by Matt Hedges

Just as php scripts have the ability to increase the functionality of a website, so do web hosting scripts. Some web scripts are offered free of charge by web hosts and these include the Word Press script. These scripts can be used to allow website owners to increase the functionality of their site at a low cost and with the minimum of time.

Some of the web host scripts are mentioned below:

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.

The Fantastico scripts are executed upon the creation of a new website, or addition of an application to a current website. These scripts installs software helps in modification of web server file configuration, creation of tables in form of a database, etc. Though one may normally relate Fantastico to an open-source soft ware, there are some scripts available for installation of commercial products as well, and once they are installed, they can be used by every domain which a server hosts. For instance, we can site SohoLaunch’s website builder, the software for customer support by PerlDesk, and the software by Account Lab Plus for interaction with registrars of the internet.

Fantastico scripts are associated with 50+ applications, with the most generally added systems being:

shopping cart software

software to enable easy creating of blogs

picture sharing

* web content management system

information sites like 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 primarily retrieves and manages data and it offers multi-threads and provides computer language for many users. It enables its users to gain access to, and modify, data. If you are looking for an SQL database management system that has around ten million installations then MySQL is the one to choose. MySQL can be uses as a database component for WAMP, LAMP and MAMP as well as being used in web applications and be used to track bugs in an open source manner. There are strong links between PHP, “Ruby on Rails” and MySQL. Sites like WordPress and those similar find it possible to run on MySQL and PHP.

ASP.NET [ASP - Active Server Page] is Microsoft’s .NET platform’s division, and Microsoft markets it as well. It is a successor of the ASP technology, and ASP.NET is a web application set which can be used by programmers for building up websites, web applications and XML web services. ASP.NET web hosting helps in making the building of web applications a simple process by bringing down the number of codes required for it. It provides greater flexibility in the selection of language since it supports many .NET languages. Due to HTML and source code being together, web pages can easily be written and maintained in ASP.NET web hosting. Also, it’s not mandatory to register the components since the configuration information is already built-in. Besides, this application is very fast, and can manage a big number of users with a consistent performance.

As you are now aware about these three technical terms, it will be helpful when you select your server type. It may be difficult automating your website using CGI scripts, but they become a bit easy after you have done a few to your site.

Starting with a simpler script is the way to begin. You can visit cgi-resources.com for some CGI scripts. You will find some free and paid scripts for mails, website management, banner rotation, classified ads, protection of password, polls, mailing lists, having a search engine for your site, shopping carts and a host of other activities. Though a fee is charged for some of the scripts, you can save money by using a less expensive script and instead of calling on an expert from the company to set it up, you can do so yourself. Remember that costliest is not always the best since some of them may have more features than what you may require.

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.

If the scripts include a setup or a config file, then setting up CGI scripts would be quite simple. Upon uploading the files onto your server, you would be able to access the config files and the setup files, and after you enter some content into it, the script automatically sets itself up. Having a variable file is another way of setting up things. Generally, the file has most of the information required for running the script. The most general scripts may have multiple files which need to be configured for their working.

If the script is provided with a setup or read-me file, which it generally does, then it used with HTML text and the user will be descriptions to follow when it opens up. Some script writers will provide quality instructions whilst others make an assumption that the user knows what they are doing. If your script confuses you, you could try to find a similar acting one.

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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