Difficulties in installing web platforms.
Web applications which require no software to run on a client's computer have traditionally been quite difficult to get going. This is due to the variety of components that have to be configured and installed, as well as the complex communications between them.
In a regular desktop applications, Windows users are accustomed to simply double click an installation file that guides them through a series of questions and options, finally resulting in a smooth trouble free installation. The user typically doesn't need to understand any technicalities.
However, web applications are not the same. Till now, installing and using the ASP.NET framework (for example) on a server has brought grief to many application developers, frustrating their attempts to get going. The problems were many, ranging from appropriate folder structure and naming, to permissions, as well as configuring IIS. Ugly error messages resulting from improper configurations have left many an aspiring programmer disheartened.
These problems have been plaguing Database installations as well. For example, installing a MySql database on your local computer is quite simple. Installing SQL Express, or MSSQL on a remote server requires knowledge of access permissions and a bit of technical lingo as well.
The challenge of easily installing web applications stems from the fact that all the web components of such an application are not controlled by one entity. Microsoft's ASP.NET can be used with a product like MySql from a non-Microsoft company. This means that unlike a desktop application where all the components are developed by the same firm, web applications need manual setting up to get the components talking to each other.
Web Platform installations in a VPS setting.
Virtual private servers allow the user to log using a remote connection. It's just as if the user is on a regular PC. Since users are not always tech savvy, or their skills lie in a specific IT field such as say PHP programming, they will find it difficult to install a scripting language like PERL or a Database like MSSQL and make them work together.
For such people, what is needed is a single file to download, double click, and to answer a set of questions regarding what to install. The software then locates the packages, installs them, and configures them according to what is needed.
In other words, the programmers should be ready to start up and get going.
The Microsoft Web Platform Installer (Web PI).
Microsoft's Web PI is one such tool. The tool from Microsoft allows users to simply select what sort of platform they want to use and then downloads and installs the appropriate software for the same. It takes all the heavy work out of selecting the appropriate components and configuring them. At the main screen, you can even choose what sort of developer you are.
If you choose "PHP Developer", the cgi related options are automatically selected and will be installed for you! As one commenter points out - "It's good to be a programmer these days!" The software package is free to use from Microsoft and goes a long way towards helping developers get their work done without worrying about messy technicalities.
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