Feature Article:

Justifying Java Server Pages - by George Rogers Posted 06/04/01

Creating web site forms using Java Server Pages (JSP) to collect and distribute data is becoming increasingly popular. In this article I will try to explain the process of determining which form generator to use.

The collection and distribution of data within a medical or educational institution has become regulated by both state (FERPA) and federal government (HIPAA). The new laws govern how the information is collected, distributed, accessed, stored and backed-up. Most of the computer technology required to become compliant with both FERPA and HIPAA are in the process of being developed or implemented.

There are lots of methods used to created forms today. Some of them include FrontPage extensions, Active Server Pages, CGI or Perl scripting, Java and many more. What is used is based on the hardware required, operating systems installed, and the level of security required on the web server. All of the methods used to create forms will work for both UNIX and multiple flavors of the Windows operating systems. Some are more expensive to maintain because of specific hardware and software requirements.

To understand the form generation environment I will explain each method individually and then compare them. First, FrontPage extensions and other FrontPage form tools. FrontPage is a low cost GUI (Graphical User Interface) to web development. FrontPage was created by Microsoft to easily create web pages for small businesses and individuals. It was created to run on the Microsoft operating system family of servers. FrontPage uses a combination of Java Script, Java Applets, XML, Active X Controls, and plug-ins of various types. This allows a user to develop web page forms with an unlimited choice of technologies and formats. With such a wide variety of choices for the web developer it is hard to maintain any standard in any large development group effort. FrontPage also requires that all developers be able to write to root level of the server which leaves it vulnerable to failure if the form code is bad. Eventually all large development projects wind up disabling FrontPage's advanced features like FrontPage Extensions and move to a more structured environment for forms development. In most cases the form generated by FrontPage is not portable between operating systems. If the html file is moved from the operating system it was created on it will usually die. FrontPage also does not follow HTML coding practices as implemented by the The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Using FrontPage to generate forms allows anybody to create forms without regards to server environment. FrontPage is an example of a 2 tier application with first tier being written by the web author and the second tier being written by the Author, and FrontPage with the interpretation of Microsoft.

Active Server Pages (ASP) is another programming environment which initially started on only the Windows operating systems developed by Microsoft. It has is ties in both the Exchange and Information server operating systems. ASP and the new ASP.NET solutions are highly praised by Microsoft shop. Maintaining a large computer network on a Microsoft platform of both hardware and software becomes expensive to buy into and expensive to maintain. There have been many software bugs and security holes inherit to most of Microsoft's products. Some organizations just do not want to take a chance on being vulnerable if that have the choice.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) and Perl scripting have been around for years. Both are languages native to the UNIX environment. CGI and Perl have been the programming language of choice for large and small projects because of ease of use and the many form templates available. Writing CGI and Perl is similar to writing "C" code. Using CGI and Perl to create forms still requires that the user be able to write to the root level of the server. Allowing developers to be able to write to the root level of the server leaves the server vulnerable to failure if the form code is bad. Using CGI or Perl to create forms requires that all forms be created by one person, the person who manages the web server environment.

The Java programming environment includes java, java script, and java beans. Java was created and is supported by Sun Microsystems. Java's central promise, the most important feature in Sun's and many other developers' minds, is its cross-platform portability. The technical details of Java, Java runtimes, and native method interfaces allow Java applications to be cross-platform portable. This allows developers to maximize investment with existing hardware and software. Java runs both on Unix and Windows operating systems. This allows for form templates to be written that would work on any web server. Java can be used to create a 3 tier application which would provide for stronger security. The first tier being the web form written by the web author and the second tier being the java bean container created by systems administrator in java, and third tier being the data store written by the systems administrator. In most cases, the web author is the java programmer, they create and debug the java code locally on their computer. Then the java program is submitted to a systems administrator and published to a java enabled server. Writing Java or Java Script is like writing "C" code. It is object oriented and reusable on any operating system.

Systems administrators have many goals they strive to meet when managing a computer network. The primary goal being to extend the life of hardware and software assets. Second, minimizing the rewriting of existing code for all applications. Third, provide scalability across any tasks or functions within the network environment. The fourth is system security. Multi-tiered applications developed in an object oriented programming language provide for the highest level of security in any environment. With all these goals in mind, system administrators are viewing the Java programing language as the technology to fit all needs.

Note: For information on how to migrate to Java Server Pages click here.

University of Texas-Health Science Center at Houston
Office of Academic Computing
George J. Rogers - Web Site Content Coordinator
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