programming

Java Server Pages (JSP) allows web pages to be generated dynamically using a combination of XML tags and Java Servlets. JSP is an extension to Java Servlets allowing the dynamic generation of web pages.

Further Reading

http://guidex.biz/web_hosting/glossary.html

Active Server Pages technology generates HTML and passes the dynamically created HTML to the browser to be displayed to the user. Microsoft created Active Server Pages to make it easier for developers to create dynamic Web sites in a Windows environment.

Further Reading

http://course.cengage.com/careers/glossary/programming.cfm#cgi

ColdFusion is a product created by Allaire Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. that includes a server and a development toolset designed to integrate databases and Web pages. With ColdFusion, a user could enter a zip code on a Web page, and the server would query a database for information on the nearest movie theaters and present the results in HTML form. ColdFusion Web pages include tags written in ColdFusion Markup Language (CFML) that simplify integration with databases and avoid the use of more complex languages like C++ to create translating programs.

A Common Gateway Interface Script (CGI Script) is a small program written in a language such as Perl, Tcl, C or C++, it functions as the glue between HTML pages and other programs on a web server.

For example, a CGI script would allow search data entered on a Web page to be sent to the DBMS (database management system) for lookup. It would also format the results of that search as an HTML page and send it back to the user. The CGI script resides in the server and obtains the data from the user via environment variables that the Web server makes available to it.

Server-Side Scripts are small programs that reside on the web server to interact with the web environment. When browsers execute scripts that link to the code file, the script will do its designed functions and return a dynamically generated page.

Typical use of server-side programming:

• Personalized page content to the user's needs
• Enable the web browser to act as a database interface
• e-Commerce shopping carts

Server-Side Scripting Types

• CGI (Common Gateway Interface)

Server-Side Programming describes any code/software/scripts that are executed by the web server. Since these applications reside on the server they can interface with other server-side resources such as e-mail and databases.

Typical use of server-side programming:

• Personalized page content to the user's needs
• Enable the web browser to act as a database interface
• e-Commerce shopping carts

Server-Side Programming Types

• Server-side scripts

Client-Side Programming describes any code/software/scripts that are designed to be executed by the web browser. Client-side programming provides a broad range of functions.

Typical functions include:

• Dynamic navigational aids
• Make graphics dynamic
• Verify user's form data

Client-Side Programming types:

• Client-side scripting
  JavaScript and VBScript in-page code.
• Java applets
  Compiled Java code embedded into a page.
• Plug-in scripting
  

A while back when I was doing some work at my mother's house, my sister walked up behind me and looked at what I was doing. I wasn't programming anything too difficult, just a form submission page or something. She said, "I can't believe you do that for a living, I would never be able to do that!" Actually, that comment has been said to me more than several times, but the truth is, it appears a lot harder than it actually is. Look at this statement:

Recently I've started optimizing my PNG images. In most cases, I can get file sizes smaller than GIFs, and if I'm real lucky cut 24-bit PNGs in half.

There are a few optimizing programs out there, but none of them do what I really want. Previously I was using PNGpong, a dashboard widget, but I'm not a fan of Dashboard (I know, I know) and wanted a program that I could simply drag a folder onto and not have to worry about selecting fifteen different PNGs.