Choosing the Right Programming Language for Your Site
If you are setting up a new site online, one concern you may have is picking the right programming language. Having set up a lot of my own sites, let me share with you what I’ve already learned…
First of all, if you are trying to find the perfect programming language when you are developing your site, you need to realize that there really is not a perfect programming language out there. Once you get a good grasp of this, you’ll find it easier to look for a language that does the best job of serving your needs. However, before you choose one particular language, the following are a few things to consider:
- The budget you have
- The server software you are using
- The server platform you use
- Your experience in programming
- Your database for the backend
Your platform is the operating system that you are using on your system, and your operating system plays a big role in the programming language you decide on. There could be some unforeseen problems that occur that lead to you changing your OS platform, and this can be difficult. Usually the best choices for your operating system include POSIX-compliant unix like systems and Microsoft Windows.
After you choose your OS, then you will need to pick your server software. If you have a Windows system, then you probably have ISS, which is installed free with the Windows program. It has been known to have both security and performance problems in the past. Some of the web servers that POSIX-compliant Unix-like systems can be used for Windows as well, such as the Apache web server.
There are many programming languages out there that are free; however, some may have a licensing fee as well. While commercial products will cost you, they do have the advantage of coming with support. So, if you want to set up your site easily with very little problem, then you may want to go with a commercial solution. However, if you don’t have the money for these choices, free languages can be used, and they are still quite powerful.
Some of the most popular programming languages that are used for sites include PHP, C, C++, Perl, C#, ColdFusion, ASP, and Java/JSP. Each of these languages have both pros and cons to them, so you will have to take a closer look at each one to decide which one is going to be the best for your needs. Sure, each one has some problems, but if you can separate which one is going to work best for your individual site needs, you’ll be sure to choose the right one.
