|
|
What Are The Differences Between Unix And Windows Web Hosting?
From the point of view of the website designer there are very little differences between Unix and Windows web hosting. If you have finished designing your own website and you are ready to publish you might have noticed that both Unix and Linux systems are used by web hosting companies, Window is offered less commonly.
Everyone uses Microsoft Windows, in their homes, offices and schools and we are all familiar with it. It is easy to use and was designed to be this way, the same applies for considering advanced server edition and Windows Home. Because Window is so simple to use it has attracted mass appeal and this also applies to server applications.
Novices are able to make use of it and operating Windows does not include having any knowledge of command-line. All you do is point your mouse and click you way to different folders, no mess no fuss.
Unix and Linux are both open source and this means the OS is free and source codes are easily distributed and well documented. There are very few differences between these operating systems, barring the fact that Unix is older and is unable to run with x86 based PC's. Linux on the other hand is able to operated with these and very high powered servers.
Linux is a proven workhorse and is available in different flavors too. For example Mandrake Linux and Red Hat Linux are able to manage websites in the hundreds and millions of daily hits. Unix versions such as OpenBSD and FreeBSD are also available.
Home and office PC's really do have to provide ease of use; this is not really an issue when working with web servers. Designing a site generally takes place when you are offline, and on your PC. Very advanced programming which is system-specific is another matter completely and it is when this is necessary that you notice a between working with Unix or Windows based servers.
While they can both handle web sites with add-ons such as statistics, email and chat rooms as well as heavy traffic, the main differences are price and software compatibility.
With Windows it continuously has to be purchased and the license renewed, and this makes Windows hosting plans generally more expensive. Unix-based plans regularly offer added value such as MySQL databases, free email, community as well as statistics programs. If you want MS SQL with Windows based plans this has to be purchased.
Both of these systems run with PHP, Java and Perl as well as other popular computer languages. With the Windows server hosting, active pages are generally more secure, they also run with Unix but barely noticeable glitches may be experienced.
Third party applications and active server pages using MS SQL 2000 will more than likely benefit from using a Windows hosting plan. But before signing on the dotted line you need to make sure of all the facts. Your serviced provider will clarify any issues you have and you should be able to clear these up with the server hosting sales or technical staff.
About the Author DreamHost is one of the best web hosts. You can use dreamhost promo code to get discount at sign up.
|
 |
Please Rate: |
 |
Rating: |
 Processing ...
|
(Average: Not rated) |
| Views: | 42 | |
 |
| More Articles from Web Hosting | |  |
| Top Articles in Web Hosting | |  |
|