In my office, we've been working with Perl and mySQL and Linux for a couple years now quite nicely.  This week, though, we've been asked by the IS department of another branch office of our company to assist them in a system they're developing.  They have been working on developing an order management application that uses Microsoft SQL and COM objects.  They want us to drop all of our Perl and mySQL development and spend the next six months to a year working with them on their projects.  Initially, and for the first several months, we would work on creating a web interface to their objects so that other branch offices can make use of their programs over our corporate WAN.  The problem is that they won't let us use Perl and they want us to do it in Microsoft's C# with the ASP.net framework.

We told them that we belive that Perl can get at their objects using SOAP just fine.  They complained and claimed that we would also have to use ROPE (a Microsoft link to SOAP) in order to get to their COM objects.  The result of adding another two layers to the process would cause slow downs.  Whereas, with C# and ASP.net, we could link directly to their objects.

First of all, is this true that ROPE is necessary?  Second, will SOAP and ROPE add much drag to the process?  Finally, what criticisms can I make against ASP.net and C#?  Or is it not so bad?  I was caught off guard and need some intelligent responses.  I don't know much about object oriented programming and nothing about the .net systems.  So I'm at a real disadvantage in this discussion.  I think that the problems with Microsoft objects not being able to interface well with the SOAP standard is indicative of the flaws with Microsoft products.  I think the flaw in their project is that they want to be an all Microsoft project.  I don't want to stop developing in Perl and using other open-source community programs to join the corporate driven world.  We've thought of using Perl Script for ASP.net, but looking at the recent postings by Theseus, it doesn't look like an easy fit yet.

Please, I implore you, give me some ammunition.  If you can't provide assistance, then at least some sympathy.  Thanks.

-Spenser

That's Spenser, with an "s" like the detective.

In reply to Perl & SOAP vs. ASP.net by Spenser

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