What do you think of JSP?

Anyone here had experience with Java Server Pages??
Well I haven't but that is what I'm learning now, as I have just moved out of "work experience" -> "On the payroll".

I was mucking around with .NET (didn't buy VS.Net) and started to get the hang of C#/ASP.NET and now I have to learn jsp, looking around at various sites and what not to find out what jsp pages are all about. I have come to the conclusion that it is simply the same (not really but close) as C#/ASP.Net all the syntax is close even the structure (it is essientially java which of course is like C).

It got most of the http stuff (response, request etc) the only thing it probably doesn't have is all the nice friendly web server controls out of the box like in ASP.NET. But we all now you can make every single one of those from scratch, it is just convient to use the ones out of the box (so to speak).

And the best thing I'm liking about it so far is that javascript (client) is easy to implement. Now I'll be using java straight and wont have to think about how I do something in C# then convert it to javascript (little thing I kow). This is good for not getting stuff (syntax, references to objects) mixed up.

Well thats my view on JSP whats yours?

Also got to luv VMware it rocks it makes it so easy to set up dev servers without actually having a physical box sitting somewhere. I've been spending the last three hours building it takes a fair amount of time because I'm only running a PIII 333 w/128mb RAM, but hey it is stable as can be.

i know what java and javascript is, but ive never knew what jsp actually is, i always asumed, it was like php, in terms of generating dynamic html, except that instead of using php, or asp, it uses java?? what databases can you use with it??? and are their any advatages over php/asp that are worth mentioning??

thanks, hopfully this will clear up a few issues for me, since im mainly a php guy, and well as you can see, i have a thing with MS

I don't know about php, so i can't really compare jsp against php.

Asp as you may know uses VBscript as the language, which is a simpler version of VB, for server-side and vbscript or javascript for client. Now jsp uses java as the language for server side stuff and you would use javascript for client side stuff, why would you use vbscript??.

You know what I reckon, you can do everything with all three just have to do it differently, and all it comes down to is: do like MS or not, do you want to use MS or not, do you want to pay for Stuff or not, and what sort of a web site are you making?

As for databases, I don't know but it would be safe to assume that you can use all of them, there just has to be some sort of a provider for it, I know ORACLE is supported along with mySQL, don't know about SQL Server or Access, Paradox is, and thats all I know.

I will be using oracle here at work, as that is what they got.

as for advantages, the biggest one i see is the platform independant thing. also as i said above you use the same language for client and server-side code.

Hope this helps some, keep in mind what I know I found out within the last 24hrs, I've learnt quite a bit in that time because I have to get up to speed fairly quickly.

Hey Nigorr,
I'm not much of a Java user myself, mainly because it's been perceived as slow. I might learn it one day, but for now Im happy with ASP, VB, C++, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, MySQL and SQL Server hehe.

mytch: I'm not a java user either, i would be very happy to stick with VS.net and the whole .net plan. But I got a paying job now so I might as learn it all. Bit of diversity.

Ben: As for support database, the main three are ORACLE, mySQL and MS SQL, but essentially just about any RDBMS is supported.

thanks for that, its cleared up a few issues. pitty you dont know php, since its free, and faster then jsp, but we cant have it all.

Thanks

I have seen a few jsp sites around and I haven't noticed any difference in speed compared to asp/php/html I guess it just dependes on what sort of hardware you have.

Here at work hardware is not a problem, 3 sun servers, 2x $1million each, and the other is $500k. Though I have to say the intranet start page takes a while to load, don't know why yet.

can you please send one of those machines to me??? i would be most greatfull LOL

its worth a try

umm... NO.
I was looking at the sun site and they reckon there is huge demand for some of these machines, and you have to wait a bit before it will arive.

from what i was told jsp offers wayyyyyyyyyyyyy too much even for the novice programmer.

what do you mean? (wayyyyyyyyy to much)

JSP is very similar to ASP. It is similar in how it all works. JSP has some benefits in that you can use it with java apps, EJBs, and J2EE web applications...Many high powered sites like the power of J2EE and the ability to use apps and web "interchangably". It is nice to have in the old pocket, however, PHP can do it and faster, plus you need to have a server that handles your jsp pages...Apache Jakarta group makes server that handle this for ya if open source is what you want...there are many commercial servers that you can use. I like the power of JRun (Allaire and now Macromedia). Works great on my windows box...on linux it is always Apache, Tomcat and Cocoon working together...

If you are into the J2EE and EJBs then you need to have an application server like Websphere or BEA. There are others as well...open source JoNas works great...and many of these are xml based so they will probably work with your .NET stuff...