PHP or ASP.net?

Ever since the release of Asp.net, numerous debates have surfaced online on which of the two platforms is the better.  Unfortunately, such arguments tend to be biased, with the author supporting a particular platform, thus giving a biased critique of the two. Hereunder, we strive to present an objective argument on the pros and cons of both languages.

First and foremost, one has to keep in mind that in the computing world, there are constant ongoing developments, therefore, what might be a platform’s strong point at this point in time, might not remain relevant after a few months. More importantly, both PHP and ASP.net are used to handle large web application projects, both yielding successful results. In order to compare the two platforms together we are going to take into consideration matters such as speed, performance and cost, amongst other factors.  Below is a detailed insight into each issue.

Performance and Speed

The speed of the respective programming language does not evidently affect how fast a website loads.  It is only when needed to carry out heavy duty tasks such as those required by Google or Yahoo, that speed actually matters. Indeed, these large companies normally adopt a variety of programming languages, rather than just a single platform, so as to ensure the greatest possible efficiency.  However, the difference is minimal in standard website performance.

Support and Resources

When it comes to obtaining help and support in Asp.net, the probability is that you will find only a limited amount of help, since more often than not only a restricted amount of developers working for Microsoft would be able to lend a helping hand.

This is not the case when it comes to LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP).  Being open-source, there are significantly more users taking up this language who are continuously improving and making changes on the language itself to make it even better.  This is done with no financial gain in mind.  In fact, while browsing around the web for PHP support forums, one would stumble into numerous pages all of great assistance.

Cost

In terms of cost, there is quite some discrepancy when comparing the two languages. As one might be aware, the Linux OS, PHP, MySQL server, Apache server as well as PostgreSQL, are all available free of charge.  Moreover, any additional upgrades can also be obtained at no extra cost.  Even better, the licensing fee for any extra servers which might be needed is practically non-existent.  

It therefore goes without saying that LAMP has attracted much more companies due to its economical benefits when compared to Windows hosting.  It may be true that both ASP.net and IIS are free of charge upon purchase of a Windows OS, however, the incurred costs for obtaining the licence for a Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, as well as any additional upgrades, is quite substantial.  This is even more so, if more servers are required after a couple of years.

Time issues

One of the main differences between PHP and ASP.net is that while the former is interpreted, ASP.net is compiled.  Both compiled and interpreted languages have their ups and downs.  Therefore, before choosing one language or another, it’s vital to have a clear cut idea of what your development goals are.Usually one may opt for an interpreted language so as to obtain fast program changes, at the cost, however, of a higher execution cost, since the program would need to be interpreted each time it is run.  On the contrary, a compiled language like ASP.net, needs to be translated only once and thereof, the program would only need to be loaded once and executed as often as required.  Thus, it all depends on the nature of the program.  Indeed, it’s quite normal to find large companies making use of a blend of compiled and interpreted languages, depending on what they’re after in that specific part of the program.

Which language are popular sites going for?

The numerous websites distributed online make use of a variety of languages and platforms.  Carefully note the choice of platform made by some of the most renowned websites out there.

ASP.net 

• Msn.com
• Bing.com
• Microsoft.com
• Godaddy.com

PHP

• Google.com
• Facebook.com
• Yahoo.com
• Wikipedia
• WordPress.com

Usability Issues

Various users complain about Linux not being user-friendly.  However, to be fair, the majority of people out there have grown accustomed to the Windows Operating system.  Thus, it is only natural that one would require some time before getting used to a new interface.  In a few words, it all depends on the programmer’s expertise and knowledge in computing operation, rather than the environment itself.

As one can easily notice, the evaluation above was presented in as an impartial way as possible.  We now leave it up to your critical mind to determine which of the two options best fits your interests when having to adopt either one of the two alternatives.

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