ASP 6 Convert to (PHP || .net)

[theEclipse]

Hello,

My company is an entirely web based busisness all coded with a commerce server and msSql back-end to our asp6 coded website and CMS. We have a web based manager system for the website and in there is also scheduling for the IT on call and more and more.

The problem is that the site was originally coded by a 3rd party asp developer that didnt really seem to know how to write comments or efficient code. (Ex....an include that just includes another file....).

Soloution (Ug....) The site needs to be redesigned. No question there. They are considering two different paths as to where to head with the redesign coding: 1) Stay with IIS, MsSql and Commerce server and move to Asp.net or 2) Start a slow migration process twards PHP, mySql, (either an in house design buying system or osCommerce), and even eventually Apache and maybe on a Linux server set of some sort.

Just wondering what some people from the ASP world think about the different pros/cons of switching.

Robert Carpenter
"You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness." - C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

robert (at) robertcarpenter (dot) net

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[Sheco]

You will probably have to re do so much of your ASP to go to ASP.NET that you might as well start over.

If starting over then be careful about sending the code to a 3rd party. Even if you buy something prepackaged the same problems might happen. In an ideal world there are people within your organization that have the time/skill to do the work.

Layout, graphics, anything and everything that is seen by customers should go thru a professional artist-type shop... they can do the art and you can do the implementation.

 

[theEclipse]

Actually this is the case.

We have an IT Team in house of 7 members, all of which are very profecient programmers. Funny thing is that only 1 or 2 of us can really program in asp6.....

We will be recoding the entire site. There is no doubt about that, the question is what language....

Robert Carpenter
"You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness." - C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

robert (at) robertcarpenter (dot) net

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[CzechNET]

My 2 cents .. since you already are on the Windows platform, I'd stick with it, .NET is very powerful when used right and is actually quite easy to migrate from ASP to ASP.NET. Also if you are not familiar with the Linux/Unix environment you'd have to rely that much more on opinions coming from someone else ... stick with what's most familiar to you.

 

[Tarwn]

ASP6?

 

[theEclipse]

uh...sorry....asp based off of vb 6. in other words....not dotnet



Robert Carpenter
"You and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness." - C.S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory)

robert (at) robertcarpenter (dot) net

http://www.robertcarpenter.net

 

[Tarwn]

ASP3.0 And just to continue nit-picking, ASP != VBScript as it can also be written in JScript, PerlScript, Python...etc.

Now, depending on how much of the process you udnerstand of the existing app, it may be easier to develop under PHP. ASP.Net (and the evil known as WebForms) is much more differant from ASP then PHP is. ASP and PHP are both scripting technologies that are fairly inline and have direct control over the output (as well as various other things). ASP.Net on theother hand relies on WebForms and will require you to re-design how the site works based on the 50-million submits to finish one job thing.
I have written PHP sites without having a solid PHP background, ASP has pissed me off non-stop despite the fact that I have been sing it a few months. And this is despite prios C# and VB.Net experience. In my opiniopn, the applicaiton side of .Net is great. The WebForms portion is a pile of hacks sitting on a pile of brown stinky stuff, trying to make web programming into a frontpage-like experience from top to bottom. I could rant all night about problems with WebForms, it's execution plans, it's naming schemes, it's complete and utter lack of regard for browser standards, etc., but I'll spare you the pain

If you do go with PHP I would hold off on switching to Linux right away. Apache and PHP will be enough to pick up for one project and written well you should be able to later port it with minimal problems. MySQL shouldn't be to bad as long as you get an interface for it (like phpMySQL) as command-line database interface may be a bit much to pick up also

Or you could go the .Net route, try to build part of your project to learn mor about it, throw that away and then build it for real. I would not suggest trying to just jump in and build your production system, therein lies many nights of madness and teeth gnashing when you find out that events aren't really events, that it takes hours to beat the system into not nesting 50 tables on a whim, and lines of "<P>&nbsp;</P>" are floating through your head.

-T