As more and more people fire up web pages for their businesses or their personal enjoyment, there are continuous questions about which hosting platform is the best choice. Most experts agree that when it comes to choosing between Linux and Windows for your web server software, the final decision really depends on the preferences of the individual. Here are some of the main differences between the two, and what that might mean for your web pages.

Windows

Familiarity. Windows is the product of Microsoft, and Microsoft has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to common usage. This has come about largely due to ingenious marketing strategies, but the end result is that the Windows operating system is the most used in the world. It stands to reason, then, that the Windows server software would have a certain amount of appeal as the functions are familiar to any computer user.

Usability. Aside from marketing, the straightforward approach of the Windows system has also contributed to its popularity. “Wizards” await to help at any turn, tool bars are click-accessible, and you can have several programs running at once and easy to recall. Because of the ease of use, Windows software is usually a better option for those new to programming.

Built in software. Windows platforms come with everything you need to fire up a web site, including email applications. Again, this software platform is much easier for the newer programmer than setting up one’s own applications.

Linux

Price. The most commonly cited pro about Linux platforms is their price. Linux is open source software, meaning that it has no intellectual property restrictions and thus skips the expense of copyright. Many would say that the Linux platform is the perfect complement to the idea of the Internet.

Reliability. Linux has proven to be reliable in almost all areas a web master might be concerned about, from security against hackers to guards against memory leaks over time.

Support options. As Linux itself is essentially free as far as intellectual property, it should come as no surprise that the platform supports some of the most popular free systems out there, including PHP and MySQL.

Most of the weaker areas in either of the web hosting platforms can be mitigated according to the hosting company a web master chooses for a site. Price, your level of expertise in computer programming, and which features you want supported on your site will ultimately be the criteria upon which your choice is made.

A Linux based hosting service can be appreciated if you have a true understanding about it. Linux is an open source operating system. There are no licensing fees for it. So, compared to windows, Linux is very cheap. Windows have software activation rights. A single copy of windows can be installed only on one computer. In the case of Linux once you have owned the software copy, you are free to install the software as many times as you wish on various computers.

On the other hand, Windows has a monolithic design, whereby it creates a sort of interdependence between the various parts of the server. A practical example can be seen in windows media player and Microsoft Internet explorer. In the case of Linux, it is known for its open source community development. Due to its group oriented approach method, Linux can easily oppose the monolithic based design concept by creating an operating system made up of parts that are freely independent of each other.

Linux and windows can successfully run popular web technologies such as HTML, CSS DHTML, XHTML, XML, JAVA Script, JAVA, CGI and Perl. They can also support Email, FTP, reporting and other basic features too. Also, both the operating systems (Linux and windows ) can do a good job when it comes to interfacing with Microsoft front page. Linux deals with open source development method, such as PHP nad RUBY on rails. Mostly, the Linux based databases use MYSQL. On the other hand, windows deal with ASP and other Microsoft proprietary applications such as Microsoft exchange. Window based databases mostly rely on MS SQL. When it comes to talking about the security risks involved on servers, one must be aware of the fact that one cannot ensure a 100 % risk free security service. I am saying this because even today there exist unskilled server administrators; people involved in brute force password crackers, unsecured PHP or ASP scripts etc.

In a windows based system, it becomes easy for hackers to compromise and entire server. The IIS web server is deeply interconnected with the core of the windows. Hence, if a security threat is found in the IIS web server, it could lead to compromising the entire windows server. That is why, external browsers such as Mozilla, Fire Fox are considered to be safer for a window PC than the integrated Microsoft Internet Explorer. Now in the case of a Linux security based system, there exists a large as well as an educated security team. However, one must also be aware of the fact that there exists a group of educated community of hackers too.

Linux is mainly used for database servers and Internet servers. Many companies prefer to use Linux on their servers as an alternative to other operating systems. Linux can be considered as a very efficient, multi-user multitasking operating system. Linux is popular on the internet as well as by many small companies. Linux is very stable and it uses the resources very efficiently. Linux is compatible with Microsoft windows, whereby it can support fully access to windows file system. Linux runs efficiently on your present hardware. Your older machines can also work on Linux.

In other words, your old hardware which might have discarded just because it was in adequate for the latest software upgrades can now be a valuable resource for your company. You can put your hardware back in service with Linux. Web hosting service based on Linux is easy and cheaper than windows hosting. It is a better choice over windows.