Comparison Windows Web Hosting - Linux Web Hosting 

Most of the people get away with the concept that since their PC is has windows installed, they need to have windows hosting while that is a completely incorrect perception.

When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been widely considered the best OS for Web servers. Its typically found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and, as such, its commonly used for the demanding environment of Web and mail servers and it is traditionally known to be more stable..

what application are you looking to use for your hosting? Consider scripting languages you plan to use – if you use HTM, html which shall be the case for most web developers, you can use any of OS in that case ie Linux as well as Windows.

If you are intent using free scripts like guest books, chat applications, forums, blog, image/ picture libraries etc, You shall understand that, one these are mostly in PHP which is due to the free nature of php. Even incase you like to purchase one such applications, you will find that these are mostly available in php. For PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward.

If your site, like most web sites, is what might be termed “brochure-ware” then Linux servers are ideal. By brochure-ware I mean a site that offers the kind of information that in the past might have been provided on paper in the form of brochures, newsletters or data sheets. Brochure-ware sites will offer some interaction through enquiry forms and can certainly incorporate online purchasing and other routine e-commerce functions.

If however your site incorporates an online searchable database or interactive chat facilities then Windows 2000 or NT can be used, though linux cal also be. Windows in most cases shall have a bit higher cost implications.

Advantages of using Linux based web server compared to Windows based web server :

Stable: Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally been believed to be very stable and robust which in turn means comparatively more uptime.

Low cost: The Linux OS comes free of cost (or at very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, it has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes free along with the OS. These applications being free, are more cost effective..

Ease of use : The process of uploading and hosting is almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. However, using front page for publishing sites poses more issues compared with ftp application. In certain hosting panels and servers, there are slight issues here and there for uploading files using ftp on windows servers.

Easy to move between hosts : A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily, where as the reverse is not always true.

Most widely used : Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widely used compared to Windows based web hosting.

On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatible with Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specialized applications or VB for development of your web site, it is preferable to host with a Windows based web server.