Benefits of JSP over ASP.
Because ASP uses ActiveX controls for its components, ASP technology is basically restricted to Microsoft Windows-based platforms. Offered primarily as a feature of Microsoft IIS, ASP technology does not work easily on a broader range of Web servers because ActiveX objects are platform specific.
Although ASP technology is available on other platforms through third-party porting products, to access components and interact with other services, the ActiveX objects must be present on the selected platform. If not present, a bridge to a platform supporting them is required.
Not suprisingly M$ does not support this. I wonder why.
Extensible JSP Tags
The first difference apparent to any page author are the JSP tags themselves. While both ASP and JSP use a combination of tags and scripting to create dynamic Web pages, JSP technology enables developers to extend the JSP tags available. JSP developers can create custom tag libraries, so page authors can access more functionality using XML-like tags and depend less on scripting. With custom tags, developers can shield page authors from the complexities of page creation logic and extend key functions to a broader range of authors.
Reusability Across Platforms
The
Java Advantage
JSP technology uses the Java language for scripting, while ASP pages use Microsoft VBScript or JScript. The Java language is a mature, powerful, and scalable programming language that provides many benefits over the Basic-based scripting languages. For example, the Java language provides superior performance to the interpreted VBScript or JScript languages. Because they use Java technology and are compiled into Java servlets, JSP pages provide a gateway to the entire suite of server-side Java libraries for HTTP-aware applications.
The Java language makes the developer's job easier in other ways as well. For example, it helps protect against system crashes, while ASP applications on Windows NT systems are susceptible to crashing. The Java language also helps in the area of memory management by providing protection against memory leaks and hard-to-find pointer bugs that can slow application deployment. Plus, JSP provides the robust exception handling necessary for real-world applications.
Easier Maintenance
Scripting languages are fine for small applications, but do not scale well to manage large, complex applications. Because the Java language is structured, it is easier to build and maintain large, modular applications with it.
JSP technology's emphasis on components over scripting makes it easier to revise content without affecting logic, or revise logic without changing content.
Because JSP technology is an open, cross-platform architecture, Web servers, platforms, and other components can be easily upgraded or switched without affecting JSP-based applications. This makes JSP suitable for real-world Web applications, where constant change and growth is the norm.
Also, how does ASP manage conversational state for a web transaction? I believe it can only use URL rewriting.
Correct me if I'm wrong.