Windows vs Linux : Which one should I choose?

If you are a first time buyer you'll tend to get confused with this question several times "Which hosting platform is better?". rather than this, the question should be framed like "Which is better suited to my needs?" Your website's "needs" will be determined by what specific functions you want it to perform, combined with what programming language and the type of database you choose to enable those functions.

The main thing to remember is that your choice of hosting platform will dictate the type of software and the kind of applications that your website can utilize.

The Advantages of Linux Hosting

The Linux platform offers tried and tested stability and the speed for operating web server applications. Linux have traditionally been the operating systems of choice for most advanced Internet users. The reason for this is mainly because of its reputation as a very flexible and capable operating system. In laymen's terms, Linux web servers will crash less often than Windows web servers, meaning they can generally guarantee a greater amount of uptime for your website.

Beyond reliability, Linux hosting also offers many server applications and programs that have been written exclusively for use with Linux. Since Linux is an open source platform, tons of developers have already created a wide variety of CGI scripts, PHP scripts, and MySQL applications that will work on nearly any Linux system.

The Advantages of Windows Hosting

Further classified into NT or 2003, the Windows platform is the only credible alternative to Linux/Linux. Windows 2003 Server is the newer hosting platform, and it has all but completely replaced Windows NT. If you see a web host using Windows NT servers, it should be a clue that their systems are probably a little outdated.

The main "advantage" or distinction of Windows servers is that they are configured to be compatible with Microsoft applications, such as FrontPage, Access and MS SQL. Windows servers also offer web developers the use of programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic Scripts, MS Index Server and ColdFusion.

For more inexperienced website owners, Windows servers are typically seen as easier to use then Linux. If you have a familiarity with using other Microsoft applications, then learning how to use Microsoft's hosting applications comes a bit more natural than figuring out the command line structure of Linux.

So which one should I choose now?

As the saying goes, "Knowing is half the battle." you can ask your self the following questions and the decision would be easy to make.

CHOOSE LINUX HOSTING If you are going to add develop your site using PHP/MySQL applications, CGI scripts, then you should choose Linux for the compatibility with these applications.

Choose WINDOWS 2003 HOSTING If you are going to develop your site using ASP/ASP.NET scripting combinations, ColdFusion, VB scripts or a MS SQL Server database, then choose the only hosting platform that fully supports them - Windows.

Some common myths People have in mind

There are lots of myths and wrong perception about which platform is better. Lets talk about a couple of myths people generally have :

Which one is easy to use?: With our advance control panel like CPANEL for Linux & HELM for windows 2000 you'll find managing your hosting a child's play. Our highly user friendly graphical user interface based control panel allows users to manage their hosting very easily. So if you think of ease of management then either way Linux or Windows for you would be same.

Which one is faster?: A lot many times we are asked " Which one is faster, Linux or Windows ? " the fact is that both performs equally. None of either is slow or fast. The speed of your hosting depends upon various other factors like the speed of your host's servers, their network connections & the load on the servers. We have our servers on the high powered processor like Intel Pentium 4 with ECC Ram. Our Network connections are multiple OC3 & OC48 hence you get blazingly fast speed on any of our Linux or Windows based hosting

Which one performs better & is more secure?: The general opinion is that Linux is better & more reliable & secure. The fact is that any server on Linux or Windows are equally un reliable if they are not configured and secured properly. Windows is a little bit resource hungry as compared to Linux.

We ensure that all our servers are secured & patched up regularly. With our experts keeping a watch over the server performance and our machines having highly powerful processors & RAM you can always expect same kind of performance with any of our hosting.

Which one is cheaper?: Since all of Microsoft's applications are proprietary. Hosting companies have to pay for using them, whereas with Linux most applications are free to use. Also, Windows servers usually require more server resources hence more cost. In the end, this means Windows hosting is more expensive for the average hosting account.