascript document.write statement. Javascript
executes in the browser, after ASP is done with its processing. You may be
confusing JScript or VBScript (two scripting languages that you can use in
ASP documents) with how ASP functions.

You can also put ASP pages in your HTML directories, or you can hide them in
your cgi-bin. Again, I do it both ways.

And, a default installation of IIS (at least 4+, in my experience) will run
ASP pages just fine, with no further setup, unless you are configuring a
special cgi directory.

Lastly, I believe one should not point one's carpet either toward or away
from Microsoft, but use what is best for your situation. In my case, our
server runs on IIS, whether I like it or not. Therefore, I take advantage of
ASP, which in my opinion, is easier to use than Perl.

Chuck Evans
Captura, Inc. 
(425) 803-6455 
http://www.captura.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Leland V. Lammert [mailto:lvl(at)omnitec.net]
>
>I personally do not know why anyone would put too much
>effort in to learning CGI.  Especially if you are new.
>You will obtain success much faster and get way more
>satisfaction out of ASP (Active Server Pages).  If you
>don't have access to it, get access to it.

What does ASP have to do with CGI? ASP is a VERY steep learning curve, .. 
greater than PHP and a LOT bigger than Cold Fusion (the only widely 
accepted alternatives). The biggest problem with ASP is that the server 
configuration itself is a nightmare - I have tried to get it working four 
different times and never succeeded.

>Unless you need to know CGI of course :).

Please do not give the impression that CGI ias ANY relation to ASP!! ASP is 
a scripting language embedded in an HTML document, .. CGI is a program 
running ON the server. CGI is the the interface between a web server (IIS 
in your world) *TO* a program running *ON* the server. By itself, CGI has 
absolutly nothing to do with an HTML document.

>By the way, the Internet is about to make a big left turn.
>Surprisingly many people do not know it yet.
>But ASP.NET will revise the Internet 10 fold.

Sure, .. that just means we know which direction YOUR prayer carpet is 
pointed at sunrise!! Microsoft is still claiming to be increasing market 
share right? NOT. The majority of the work done in the current marketplace 
is done by small developers like ourselves. I, for one, could never justify 
the $10K+ pricetag to subscribe to the Microsoft world. Just because we 
don't purchase our software from a vendor that reports quarterly sales does 
NOT mean that we are not here, and doing quite well, thank you, without ANY 
Microsoft products.

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