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The Big Server Show Down: Windows vs. Linux

The vast majority of websites are hosted on either Windows or Linux-based servers. Many hosting companies offer you a choice of Linux server hosting/Unix server hosting or Windows server hosting options. Clients searching for hosting packages see these offerings and most don't have a clue about the differences in hosting platforms and for that matter, why they should even care.

With static html the web-hosting platform doesn't make much of a difference. But when you bring dynamic scripting languages into the mix the type of server you're using starts to make a difference. The Unix versus Windows and Linux versus Windows debate rages on.

Windows servers offer a comfort level to those familiar with the Windows environment. With Windows you can utilize Active Server Pages and you can develop web pages with Microsoft tools such as FrontPage, Visual Interdev and Access. On the negative side the Windows platform requires more system resources and doesn't have a good reputation for stability.

The Windows environment is more susceptible to hacking and needs to be rebooted more often. Another negative is that few free applications are available.

Unix/Linux Stable and Secure

Linux advantages include the Unix/Linux server platform being stable and secure, with few crashes and little downtime. It offers efficient open source technologies and access to PHP, MySQL, Python, XML and Perl.

On the down side, Linux disadvantages include the fact that you may only be able to access it through telnet or SSH and you will need to have a strong working knowledge of its commands.

However, with the introduction of control interfaces for web hosting accounts the need for most users to understand the web-hosting platform is declining. Most basic functions have been incorporated into an easy to use and to understand graphical interface in the control panel.

There are various types of web servers and while you have a choice, such as Windows, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD and MacOSX, what they have in common is providing stronger security to your network, providing a better interaction with your network hardware, providing flexible and advanced networking capabilities, the ability to reconfigure hardware and software without stopping systems and the lack of a graphical user interface.

Many Unix servers are based on the secure FreeBSD operating system and with the Apache web server you can host an unlimited number of sites with full PHP, Perl CGI, FrontPage, SHTML and SSL support .

Continue to: Servers Usually Dedicated with Linux Server Hosting

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