Foot Notes

As any good technician knows, there is no such thing as a "best" tool. The best tool is dependent on a whole host of factors from the type of task at hand to the personality of the marketing director. The best tool is a fantasy.

Instead, every web developer should have at her disposal a wide array of tools to solve problems. Sometimes a server-side solution will be appropriate, other times a client-side solution will be best. Your main goal as a web developer is to develop an intuition about when to use which.

That said, I would like to suggest one combination of tools that I see as becoming extremely important for all web developers. The combination is that of CGI and Java. Consider the following Problems and Solutions...

Problem:

The average "Internet" web developer has probably already picked up Perl/CGI programming. Most have not picked up Java with the exception of being able to code GUI interfaces using various visual tools such as Symantec's Visual Cafe or Microsoft J++.

Solution:

A Java to CGI interface leverages existing Perl/CGI knowledge so that the core program logic can be located on a server while merely having to code a thin (very small and easily downloaded) GUI Java client. In addition, a developer experienced in Perl will be able to whip out 80% of their program in a short period of time using a language like Perl while leaving a mere 20% (The GUI) left to Java (A hard language for most people).

Problem:

Internet developers who do work for sites on a virtual web server or an ISP typically cannot use Sybase, Oracle, or another commercial database to store data via JDBC. Frequently, the ONLY option that these developers or consultants have is to do flat-file processing using CGI/PERL that generally has precluded the use of Java.

Solution:

A Java to CGI interface will allow applets to be created that can use flat-file databases that an average small-business can afford (free).

Problem:

Developers who have already invested a lot of time creating CGI/PERL for their site do not want to rewrite all their applications in Java.

Solution:

A Java to CGI interface will allow existing applications to be leveraged by allowing a developer to create a Java applet on top of an existing CGI script with minor modifications to make the CGI output data conducive to interpretation by the Java applet

As you can see, the benefits and flaws of Java and CGI compliment each other very well. Using Java frontends and CGI backends presents an excellent opportunity for web developers on the Internet to create fully featured applications with the available resources. I would recommend that every web developer make sure to study up on the interaction of Java and CGI to be prepared for the contracts that will come forward over the next few years.