Seems like I am always making these little sketches to show people I am talking with, some of the ideas and concepts behind the type of websites we build at BIRKEY.COM. I made this sketch recently when explaining the difference between a typical classic Microsoft .ASP/SQL Server website architecture, and one that incorporates the newer Microsoft ASP.NET technology.

• The box labeled “Front” at the top of the diagram represents a public website. Could be any size, large or small.
• The “can” at the bottom represents a SQL Server database that is behind the scenes. The website user really doesn’t know or care that it is there, holding all the data for the website.
• The middle area represents what can be done with ASP.NET technology. The boxes represent little “engines” of code that do specific things. One might process a credit card. One might add an item to a shopping cart. Another might list items on a page with a thumbnail image next to them. The list is endless.

The point here is that with ASP.NET, all these “engines” can be ready at anytime for use by themselves, or in combination with other “engines” to perform website tasks, and features. This lessens the amount of special code that needs to be placed inside the actual web pages represented by the top box. It is a far more efficient, and much faster technology, especially the more complex and complicated a website may be.

Just thought you might like to know that.