Scripts , Cgi, JavaScript

With the advent and consequent popularity of the Internet came the obvious concern regarding Security issues over the net. A number of security hazards like credit card frauds (which had previously been an off-line phenomenon) spamming and phishing, (both particularly on-line security breeches) became significant concerns for the users.

The Internet has a number of attractions. Free scripts and free software downloads are only 2 of them. However, thankful though the regular Internet user is for them they also recognize that both are a potential risk for which he and his hard drive might have to pay dearly.

The popularity of free script distribution gave rise to the rather sticky pest of a problem called Spamming. Before discussing these however let us take a quick look at what CGI and Java Scripts are.

Both CGI and Java Scripts work with all versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer. But this is almost where all there similarities begin and end. But instead of analyzing these differences let us instead probe into the individual characteristics of the two separately first.

Java Script functions within an HTML almost unobserved, making its presence in the system almost unknown. Plus it needs no extra plug-ins. Thus it quietly helps put animated graphics on the site, quietly makes the page easy to navigate and promptly accommodates visitor’s preferences (in terms of the color of the background, display etc.). 2 parts constitute Java Scripts, the special functions of the script and the things, which make the functions, actually work. These 2 parts move in distinguishable directions. The first part or the functions are squeezed in between Java Script tags included in the head tags of the HTML. The second part or the things, which actually make the functions work, are scattered around on the Body Tags of the HTML. But there exact location is determined by the web page designer who decides where the Java Script needs to work and for what.

Since Java Script is put into the other HTML tags on the page a page, which includes Java Script in it’s body can be saved completely; i.e. the saved page will look exactly like the original web page. Only that it must be saved as an ASCII text and named as so-and-so.html.

Now let us see what CGI is in order to understand how CGI and Java Script differ from on another.

CGI or Common Gateway Interface is a sort of bridge mechanism, which allows the server to react to the inputs made by the visitors to the site. A popular use of the CGI function is in the sort of guest books most sites have nowadays to record what their visitors have to say. These comments are assimilated by the CGI and mailed to the designer responsible for putting up the site by CGI.

There are certain distinct semblances between CGI and the Java Scripts. For instance files used in CGI have to also be saved as ASCII text and be named so-and-so.html. Yet, the distinction is not hard to spy. If the CGI script were stored in the CGI bin for instance there is hardly any need for it to be saved as an ASCII txt, in this case it is stored as a Perl Document. Also instead of being confined to the head tags of the HTML source, like Java Script, CGI elements can be put anywhere on the page as long as the HTML tags precede them.