"Best" language /architecture for browser-based app with ODBC and sockets? (subjective)

Question

Sorry to ask a subjective question, but I would welcome some advice. I am an experienced programmer of embedded s/w, but haven't done much network programming, although I have done a fair bit of hobbyist PHP.

Anyway, I have to develop what is probably a fairly general type of app, as shown in this crude diagram

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| Browser / user interface Takes input from user form and writes data to d/b.    |
| Also gets data and updates browser contents when when d/b contents are changed | 
| because of info received over TCP/IP.                                          |

|________________________________________________________________________________|

|        ODBC                                                                    |

|_______________________________________________________________________________|

|      database                                                                 |

|_______________________________________________________________________________|

|        ODBC                                                                   |

|_______________________________________________________________________________|

|    Socket (TCP/IP)                                                            |

|  Send data out when d/b is updated from browser.                              |
| Also, update d/b when data are received over TCP/IP.                          |

|_______________________________________________________________________________|

As I say, I imagine this to be a fairly typical architecture? Am I right?

Then client is insisting on MSIE - unless I can show compelling technical reasons for FireFox or other then it will have to be MSIE (are there any compelling technical reasons?).

So, with MIE (almost) a given, I had though to use PHP, since I know it, but

1. the client seems awfully keen on Java (which ought to be OK since I am conversant with C++)
2. it woudl seem to make sense to use the same language for the "upper" interface between the web pages (which that app generates) and the d/b, and for the "lower" interface between the d/b and the socket. (a single language means a single set of tools since text approach, etc)

So, the (probably highly subjective) question is "which language shoudl I choose".

As I say, the client is keen on Java. Any compelling reason why not? Is it generally a good choice for the sort of thing described here?

Any other hints & tips gratefully appreciated (and up-voted): URLs, books, tool chain suggestions, etc, etc

Answer 1

There's lots of questions here, most of which we can't answer:

1) are you capable of producing the code more cheaply in Java or PHP?

2) are you capable of producing more reliable/maintainable code in Java or PHP?

3) Why does the client have a preference for Java?

4) Why do you think that the browser is such a pivotal factor (in the absence of any mention of Microsoft-only technologies such as .net, activeX etc).

Despite the fact that Java is constantly being plugged as an easy transition from C[++] it's a very different language. Certainly if you already know C++ and PHP, then learning Java will not take as long as it would if you had no previous 3GL / OO programming experience, however its far from easy to learn, particularly if you need to implement the level of integraton described above.

A key question to answer is whether you need to push data from the server to browser (rather than pulling data using conventional HTTP). This can be simulated using technologies such as Comet (with PHP, Java, or just about anything server side) however using a java applet is the only way to get effective client push working - and this then prompts lots more questions about capacity and firewalls.

In the specific case of what is the best choice for you, then the answer is probably PHP. But to answer the question of what is the best language for the client - that's a different kettle of fish (IMHO, given the information available PHP has a number of advantages - but there's a lot I don't know the requirements).

I don't think you're asking us, nor your client the right questions.

C.