For implementing heavy use of Ajax in a website with a very rich client interface what would be the best server side language to use - PHP, ruby on rails, java, .net. Which would be the worst.
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presumably a language with inherent XML support\n\nI would steer clear of .net since its idea of XML is non-standard (ms specific in most areas)\n\njava 1.5 fully supports XML parsing and generation, the real advantage here is its cross platform support\n\nRuby is said to be make the most logical sense syntactically , so I would suggest this language. If portability isn't an issue.\n\nPHP's latest incarnation is said to be very powerful, however I don't see any distinct advantages in using it
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PHP does indeed have scope. Actually more than just global and local. By default you NEVER want to set something as global unless it is absolutely necessary. There is a vulnerability in older versions of PHP that allowed public vars to become visible to end users. Good programming strongly discourages global vars anyway. \n\nWelcome to PHP the most commonly used programming language today. You'll find you have to move to Java to gain functionality over PHP. There are dozens of really good PHP websites that deal with programming in PHP. More so you visit PHP web sites every day and probably do not realize it. \n\nHere are a few of many sites you'll want to look at.
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Ajax in action is much better than prefessional ajax.\n\nmanning's ajax in action helps you get the hang of ajax.
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Everything is hot! \n\nOpenScource Tools based on PHP/MySQL is the hottest one. Ofcourse MS .net is in the race along with Java. But the best thing to note is that all programming languages are in the bandwagon to integrate XML. \n\nCheers\nSathu
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Flash or AJAX (google map uses AJAX - combo of Javascript and XML and some other langs)
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These all are Server Side Scripting Languages that are used to process the requests sent over HTTP and generate Responses
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You'll need to use a server-side scripting language like ASP, PHP or JSP.
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What you're looking for is considered an Ajax application.\n\nNot quite as simple as your typical HTML stuff.  \n\nIt requires some JavaScript code to make the various pieces shake hands and play nice.\n\nWhat you're talking about is something in the neighborhood of this: http://www.imagemash.com/ where you have things you interact with that cause others elements on the page to change.\n\nIn other words: it probably requires a decent programmer, since there aren't many people giving away that sort of functionality for free.\n\nOf course, I say this as someone who does quite a bit of programming for a living (and for full disclosure: I do own the site I linked you to).\n\nOnce you start getting heavily into these sorts of functions, you have to very picky about where you're hosted.\n\nFor example, everything we run is PHP, so we have to have a webserver that supports it.\n\nIt's not usually easy to find a webhost who supports everything you need for free.  Trust me: I tried everything when I was younger and learning.\n\nSorry for the discouraging tone, but the more functionality you want from a website the more difficult and expensive it becomes.
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AJAX stands for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. It is  scripting technique for silently interchanging and manipulating data asynchronously with the web server . AJAX scripts commonly use the soon to be standardized XMLHttpRequest object. It makes a web application a highly interactive one - it feels like a client server application - if AJAX is applied properly.
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Web pages are mostly written in HTML.  If you want pages to accept data or do cool things like show picture slide shows you can use javascript.  Now if you want to create truely dynamic web pages that people can log in at, extract data, or search for things you'll want to use PHP.  To search you'll need a database to store info in which case you can use SQL, one such implementation is MySQL.  \n\nThese are all FREE!  There are pleanty of resources on the net to teach you.  So just search on their names and you will get plenty to keep you busy.\n\nThere are more, but this is a very popular group of software commonly known as LAMP.  Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP. \n\nWhen you get all that working you can create super fancy stuff using FLASH from Adobe-Macromedia.  That one will cost ya.
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Hi,\nIt is quite a nice question. JAVASCRIPT cannot send email within a form. Javascript is just a client side language which does not have the capabilities of normal dynamic programming languages. \n\nYou must have alternatives of using serverside programming languages. You could use JSP/ASP/PHP/ROR/.NET etc to build a form that access a dynamic page. all the above languages can be incorporated within your existing project if and only if you have to enabled / installed on the server machine.\n\nIf your using PHP, then you have the mail() function that sends email... http://www.php.net/mail/\n\nTake care, good luck on what your doing :p
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Ruby On Rails is the big thing nowadays.  If you're comfortable with OOP and Ruby, it's a breeze and quick as well.
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Why only consider Microsoft? why not Sun?\n\nYou can develop dynamic web sites using one of the following:\n\n1. J2EE-JSP (Sun technology)\n2. Dot Net-ASP.NET (Microsoft technology)\n3. PHP (Open source)\n\nIf you want to develop stable, secured, strong and huge web sites, you will go for the J2EE.\n\nFor medium and small web sites, you should go for the ASP.NET.\n\nIt doesn't really matter what technology you're using. It all depends on the cost and time you are willing to spend on a web site. All technologies will do the work.\n\nJ2EE is very expensive to host and maintain. ASP.NET is cheaper. PHP is very very cheap to host.\n\nMost people tend to use PHP because it is cheaper and is well integrated with MySQL database. MySQL database is an open source database engine. But not as secured as Oracle or MS SQL Server. When you work with open source technologies, you end up with cost free web site, you will only pay for the hosting.\n\nSo, again, it's a matter of what web site you're developing and what costs are you (or your client) willing to pay.
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The front end language for any website is primarily html. That will never change (or at least not for a good long while). The only other language used front end really is javascript. Although Im sure someone will complain that their fav, flash is being left out. But is flash really a language? hmm\n\nPerhaps what you are looking for is back end languages? These can range from VB (visual basic) right through VBS, PHP, C++ .....
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Are you looking at those languages specifically or any scripting language to build dynamic webpages with?  If the latter I would recommend starting with PHP.  It is easier to learn and it is free.  Most webhosts offer it and there are tons of tutorials out there.  If you want to just try it out on your computer, I'd recommend XAMPP.  It is a working version of Apache, Mysql, PHP and Perl all together in one easy-to-install package.  I keep a copy on my USB drive so I can do my development anywhere.
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Learning another language will not hurt.  Python, in particular, is more easily extendable than PHP (PHP requires extensions written according to some very specific rules, while Python can integrate with general-purpose libraries).  \n\nAs to your Web site, do you know a good hosting company that supports Python?
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Your question is a bit too broad to answer fully.\n\nThat said, you can use PHP just like you would any old HTML document.\n\nPHP will already be installed by your Web hosting company. You shouldn't need to install anything.\n\nMySQL is not really a language; it's a relational database management system.\n\nGenerally speaking, if you intend to make a data-driven Web site, you need to have the data -- or, at least its structures -- in place before you can begin programming. \n\nYou should start by getting a copy of "PHP For Dummies." It really will help you.