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Out with the old, in with the new

© Robin Friedman

Starting next month, Emerging Internet Tech will be no more! But don't worry, I'll still be here with good old Suite101. I'm switching my topic to Linux/Unix. I'll be touching on some programming topics, too, so stop by if you're interested in Linux. Why switch? Well, when I started writing this column, I was primarily an internet programmer. Javascript, VRML, DHTML, and CGI were the tools of my trade. But here in the silicon valley, everything has a short shelf life. I've been graduating through CGI to Linux development. Suite101 had no Unix columns, so the move was logical. My new column should contain news, techniques for use, configuration, and more. But before I go, I'll leave you with a list of languages that I see as still cutting edge, and a bit about them:

CGI: The one internet programming technique that has carved a niche on the web (Not including HTML). It'll be around for a long time.

Javascript: Usefull, and yet it doesn't stand up on its own. Its place is in helping other languages, such as Java and CGI to gather info. When found in DHTML, it can be extremely powerful.

VRML: An amazing language that never really caught on. It's powerful, but not enough people have the plugin. It's on the downfall.

XML: Simple, elegant, but the more powerful DHTML, which is harder to use, will most likely become the standard.

Active-X: Not in wide use, and a security risk, so small web sites aren't trusted enough to use it. It remains popular with large companies.

DHTML: A hybrid language that seems to phase out the small developer. I don't like it, but it's the basic language for the future.

Java: Tremendous potential, but slow and not fully developed by small-time programmers. Nice, but don't expect to see more applets around in the future.

I hope you've enjoyed this column. See you all around!

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