By Nick Kew
What is CGI?
The Common Gateway Interface, or CGI, is a standard for externalgateway programs to interface with information servers such as HTTP servers.A plain HTML document that the Web daemon retrieves is static,which means it exists in a constant state: a text file that doesn't change.A CGI program, on the other hand, is executed in real-time, so that itcan output dynamic information.
Is it a script or a program?
The distinction is semantic. Traditionally, compiled executables(binaries) are called programs, and interpreted programs are usuallycalled scripts. In the context of CGI, the distinction has becomeeven more blurred than before. The words are often used interchangably(including in this document). Current usage favours the word "scripts"for CGI programs.