cgi (perl) to learn or not to learn

[phpjaco]

hello

this is just a curios question, I have been busy with php/mysql for approximately two years and really like it.

now i am busy reading up on cgi (common gataway interface) more in the direction of programming cgi with perl. would just like to know why to learn cgi?

is cgi helpful in anyway other than php. the way i see it (and im probably wrong here) was that cgi was the first server side scripting language and was later replaced by php, asp. asp.net and jsp. ok maybe not replace but the popularity of other server side scripting languages just increased?

also if an isp does not give a user access to php (on linux) or asp (on windows IIS) would a user still be able to write scripts then (for example form to mail) on perl ?

ok so i have another question, why would a developer go throught the trouble of writing a very large scale xml based flash application rather than just do it in php/mysql and flash (i have seen this before and it bugs me that someone would rather do something in xml and ignore the huge power and potential of php/and mysql)

thanks
jaco

[thorpe]

as for your cgi questions, ive no idea. im thinking cgi is just an outdated server-side technoligy. dont think there would be anything you can do with cgi (perl) that cant be done with php.

as for your xml /flash question. i think you'll find that most of these apps still use php / mysql to generate the xml. xml is more like a connection holding the app together. its easy to read xml in flash, and its easy to create xml in php. the two are made for each other.

if you plan and build your flash site using php / mysql and xml it is easy to generate a flash version and a html version of that site.