ASP.NET Discussion - Upgrading From Classic to .net

Upgrading From Classic to .net - Questions

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Forum Name: ASP.NET Discussion
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URL: https://forums.webwiz.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=26436
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Topic: Upgrading From Classic to .net - Questions

Posted By: socialanimal
Subject: Upgrading From Classic to .net - Questions
Date Posted: 23 October 2008 at 8:39pm

Hi,

I've been looking around on the web for variant things to explain to me why upgrading to ASP.net from classic ASP is a good idea. Now the best points put across are as follows:

Future of web development
Ado.net means that database connections are never kept open when working with datasets.
Compiled rather than interpreted language which translates to quicker load times.
Event driven programming.
User authentication, with accounts and roles
XML based language

And now counter arguments:

No plans for phasing out classic ASP in the near future
Ado also allows for the same principals of hitting a database getting data and closing the database again as shown by the following function:


Function fn_DatabaseGrabrows(strConnection, strSQL)

set rs = getRSet(strConnection, strSQL)

fn_DatabaseGrabrows = null

If NOT rs.eof then fn_DatabaseGrabrows = rs.getRows()

set rs = nothing

End Function

Function getRSet(strConnection, strSQL)

Set ConnX = CreateObject("adodb.connection")

With ConnX

.ConnectionString = strConStr

.Open

.CursorLocation = 3

set RSet0 = .Execute(strExecProc)

End With

Set GetRSet = RSet0

Set ConnX = Nothing

Set RSet0 = Nothing
End Function

From what i can see, because ASP.net is pre-compiled adding additional scripts to it such as adding extra pages as you would with the WWF application is not allowed without re-compiling them.
The event driven programming is all good but still the basis of any web programming language to update anything from the server is still using postbacks / AJAX.
User authentication, aside from the .net passport integration which im guessing could be done using a COM Add-In anyways what part of the .net authentication can't be done using classic ASP.
Simple enough to use XML with the XML components, programmable with createobjects.

Theres also been a big thing made about AJAX interactivity alongside the .net framework, when this is simple enough using client side javascript anyways.

Don't get me wrong im not trying to knock the dot net architecture as Im sure it does have a lot of benefits that outweigh classic ASP, I am however trying to figure these out and would like assistance in what I can do in .net that I can't do in classic.

I checked a video out online but after hearing that ASP classic was a single language where ASP.net is one of serveral compiled languages, I didn't take too much notice of the rest of the video as there were quite a few other inaccuracies.

Any help, pointers and guidance would be appreciated and the feedback from people who have migrated from classic to .net would be really helpful.

Replies:

Posted By: jamie.townsend
Date Posted: 02 November 2008 at 9:56am

I have been a classic developer since early 2001 and have now migrated to .net 6 months ago, along with the company I work for.

Now all applications I write (Winforms/Webforms) are all written in C#.

This was obliously not a decision we took lightly and I know Microsoft have mentioned about continual support for classic and the fact that even if they didn't you could still just use the asp.dll from IIS to render all classic pages to the class.

However, do you really think putting off a migration to .NET is a smart move ?

As a employee and a employer I am only looking for .NET developers (Even though we do have some classic applications still running). Also have you tried looking for a classic job lately ? They are pretty much no existent, the ones you do find all mention migrating to .net.

Difference between classic and .net ?

Well as .NET is naturally an OOP language, the first thing I noticed is the power and the re-useablity of all my code. An example of the BIG difference between the two is addons/components.

On a recent project we needed a decent chart program and then we needed to convert the charts to a PDF. In classic you would have to find a decent host who is willing to install these components or buy an expensive dedicated and register it yourself. In .NET we bought the components for both chart and pdf and was sent the dll file for each. All we need to do now is to add the .dll to our project which is as simple as [ Browse > dll file > add to project ] - this now lets me create amazing charts and convert the page to a PDF on the fly - all within a standard shared hosting plan.

I personally think that anyone still coding in classic should really sit down one weekend and plan the migration to .NET as you are already many years behind everyone else and the sooner you migrate the sooner you will see .NET in its full glory.