PHP vs ASP.NET: Which is Better?

Although there are multiple programming languages for a web developer to choose from, two rival language giants typically dominate the language market: ASP.NET and PHP.

It’s possible to use either language to finish any given project, but both have their benefits and downsides. It’s a difficult choice to make between both of them, which is why it’s important to determine which set of pros and cons fits the web development needs of a specific organization.

Advantages of ASP.NET

Flexibility

The key benefits of ASP.NET are the simplicity and object-oriented features. A rather old ASP technology from Microsoft is where the AP.NET name originated. The new .NET Framework and CLR, however, allow for an interface that’s easy to navigate and seamless with other programming languages such as Visual Basic. NET and C #. 

This means that without the need to rewrite everything you’ve done, the programming language of a project can be changed mid-project. It also means that multiple languages such as Visual Basic. NET can be used by developers that are working on the same project.

Mature Foundation

Another benefit is that the library for ASP.NET is task-based. When it comes to common development tasks, developers can save plenty of time, since the library is arranged into inheritable classes. This could include XML or image editing and they’d be organized based on the relatability of tasks. 

Visual Studio. NET also saves time for developers if it’s installed quickly enough on a computer to allow the software to run at it’s peak. This huge IDE development is equipped with functions for built-in debugging. IntelliSense is also implemented and it’s basically an auto-completion feature that removes the need for methods and variables to be memorized by developers.

Disadvantages of ASP.NET

The key drawbacks of ASP.NET and Visual Studio are that they are costly and that their maintenance is resource intensive. On IIS, most ASP.NET applications run on the server. For web servers, ASP.NET uses considerably more resources than languages such as PHP. Accordingly, a greater number of servers are needed, or better servers are required. Finally, Windows and IIS have a known background of bugs and software flaws that have in the past been vulnerable to exploitation.

Advantages of PHP

Inexpensive

On the other hand, PHP is comparatively inexpensive and safe and has some benefits of its own. By teaming up with HTML, PHP works to display vigorous elements on a web page. The most interesting thing about PHP is that it is always used in the LAMP architecture as the "P". 

LAMP is a bundle of software which includes Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. These are all web applications that are cheap, scalable, and stable. The package is a common way for these applications to be distributed.

Massive Ecosystem

PHP is considered versatile and customizable. It’s available for several more operating systems than ASP.NET, and it can be used in a wide range of contexts. It also operates on all of the most common web servers and can be used with a large range of systems handling relational databases. PHP has an extensive Internet installation base because of this simplicity and flexibility. Currently, servers with PHP host over 18 million Internet domains.

Disadvantages of PHP

Inside the delimiters, PHP can only parse code while everything beyond the delimiters is sent directly to the output, which is one of the few disadvantages that this language possesses. Class naming collisions often occur due to the fact that PHP lacks namespacing. 

In addition, variables are not really treated as having a particular type, and type checking is very loose which can possibly lead to issues. Finally, some large companies find that the low price of PHP means that it’s not worth purchasing, considering the high quality of most of the free applications and software out there.

PHP vs ASP.NET – Which One Is Better?

Both languages have their strengths and limitations with PHP being cost-effective, safe, fast, and reliable, while ASP.NET is practical and maintainable with its class library system. Both PHP and ASP.NET can essentially carry out the same duties, so the distinguishing factor between these two programming language giants really depends on what an organization is looking for in terms of price, speed, protection, and reliability.

Interested in learning more? Reach out to our experts at ISU Corp!

Top UX Mobile App Trends

UX is an essential part of any app development process. A good UX design will ensure the success of the app in the marketplace by giving it a functional and visual appeal to users. Below are some of the top UX trends that we believe you should consider.

Navigation 

How a user can navigate through the app is an important design consideration whenever building a mobile application. For example, let's talk about the advantages of having a swiping feature from the bottom. This navigation design allows the user to manipulate the screens with just their thumbs and lets them access all available information on the app with just a swipe up gesture. 

Whether you want swiping gestures incorporated in an app or pinching the screen to zoom out, you have to keep user experience in mind when choosing the best gestures to include. The gestures have to be easy to use and intuitive.

3D Design 

3D graphics have already been trending for movies and video game designs, however they have started making their way to the app development space. Some apps give you an almost AR experience. 

Think of apps that let you test out digital graphics of furniture in your real space. Or clothing apps that let you virtually try on the digital version of clothes. All of these examples use a 3D design model to make everything seem as realistic and seamless as possible. 

Let Users Customize the Interface

Recently there have been many more apps that let users take control of how they want the app to look. Certain apps let you change the interface such as the colour, font, size of the font, and even new icons. 

This allows the user to create a touch of personalization to the app, which has been extremely popular amongst younger audiences. It creates a sense of uniqueness for each user and allows them to truly design the app to fit their visual needs. 

Video Backgrounds

Having a video as a background on the app can be a very engaging feature that gives a more modern and advanced feel to an app. Video in a user interface can also help tie the audience into the story you’re telling. 

Spotify has been using this technique by playing video clips from a song's music video in the background of the song while it's playing. However, you must consider wifi speed when implementing an idea like this because if the user does not have fast wifi the video will buffer and will fail to deliver the same effects. 

As the tech space continues to become more and more competitive, it’s important for app developers to use new and creative ways to stand out. UX is an important aspect of any app and can give you an edge over competitors. 

At ISU Corp, we are experts at mobile development, right from the planning down to the launch. If you would like some help with designing your next mobile application, feel free to reach out to us.

Why Sprints and Milestones are Crucial For Your Software Projects

Like most activities we do, setting sprints is a key to keep us on track when getting work completed. This is important in software, mobile, and web app creation because it gives a deadline on when tasks must be finished, and are ready for the next step. 

Each and every sprint that is made for a piece of software or app development project is carefully planned out in hours, according to how long each task will take to finish. This can be decided with the scope of the work stage, as well as the functional specification document stage.

The process of setting sprints is overseen by the Project Manager. The development team will also agree on what exactly needs to happen to accomplish the sprint in the time frame decided.

The Development team has the deciding vote on how much work is practical to be accomplished when working toward a sprint. The Project Manager has the deciding vote on what principles must be met in order for the project to be approved and accepted.

The length of sprints can vary, for example you can come up with a final deadline where everything has to be finished, but then you can also have “mini sprints” that are to be completed within the overall time frame. 

Once the sprint has started, the project manager will let the development team do their work. However, at ISU Corp we will ensure to communicate progress, any questions, and any hiccups that may arise with our clients regularly. 

When a sprint is being completed, the team will hold daily meetings to ensure that everyone is staying on track, and to resolve any hiccups that may have come up. The Project Manager may attend the meetings, to ensure everything is going smoothly, as well as to answer and ask questions. It is preferred that there are no requests for changes to occur during a sprint in order for the project to stay on schedule. 

Any change requests that the client would like, will have the opportunity to be added after Milestones have been completed.

Once the sprint is finished, the development team sends it off to the Quality Assurance team to be examined, and then to the Project manager for final review before it gets shown to the client.

Milestones

A milestone is an important stage during a project because it gives an idea of the progress in the view of what achievements have been predetermined as “milestone goals”. 

The way that milestones are tracked is by reminder dates for the client, which can contain several internal sprints.

Some common Milestones that are noted are:

• Completed project phase

• Approved deliverable

• Completed planned review

• The beginnings of a task – like an addition or a change request

Now, is there a specific number of milestones a project requires?

Well, milestone frequency depends on the developing iterative phases, commonly known as agile development. This enables for testing and real looks into the development progression. 

Having the ability to examine and view completion progress throughout a project has been a game changer, because it allows for everyone that needs to be involved in the process during development to be in the loop. Being able to manage what’s going on each phase, saves the team time, while also maintaining a reasonable cost. 

Rules to keep in mind when working with Milestones:

ALL software, web, and mobile app projects will have important milestones:

1. Obligations / scope and completed FSD

2. Completed Design

3. Prepared code & quality assurance testing for the finished sprints

4. Deployed product

If you have any questions about sprints and milestones for project management in software, we at ISU will be more than happy to help! Contact us today.