Ok… ok…
Maybe a little melodramatic, I know. I’m sorry if you are now having American Idol flashbacks (and, this year’s American Idol is… <ridiculously long pause>). But, today DOES mark a turning point for me… a betrayal of my open source roots, a new deal with the “devil” of web development, and a path that could possible lead to disaster.
[pay]Good-bye dear open source… <tears rolling>
<Big sigh>
Hello Microsoft.
Oh the horror…
Yes, it’s true… I’ve been recruited to the dark side. Kind of. Actually, what’s happening is I’m toying with the new Microsoft Visual Studio 2008… and some other of the Microsoft Web Development tools.
It all started about two weeks ago…
(And, it’s all my younger brother’s fault… damn him!)
My oldest brother, Shane, is some kind of mad computer whiz. Seriously, he was the guy back in the late 80’s writing computer programs for our old Apple 128. The guy who left college early (after like two years), because he had already aced all his major courses and had a job in in computers. The guy who got like a 3000 on his IQ test (ok… something like 160).
He’s smart.
And, he digs computers.
So, my little brother was talking with Shane and told him about my newfound interest in CSS, PHP, AJAX… as well as graphic design, and web site building. And, that instantly sent Shane afire.
Long story short, my brother Shane recruited me to the dark side and introduced me to the world of Microsoft web development and ASP.NET.
What mostly convinced was seeing how some of the largest websites on the planet are using ASP.NET… particularly MySpace. Whether you like MySpace or not, fact is it’s popular.
And, here’s what I noticed…
Before MySpace switched to ASP.NET…
- Buggy and unreliable
- No applications
- Ugly and seemingly very cumbersome
And, I believe, on the verge of “death”.
After ASP.NET
- WAY more reliable (like WAY more reliable)
- Support for cool applications
- Upgraded interface, yet still pretty lightweight
And, beginning some kind of weird nerdy online revival.
Now, realize, I have no clue what I’m talking about. These are just my opinions from my very limited perspective. (And, I’m sure those of you who DO know will not have a problem enlightening me.)
But, when my older brother tells me, it’s better… I listen. He knows. He deals with this stuff everyday.
So, today my journey begins.
Now, let me say right upfront. I know almost nothing about any of this. And, I have no clue where all this is headed. But, if you’d like to join me on my journey, I’m going to post to this blog as I learn new tricks and techniques.
So, to start, let me show what all I downloaded and have done so far:
Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Microsoft has a cool SQL server you can download and use for free with your database applications. Honestly, I’m still figuring out what all this does, but I know I database applications are a BIG part of where I’m headed, so figuring this one out is vital.
You can download this product for free at:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/
Microsoft Visual Basic 2008
This is Microsoft’s basic programming studio for ASP.NET applications. The copy on their site says it’s for casual programming and first-time users to learn how the ASP.NET programming language works, etc.
You can download this product for free at:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/
Of course, these are the “express” editions of these products, so they are limited it some ways… but, don’t ask me how, because I’m still figuring them out.
Anyway, if you’d like to start toying with these products and working with ASP.NET as a programming language, go for it. That’s exactly what I’m doing and I’ll post about my experiences and cool tricks and techniques I learn here on this blog.
Also, for you savvy ASP guys and gals out there… any recommendations with using this stuff. I know… I’m a noob, but the interface is a bit daunting when I first opened it up. Any tips on how to master this a bit faster?
Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
[/pay]
chuck Snyder
May 29th, 2008
Just a suggestion for learning, I’ve found
http://www.learnvisualstudio.net/
to be quite helpful. Not really expensive, but lots of tutorials on learning the ide, plus sql, asp.net and others.
Good Luck
John Morris
May 29th, 2008
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/asp.net/bb498194.aspx
Very daunting, but it looks like it has more than enough for me to get started.
Thanks again for dropping by!!
Carl
May 30th, 2008
John,
A search of ASP vs. PHP confirmed my understanding of the pro’s and con’s. This page caps it up: http://www.tizag.com/aspTutorial/aspVersusPHP.php
ASP –> long startup, more scalable(?)
PHP –> faster, free, but may have ceilings when you hit the enterprise level. Fewer at the top, so little support, whereas with ASP, you pay to be at the top & comes with support.
Something to keep in mind is that as you progress, technology is progressing exponentially faster than you.
Are you looking to build the next killer app? If yes, maybe ASP is the way to go for the long run. If you are expanding your net far and wide horizontally outwards, I’d say PHP is a better way to go.
If you building up vertically, then ASP is the way to go.
My point about tech progressing faster… there is an argument for open-source there… but that’s for a later post.
Great site you have here. Love it.
John Morris
May 30th, 2008
First off, thanks for stopping by! Your input is greatly appreciated here.
As for the discussion, it’s interesting, because YESTERDAY I wouldn’t have had a good grip on this, but TODAY I do… as far as what I am up to…
I’m not necessarily looking to build the next killer app… but, I am looking to make a dramatic shift in how online education takes place… combing numerous technology…
Animation…
ASP…
Graphic Design
etc…
To create real online virtual training centers… Training centers nearly as real as if you were in person…
I think the biggest reason I switched from PHP to ASP is scalability and support. And, using the Visual Studio tools along with some online tutorials I’ve found… it’s going better than I thought it would.
I see ASP able to perform complex functions with large numbers of users much faster, smoother, and error-free. Of course, maybe my perception is off…
Only time will tell.
Thanks for your insight Carl! And, I’m definitely not abandoning PHP wholly.
Tristan
May 30th, 2008
Ummm…this sounds a little too corporate. Im sure that its real and you really like enterpise software and all…but wow, did you copy a MS press release.
Thomas Hansen
May 30th, 2008
Hi John, I don’t know if you realize but Open Source and “The Evil Empire” is very easy to CONNECT. For instance you should NOT use EntityObject Framework but rather ActiveRecord and nHibernate, you should NOT use MSBuild but rather nAnt, and the list goes on for a VERY long list…
And the reason is not that the Open Source stuff is Open Source, but actually that it is 100 times BETTER
Also you can deploy your ASP.NET applications on Linux Servers by using stuff like Mono which has a really *awesome* port of ASP.NET. And as a final touch you should of course use the best Ajax library for ASP.NET which also is Open Source and runs perfectly on Mono (hint; follow my link
So to use “Microsoft Technology” is not the same as saying “goodbye” to Open Source
Carl
May 30th, 2008
Wow… I can’t wait to see your vision come together.
I’ve heard that MySQL is more robust than the Access databases… but don’t quote me on that. When you get into the enterprise level of MFST solutions, you can’t lose performance-wise, I’m sure.
Maybe I was thinking of size, not performance… MySQL can handle large datasets…. see http://www.weberdev.com/ViewArticle/Access-vs.-MySQL
Review this article for SQL Server vs. MySQL: http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1054385.html
Its great to have a bunch of different tools in the toolbox. Let us know how it goes.
Btw, what’s your take on adsense? Do you use?
John Morris
May 30th, 2008
@Thomas. Awesome!! Really! Because I like running my sites on linux servers… I like MySQL and PHP… but, I’m also liking ASP.NET and, especially the Visual Web Developer. Like I said I’m really a noob in all this… knowing just enough to be dangerous, so I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction!! Thanks for stopping by!
@Carl. Yeah, it’s about a 5-10 year project… so, it’ll be awhile, but Michael (my bro) is beginning to write the scripts for the first site I’ll create with this setup, which is http://www.UntouchablesUnderground.com - and, I’m researching different 3D modeling/animation programs right now… Carrara 6 and Poser are the ones I have at the top so far…
Thanks for the tips man… I need it!!
As far as Adsense, is it really helpful to a user? I’m asking honestly, because as a site owner, I know it could help me make a few bucks, but I guess I don’t see it as very useful for the users of my site. A lot of times, Adsense links/clicks/sites are fishy… last I checked it out anyway.
And, as far as this site, I want it to be completely for the user. I’ve got some cool things planned as far as giving away free training and tools that I myself have looked high and low for… and can’t find.
So, I guess, my answer is… I don’t know. That said, this blog is setup to integrate adsense smoothly if I do decide to.