By Arpit Sharma
The Basics of Linux & Windows : Linux (and its close relationUnix) and Windows 2000 (and its close cousin Windows NT) aretypes of software (known as operating systems) that web serversuse to do the kind of things that web servers do. You do notneed to know any real detail of either to make a decision as towhich you need but here a few guidelines.
Just because you use a windows desktop PC doesn't mean you haveto opt for Windows web hosting (and the reverse is true aswell). The operating system you use on your desktop has littleto do with your choice of web hosts. As long as you understandhow to use your FTP or web publishing software, your can useeither operating system.
But what is important is that you know what you want yourwebsite to do and what you want to offer on it. This is whatwill ultimately help determine the type of web hosting that willwork best for you. As mentioned earlier, interactive websitesusually rely on ASP, PHP, or Perl type languages.
Linux Web Hosting or Windows 2000 Web Hosting ? Make your Choice!
When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, beenwidely considered the best OS for Web servers. It's typicallyfound to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and,as such, it's commonly used for the demanding environment of Weband mail servers. Indeed,Most of the clients websites of aalphaNET runs on the Linux OS precisely because of this traditionalstability.
The million-dollar question is what application are you lookingto use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scriptinglanguages you plan to use - if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linuxis the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windowsis what you need.
If your site, like most web sites, is what might be termed"brochure-ware" then Linux servers are ideal. By brochure-ware Imean a site that offers the kind of information that in the pastmight have been provided on paper in the form of brochures,newsletters or data sheets. Brochure-ware sites will offer someinteraction through enquiry forms and can certainly incorporateonline purchasing and other routine e-commerce functions.
If however your site incorporates an online searchable databaseor interactive chat facilities then Windows 2000 or NT will be abetter bet in most cases. It will cost a bit more but you'll getthat back in reduced development time and simply betterfunctionality.
The following are the advantages of using Linux based web servercompared to Windows based web server :
Stable: Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally beenbelieved to be very stable and robust. A web site housed on aLinux operating system will have very high up-time (of the orderof 99.9%). Of course, other factors such as power supply,network admin skills, and network load etc. also matter when itcomes to maintaining the system uptime.
Low cost of ownership: The Linux OS comes free of cost (or atvery insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, ithas full fledged server, and desk top applications that comesfree along with the OS. These server applications (such as FTP,Web Server, DNS Server, File Server etc.) being free, are alsovery stable.
Ease of use : When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to hoston Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting isalmost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you wantto use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading aweb site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that theFront Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if youare uploading using HTTP feature (http://www.yourwebsite.com) ofFront Page. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a website using FTP. You need to select ftp://www.yourwebsite.com forup loading using front page FTP option. Note that if you select"Front Page Extensions" during web site design, you must enableFront Page extensions on a Linux web server also. These days,all Linux web servers are coming with installable Front Pageextensions, and this should pose no problem for hosting on aLinux platform.
You can use almost all types of file extensions (or scripts)when using Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensionsare supported: .cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .xml, andothers. Basically it means that you can host web sites that usedifferent types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl,..php, and .asp (with plug-in).
Easy to move between hosts : A web site designed to be hosted ona Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web servereasily, where as the reverse is not always true.
Most widely used : Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widelyused compared to Windows based web hosting.
Scalability : A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site startswith a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suitthe customers requirements. It is preferable to design a website keeping this requirements in mind. A web site designed forcompatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets thescalability requirement easily without making any site widedesign changes.
On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatiblewith Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specializedapplications or VB for development of your web site, it ispreferable to host with a Windows based web server.
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