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Home » Other Tips » Hosting Issues » Linux versus Windows hosting

Linux vs. Windows Hosting

One of the first things you need to decide when picking a host is what operating system your server will run. While there are many options, it basically boils down to Linux or Windows. 

Linux Hosting
Linux hosting has a big advantage - it's usually the cheapest.  It is also the most popular and has support from many vendors.

The big features of Linux are PHP and MySQL.  These will allow you to write scripted sites that access databases.  This site is running on a Linux server with PHP scripts.  All the pages are actually stored in a MySQL database and loaded when you visit the page. 

Windows Hosting
If you will be running Microsoft specific technologies you will need a Windows host.  These are .NET, ASP, Microsoft SQL Server, etc. 

Most of the programs that run on Linux servers will also run on Microsoft servers, although they may not be installed by default.

So, which one?
My preference is Linux.  Originally this was because it was cheapest, but as I have learned PHP and MySQL I've come to prefer them to ASP / .NET and Microsoft SQL server.  The only time I would select a Windows server over a Linux server would be if I needed Windows specific services. 

I would say unless you know you need a Windows server, pick Linux.

One more thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't matter what operating system is running on the computer on your desk.  The internet is a cross platform place, so you can upload from a Windows machine to a Linux server without a problem.
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