We are looking at doing a ‘version 2’ of our web application that is currently written in PHP with a MySQL database. Since it has been in a constant state of development for about 5 years with numerous developers, over time you look at it as a whole and think ‘we could do this so much better if we started again’.
So we are looking at doing a new build and have been discussing the most appropriate development path to take. Do we stick with PHP and MySQL on Linux servers or do we make the move now to .NET.
We already have Visual Studio etc etc as we have developed integrations between our web app and many third party products like Microsoft Office and MYOB.
What I want to try and work out is what is going to be a better environment for us in terms of customer perception, scalability, support and so on. Put aside cost because I don’t really care, I want the cold hard facts.
For a business management web application that requires integration with third party products both web based and application, whats our best option?
I’m not a big fan of PHP, however I would suggest that there’s little point in wholesale ditching your deployment platform for .Net when all you really need to do is re-architect / refactor your existing PHP application.
There is obviously some other unspoken impetus that you haven’t detailed in your question, since you imply that your only options are to stay with PHP or move to .Net… Depending on the application, it’s requirements and development roadmap, there may be a number of other development options available.
It’s also difficult to suggest anything concrete when the purpose and integration requirements of the application are unknown.
Update
Thanks, I appreciate your comments.. as for other unspoken The managers have gotten all excited about .NET for some reason and are suggesting that we need to rebuild in .NET. I am looking for some evidence that there is anything to benefit from doing that or if we should just stick to php. – Tim
From the way you worded the original question, this is what I imagined. I’d say that the fanfare around .Net should be taken with a pinch of salt, a lot of $$$ go into marketing .Net and a lot of people eat it up whole.
That said, PHP is hardly the poster child for #1 language design and consistency, however, we’re talking about the devil YOU know here, and it’s a known quantity within your enterprise.
However, If the bosses are willing to invest in solid re-training, for you and your team, moving to .Net could be a good thing, particularly for you and your colleagues career development, since, bottom line you will have a more valuable skill set as an experienced C#/.Net developer.
I’d suggest pragmatism over fanaticism in either case.