ptg16476052684 LESSON 24: Taking Advantage of the Server
Java EE
Java is a programming language originally created by Sun that runs on many operating
systems, including Windows, OS X, and Linux. EE stands for “Enterprise Edition ,” an
umbrella under which the server-side Java technologies live. Java is widely used by large
companies to build internal and external applications.
There are two ways to write web applications in Java—servlets, which are programs that
run on the server and can produce web content as output; and Java Server Pages, which
allow you to embed Java code in HTML pages so that it can be executed on the server.
You can read more about Java EE at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index.html.Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails is a newer application platform that is gaining popularity because it
enables developers to get a lot done with just a few lines of code. It uses the Ruby pro-
gramming language and is designed with the philosophy that applications can be written
quite efficiently if developers adhere to the conventions that the creators of the Ruby on
Rails framework built in to it. You can read more about Ruby on Rails at http://
rubyonrails.org/.Summary
This lesson provided a whirlwind tour of the PHP language, and it explained how server-
side scripts are written in general. Although the syntax of other languages will differ from
PHP, the basic principles for dealing with user input, processing forms, and embedding
scripts in your pages will be quite similar. I also listed some other application platforms
you might encounter. They are all similar to PHP in function, even though the syntax of
the languages they use differs from PHP to varying degrees.
In the next lesson, you’ll learn how to take advantage of applications that other people
have written rather than writing them yourself. Just as PHP has lots of built-in functions
to take care of common tasks, so too are there many popular applications that you can
download and install rather than writing them from scratch yourself.Workshop
The following workshop includes questions you might ask about server-side develop-
ment, quizzes to test your knowledge, and three quick exercises.