Switch from ASP

RodEich wrote: I guess I should learn a new technology but which one is best? I prefer to create sites connected to data, typically in access.

If you're going to learn a new technology, now is also the time to dump Access as your database. Access was designed as a small office database system. It is not suitable for deployment on the web, except for very small amounts of data on sites that don't get a great deal of traffic. The files created by Access are bloated in comparison with what can be stored by a real database system, such as SQL Server or MySQL. Access also has a nasty tendency to lock up.

Your basic choices are:

• ASP.NET - familiar because you have an ASP background, but not supported any more by Dreamweaver, and with a much steeper learning curve.
• PHP - well supported by Dreamweaver, popular, and widely available on hosting plans.
• ColdFusion - supported by Dreamweaver, easy to use, but with a much smaller user base, and less widely available.

My choice would be PHP, but a lot of people like ColdFusion.

The choice of database depends on the server-side technology you use. With PHP, it needs to be MySQL if you want to use Dreamweaver server behaviors.

PHP?