Re: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP )

[Ged Haywood <ge...@www2.jubileegroup.co.uk>]

Hi there,

On Sat, 10 Nov 2001, SubbaReddy M wrote:

> [snip] many strugles.
> [snip]
> /home/httpd/asp/1.asp  is called from brower http://192.168.1.235/asp/1.asp

Do you think it might be better to start with something a little less
ambitious?  Just getting a mod_perl server running with a pre-built
handler like Apache::Registry is enough for many people.  Apache::ASP
is Yet Another Big Chunk Of Configuration and things to figure out...

73,
Ged.

Re: OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[Joshua Chamas <jo...@chamas.com>]

dreamwvr@dreamwvr.com wrote:
> 
> hi,
>    How far along is mod perl ASP? IOW just how compatible is it to the
> proprietary equiv? Reason being is that i would love to offer it to clients
> that use the m$ one transparently. That way they get what they want if
> that is what they want and i get what i want. Namely to continue to use
> mod perl and apache:-))
> TIA

Apache::ASP is mostly compatible with PerlScript under IIS,
with the exception of support of win32 COM objects like ADO db access.

However, as Richard explains, most people on IIS would be using VBScript
for their ASP applications, so would not be portable to Apache::ASP,
which currently supports perl scripting only.  However there are
other alternatives for supporting VBScript/ASP on Apache, particularly
with Chilisoft's ASP or Halcyon's Instant ASP.  Both of these are
commercial products however.

Also, Ime Smits, cc'd on this email, has a perl utility that 
can convert VBScript ASP to perl scripting ASP for running
under Apache::ASP.  He might be able to offer this code to
you in some form.  

-- Josh
_________________________________________________________________
Joshua Chamas                           Chamas Enterprises Inc.
NodeWorks Founder                       Huntington Beach, CA  USA 
http://www.nodeworks.com                1-714-625-4051

Re: OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[Richard Dice <rd...@pobox.com>]

>       THX for the response. To clarify since my active server page
> knowledge is pretty
> much zero here is my issue. 


I'm afraid that what you want to do probably isn't possible.

I will try to teach you something about the architecture of ASP on IIS,
and how it differs from Apache::ASP.

In this context, ASP stands for "Active Server Pages".  This is a
Microsoft technology that allows for server-side scripting languages
to integrate with the MS IIS web server.  The most common scripting
language used with ASP is VBScript, which is a varient of Visual Basic.
JScript, a server-side JavaScript varient, and two different Perl
implementations, PerlScript and PScript, also exist, but they are
very rarely used in the ASP world.  For our purposes, what "ASP" is is
a common "way of doing things" (e.g. common embedded scripting delimiter
syntax, common method calls, common sessioning system) that can be
accessed by all scripting languages that use ASP.

Architecturally, this looks like of like...

IIS <--> ISAPI <--> ASP <--> ActiveX COM Scripting Object (e.g. VBScript)

(Don't worry about what ISAPI is... it's like of like pure mod_perl, but
worse. :-) )

Note that all of this is server-side stuff.  That is, when a user
connects to web server and requests a .asp page, the server "runs"
the script within the .asp page to create HTML, which is then sent
back to the user's web browser.

Now, over to Apache::ASP...

Apache::ASP is a cloned API implementation the "ASP way of doing things"
such that you can use ASP conventions with Perl code embedded within
the Apache::ASP page.  It's similar to HTML::Embperl, but using ASP
conventions. The embedded code within Apache::ASP pages is embedded
_Perl_ code.

Bottom line for your purposes:  it's feasible to port PScript or PerlScript
ASP pages from IIS to Apache and Apache::ASP, but not to port ASP/VBScript
pages.  And it's not likely that the ASP code that anyone is about to give
you is ASP/PScript or ASP/PerlScript code.

Sorry.

Cheers,
Richard

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Richard Dice * Personal 416 841 7365 * Fax 416 841 7364
  ShadNet Creator * http://shadnet.shad.ca/ * rdice@shadnet.shad.ca
  Occasional Writer, HotWired * http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/
      "squeeze the world 'til it's small enough to join us heel to toe"
          - jesus jones

Re: OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[Ged Haywood <ge...@www2.jubileegroup.co.uk>]

Hi again,

On Sat, 10 Nov 2001 dreamwvr@dreamwvr.com wrote:

> since my active server page knowledge is pretty much zero here is my
> issue. Have several clients that use IIS w/lots of ASP[yuk] instead
> of Apache && all things PERL.

Richard and Josh have answered your other points, but I'd just like to
take issue with this one, hoping that I won't offend.

Comments like [yuk] will carry more weight if they are based on sound
informed reasoning and not on prejudice.  There is nothing wrong with
being ignorant about a subject - as long as you are prepared to do
something about it.  But if you are not, you are in danger of becoming
a religious zealot and we have ample evidence at the moment of where
that leads us.  Instead of disparaging the alternatives, learn about
them.  Know their strengths and their weaknesses.  It seems to me
that, so equipped, you might be in a position to give a more valuable
service to your Clients.

There is a lot to be said for Open Source, but even more to be said
for an Open Mind.   

73,
Ged.

Re: OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[dr...@dreamwvr.com]

> hi,

      THX for the response. To clarify since my active server page
knowledge is pretty
much zero here is my issue. Have several clients that use IIS  w/lots of
ASP[yuk]
instead of Apache && all things PERL.
However really don't know if their websites would suddenly look different
if one were
to switch them over to Apache httpd. I really don't think so..
Does Apache  handle ASP the same way as IIS? If it is all done on the
client side
well then it really doesn't matter for formatting of asp. My reasoning
being that in that
case they are if using m$ going to get what they would expect simular to
what they would
get for Javascript  Whereas if ASP does all it works on the http server
then sends the
results to the client much like say cgi would then this could be a
problem. TIA

Re: OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[Ged Haywood <ge...@www2.jubileegroup.co.uk>]

Hi there,

On Sat, 10 Nov 2001 dreamwvr@dreamwvr.com wrote:

> How far along is mod perl ASP? IOW just how compatible is it to the
> proprietary equiv?

I'm not quite sure what you mean.  Be aware that Apache::ASP is purely
for scripting in Perl.  I have used it on a system which now has a
very large number of users.  I didn't really do much with Apache::ASP
itself (I was primarily responsible for the user interface) so for me
Apache::ASP was just a building block in the software Lego kit.  It
gave no trouble, which is hardly surprising since the author of
Apache::ASP was on the same team.  Perhaps he will reply in more
detail if you ask a more specific question.

There's a mailing list specifically for Apache::ASP, the address to 
subscribe is on the mod_perl home page, http://perl.apache.org

73,
Ged.

OT: Internal server error on Refreshing mod_perl page ( Apache::ASP)

[dr...@dreamwvr.com]

hi,
   How far along is mod perl ASP? IOW just how compatible is it to the
proprietary equiv? Reason being is that i would love to offer it to clients
that use the m$ one transparently. That way they get what they want if
that is what they want and i get what i want. Namely to continue to use
mod perl and apache:-))
TIA