I think a big problem at the moment is that hosting providers will not load mod_perl on shared hosting plans.

This is true, but just try to find an ISP that will run Java/JSP on a shared server or on any managed environment. Most of the time (as with mod_perl) you will be completely responsible for everything except the cables being plugged in. The truth is, that JSP/J2EE is still not very mature and the ISPs are rightly careful about supporting something that hasn't really proven to be all that stable.

OTOH, if you make a system in Perl/CGI and you take some care of your coding practices, you can start your site on a shared server and move on to a dedicated machine and mod_perl when the need arises (and in my expirience, it mostly doesn't).

As for one user taking out the whole system, those providers are right: any process can grow uncontrollably and take all a server's memory. This includes a CGI program if it's determined (or stupid) enough. It's just easier in mod_perl. :-) 

-- 
Joost       downtime n. The period during which a system
            is error-free and immune from user input.

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In reply to Re: (wil) Re: Perl advocacy, CGI/ModPerl vs ASP/JSP by Joost
in thread Perl advocacy, CGI/ModPerl vs ASP/JSP by rinceWind

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