Loaded question [Archive] - WebDeveloper.com

cny1947

11-22-2005, 12:27 PM

This is out of a CIW course I'm taking. To me it is a loaded question. The answer to me would be the Perl software - the interpreter residing on my computer to execute the code. Can anyone come up with a straight answer from the four options?
Which of the following is responsible for executing Perl code?
A. The browser
B. The Web server
C. The Application Service Provider
D. The Internet Service Provider

Cheers

Gary

Ultimater

11-22-2005, 01:05 PM

Just to help you through the process of elimination,

Perl gets executed on the server not the client because it is called a server side scripting language. If Perl runs on the server and not the client, then the client can be eliminated as one of the possible choices.

The Internet Service Provider (ISP) has nothing to do with Perl. An ISP, for example AOL( America Online), is just a means for people to connection to the internet (the world-wide network which contains the world-wide web). The ISP can be eliminated as one of the possible choices.

The only two possible choices left are the Web server and Application Service Provider.

An Application Service Provider is a company that provides application hosting for customers. Some examples of their services are credit card authorization, database management, and enhanced searching tools. Basically they are a company or collection of web servers that are built for speed and reliability to handle requests in a professional way. ASPs have nothing to do with Perl except that on their servers they might have wrote a program in Perl to handle a request of some sort. Usually ASPs use advanced technology and its very-own programming language built to proccess requests faster than if they were to use another programming language. ASP can be eliminated as one of the possible choices.

The only choice left is the web server and it is the correct choice. Perl is run on the server (aka web server) because it is a server-side scripting language.