question: in order to run applets on the server side, does my linux hosting require java? i havent seen any hosting services advertise this
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question: in order to run applets on the server side, does my linux hosting require java? i havent seen any hosting services advertise this
Basically whatever you want the server to do must be on the server. It's just like client code. Say you want the user to view something with javascript and Flash. If the user doesn't have javascript and Flash installed, they cannot get the full effect. If they have neither, they won't get it at all. But you can have a fall back to show them - say, an image.
Now, with Java (not javascript), generally there are jars - compressed application code that you can upload to the server just like an image or a stylesheet. But that's not server side, even though it resides on the server. The user downloads the jar, opens it and uses its contents to experience the application. All well and good, not so different than javascript, style, images, Flash, what have you. But the user must have a Java interpreter, a plug-in installed.
If you want the server to use Java behind the scenes to do something and then show the result to the user and/or store the result in a file or database for later use, in that case the server must have a Java interpreter installed. Many do. It's not such a popular thing nowadays though, so you probably won't see it advertised much.
What exactly do you want to do?
thank you for your time, i am embarking on my journey into java and had some questions that i couldnt find through searches. also looking through my isp i saw documents about php version, python and other languages but never saw anything about a java interpretor. are they common?
I really don't know how common. Best thing to do would be to ask your host.
Something else you can do is to install your own local host like WAMP* - a sandbox for PHP that includes an Apache server. Once you have that you should be able to install Java or just about anything else on it for testing.
*WAMP:
http://www.wampserver.com/en/
can also be used as a live server. It's for Windows. There are other similar suites for other operating systems.
To expand: WAMP for windows, LAMP for linux and even MAMP for mac.
Since the P stands for PHP and this (and other similar configurations) are very common, PHP is by far the most common. ASP.net (or "dot net") is also common but more for at the "professional" level, since it's used by experienced designers who prefer it to PHP. (Not everyone prefers it though, so don't think you "should" use it. It's just another option.)
Personally I'd recommend looking into PHP because it is so common and I like it, if that helps your decision at all.
Java is not common at all, as far as I know. To explain that a little more: I have never seen Java as part of a server configuration at a webhost where you rent space on a server. Of course it's possible to configure it yourself, but I expect this is a more high-end thing than what you'll find on an average hosting account.
This doesn't mean anything about using it except that it may be a little harder to find a server with it, or you might have to install it yourself. Beyond that, it might be a perfect choice for you.
thanks for the input. my isp has php support for shared hosting but i would need a dedicated server for java.
For testing, or production?Quote:
Originally Posted by ggalan
If the former, WAMP or one of the alternatives mentioned (I believe there is also XAMP) for other OS's would be good. For production you would need a server with Java capability. As for "dedicated", what's that mean? I would think that simply supporting Java or even the use of uploaded applications would be sufficient.
And, as djr33 says, you can upload the applications required. I would add - if your host allows that and their utilization. If the host has PHP and allows the use of its capabilities in this regard, it can be used to run just about anything you choose to upload.
In any case, PHP is very useful and can come in handy for running other apps like Java. For example, I've used PHP to run qqwing (a cross platform executable useful for sudoku) on my WAMP localhost. Java is also a cross platform application. This allows me to generate and analyze sudoku puzzles without leaving the browser. I haven't yet incorporated it, but with AJAX I could do so without even leaving the page.