A Management Overview
Why ASP.NET?
 ASP.Net is Microsoft's latest Web
development platform that provides the structure and services necessary to develop
maintainable Web applications of any size.
Creating dynamic, high-performance Web applications has never been easier. ASP.Net
has introduced many (some say too many) enhancements and improvements that makes
it a compelling platform. It provides effective, scalable, and fast Web development
with little coding.
Displaying data, validating user input, and uploading files are all easy. ASP.NET
pages work in all browsers – including Chrome, Netscape, Opera, Firefox and
Internet Explorer.
It is a simple matter for a Website to display dynamic information from a database,
have variable headings or fresh content.
Visual Basic Programming
Visual Studio.NET adds the productivity of Visual Basic-style development to the
Web. Web Forms and controls provide a Rapid Application Development (RAD) platform
for creating Web applications. The VB.Net programmer can visually design ASP.NET
Web Forms using familiar Drag and Drop techniques, statement completion and colour-coding.
There is support for uncomplicated debugging and deployment of ASP.NET Web
applications.
The move to ASP.NET is easy (well, as easy as it can be) for the Visual Basic.Net
Programmer – there is the same VB development environment and the same VB
programming model.
Classic ASP
Microsoft introduced classic ASP (Active Server Pages) in 1996. Classic ASP script
is an interpreted script and consists of unstructured code that is difficult to
write, debug and maintain. The complexity of a classic ASP application increased
dramatically as applications grew in size. This was due to the unpleasant mix of
code, content and formatting. The resulting spaghetti code was difficult, if not
impossible, to maintain.
As a consequence, development and maintenance costs were high.
The nightmare of debugging and maintaining ASP has been replaced by a much simpler
paradigm. What was previously prohibitively expensive and complex can now be accomplished
with relative ease.
The Features of ASP.Net
ASP.Net:
- Improves development productivity with the separation of code from presentation.
- Reduces development times with strongly typed objects.
- Server controls reduce the amount of code required.
- Improves performance using compiled code.
- Improves reliability with the .Net Framework of common programming language library
routines.
- Eliminates the cost of highly trained, multi-disciplined ASP programmers.
- Allows the creation of Websites that are consistent and attractive.
This all adds up to a dramatic reduction in development and maintenance costs.
And the negatives?
- There is still the odd bug or two.
- The developers concentrate on new and esoteric features that are of little interest
to the Visual Basic programmer.
- The product feature range is just too vast.
- There is a never-ending learning curve.
- Documentation has improved, but due to all the improvements, it is hard to work
out what is valid and what is obsolete.
On the other hand, no one has complained about a lack of features, for a long, long
time!
Companies using ASP.Net
The scalability of ASP.Net allows it to be used for large companies as well
as the small Business. These include Dell, Match.com, Monster.com, Costco.com, NHS
Choices, HSN.com, London Stock Exchange, newegg.com, myspace and Lego.
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