Abb. Web Des. Crash Course
What is HTML?
H-T-M-L are initials that stand for HyperText Markup Language (computer people love
initials and acronyms -- you'll be talking acronyms ASAP). Let me break it down for you:
 Hyper is the opposite of linear. It used to be that computer programs had to move in a
linear fashion. This before this, this before this, and so on. HTML does not hold to that
pattern and allows the person viewing the World Wide Web page to go anywhere, any time
they want.
 Text is what you will use. Real, honest to goodness English letters.
 Mark up is what you will do. You will write in plain English and then mark up what you
wrote.
 Language because they needed something that started with "L" to finish HTML and
Hypertext Markup Louie didn't flow correctly. Because it's a language, really -- but the
language is plain English.
A Brief History of HTML
Interest in and use of the World Wide Web has been expanding at a phenomenal rate. As the
Web grows, so must its vehicle of communication, HTML. The HTML 2.0 specification is dated
November, 1995. Since then, the HTML 3.0 draft specification expired on September 28, 1995,
without becoming recommended, and HTML 3.2 became a W3C (World Wide Web
Consortium) Recommendation on January 14, 1997. Now we have the public draft for HTML
4.0, announced on July 8, 1997. This draft is almost certain to undergo changes before being
accepted by the W3C as a Proposed Recommendation--if it does, indeed, ever become a
recommendation.
In addition to this official work on HTML, the browsers have been making their own additions to
HTML. Some changes were eventually adopted into W3C HTML Recommendations; others
remain proprietary coding aspects that only the individual browsers recognize. The browsers'
versions of HTML changed, too, in a game of marketing and programming one-upmanship,
hoping to lock Web developers into using one browser or the other exclusively.
Designing for the Web can be a confusing activity, indeed.
About W3C
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international community where Member
organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. Led by
Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and CEO Jeffrey Jaffe, W3C's mission is to lead the Web to its
full potential.
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, better known as PHP, is a highly popular, server-side scripting
language that can be embedded directly into HTML coding.
PHP can do anything that CGI (Common Gateway Interface) can do, such as process form data
and auto generate dynamic content. However, PHP can do much more. It can be used on all
major operating systems and supports most web servers.
PHP's main focus is development for the web, so it has a quick development time and can solve
scenarios much quicker than some of the other web design languages.
ColdFusion
ColdFusion, developed by Macromedia, is used to build and serve web pages. It consists of
ColdFusion Studio, which is used to create web pages, and ColdFusion Server, which is used to
display the web pages.
One of the best features of ColdFusion is the ability to create web pages 'on the fly' from content
stored within a database.
For example, a variety of content can be placed within a database as 'pieces of content.' When a
user types in the web address to retrieve the web page, ColdFusion dynamically develops the
pages, from the 'pieces of content,' as they are served.
Although it is very reliable, ColdFusion may be better suited for larger companies rather than
individuals, as it is fairly expensive.
Java Server Pages (JSP)
Java Server Pages, also known as JSP, is a web design language developed by Sun
Microsystems. It is used to control web page content via servlets, which are little programs that
run on a web server. These servlets modify the web page on the server prior to it being displayed
within a web browser.
The JSP technology enables you to combine regular, static HTML with dynamically generated
HTML.
Active Server Pages (ASP)
Active Server Pages, also known as ASP, is Microsoft's solution to dynamic, interactive web
pages.
Active Server Pages are web pages that contain scripts in addition to the standard HTML tags.
These scripts are processed prior to a web page being displayed within a web browser.
Unlike standard HTML pages that have an .html or .htm extension, Active Server Pages have an
.asp extension.
An advantage of ASP is that it is language-independent and therefore is easy to use across all
platforms and applications. It is very flexible and powerful, yet some people don't like it merely
because it is a Microsoft product.
Conclusion
With so many different web design languages to choose from, which is the best language for
your project? That will depend on your web site needs and how much time and/or money you're
willing to invest.
If you want a simple web site with text and images, HTML is definitely the way to go. Not only
is it easy to learn, but there are also many HTML editors available online that will write the code
for you.