Selecting Your First Web Hosting Script

by Matt Hedges

Much like plugins for your PC applications, web hosting scripts are programs, which add to the functions of the websites. Many web hosts offer scripts like Word Press, etc. free of cost to the clients. The main purpose of these scripts is to let the owners of the website add functions to their website at a minimal cost, besides requiring little time.

A selection of the available web hosting scripts is detailed next:

Fantastico assists with adding web applications to a site in an automated form and is primarily used for commercial gain. The website administrator has the right to execute these scripts and can do so by using the control panel. Fantastico have claimed to have installed in excess of 10,000 servers and also that they have over a millions users across the globe, which justifies them saying they are the leading product in the industry.

When a new website is created or a new application is added to an existing website, the Fantasatico script is executed. The script can assist in a number of ways and these include altering the file configuration of a web server or using a database to create a table. Fantastico may be commonly associated with open source programs, commercial products have been known to utilize it too. Once the script has been uploaded and ran, the script can be placed on every domain which is hosted by a server. An example of this would be the ability to site a website builder for SohoLaunch, software that PerlDesk provides customer support for and do the same for Account Lab Plus, which enables interaction with internet registrars.

There are over 50 applications that can be associated with Fantastico scripts with the more common ones featured below:

software to enable shopping carts to operate

the ability to write blogs

software to enable picture sharing

the enabling of a reliable web content management system

* Wikis

It is difficult to make a selection between the web hosts of LINUX and Windows. You must be aware of the language used in the website prior to selecting a given operating system or the server for your requirement. If your website is a simple one having HTML content, or even an e-Commerce website or one with any programming database feature which is php or MySQL crated, then go for the LINUX platform. However, for ASP or ASP.NET sites, a Windows server is required.

In order to get the best for your site, we shall discuss some issues about PHP, MySQL and ASP.NET.

PHP is a useful abbreviation for the term Hypertext Preprocessor and it is generally a used server side scripting language, associated with building and maintaining sites with interaction or it is known as a language for programming. It is extremely simple to insert a HTML code and it is common to find PHP with APACHE on an operating system and it is usually found on the LINUX system. The chief role of PHP is to work s filter and work through information received from files that contain content and similar instructions from PHP. This information is then transformed into a usable form of data. PHP is provided on the majority if operating systems, servers and platforms at no additional cost.

MySQL is a multi-threaded and a multi-user computer language, and it is mainly made for managing and retrieving data. It also allows access to the data and helps in modifying it. In short, MySQL is an SQL database management system which has ten million installations. It is most commonly used for web application, open sourced tracking of bugs, and in MAMP, LAMP and WAMP, it acts as its database component. There is a close relation of MySQL to PHP and “Ruby on Rails”. Almost all the sites like WordPress are able to run only on a combination of MySQL and PHP.

ASP.NET, otherwise known as Active Server Page is a Microsoft product that is strongly marketed and is also the companies .NET platform division. It has superseded the technology that developed ASP and provides many uses for programmers including creating websites and XML / web applications. In reducing the number of codes required to build a web application, ASP.NET assists in simplifying the process. As it supports a number of .NET languages it improves the flexibility a user has in choosing a language. The combination of HTML and source code ensures that it is easier to compile and maintain web pages. Another benefit comes in the fact that the configuration information is built in means that there is no need to register separate components. ASP.NET is also extremely fast and is able to satisfy a large number of users with no noticeable difference in performance.

Now you are armed with knowledge about these technical descriptions, you can make a more informed decision regarding the server. Although there may be some problems in trying to use CGI scripts to automate the website, there is no doubt that repeated use will make it a far easier task over time.

Most users find it helpful to start with a simple script. A handy place to find CGI scripts is at cgi-resources.com. Here you can find all manner of paid for and free scripts which will enable anyone to use mails, rotate banners, manage their website, place classified advertisements, apply protected passwords, host polls, enable mailing lists, place a search engine upon your site, run shopping carts and much more. Some of these scripts charge but it is possible to lower costs by finding cheaper or free scripts and running them yourself. Paying the highest price is not always the best option as sometimes the features you need may be on the low cost scripts.

The most important hindrance in webmasters not using scripts is because they have the impression that a thorough knowledge in computer science is required for setting it up, which is false. For CGI scripts, however, access is required to your server, but some free providers allow users the chance of uploading CGI scripts. You can try many combinations of these CGI scripts before going ahead with any one of them.

Running a CGI script is not difficult if the scripts contain a config file or a setup file. After these files have been loaded onto the server, gaining access to the setup or config files will enable the script to set itself up automatically after content is placed in it. An alternative to this is using a variable file. This type of file will ordinarily have the majority of the information that is needed for the script to run and the most used scripts are likely to have a number of files which require configuration before working.

In general, a script comes with a setup file or a read-me, which is used in HTML text. You can follow the directions after opening it up. There are some script writers who give good instructions, but there are some of them who simply assume that the one who is required to set up the script has enough information about it. Try finding an alternative script for performing a similar kind of job if you are confused.

If you want to maintain your site more easily and would like to have interaction on your site, CGI scripts would be the best choice for you.

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