Web Hosting Review

Web Hosting servers running Microsoft Windows Server is an industry standard in network management and internet services. Until the recent addition of PHP as a scripting standard, if you needed inline server side access from your web pages, you pretty much had to use a Windows Based Server. Active Server Pages (ASP) was the Microsoft favorite, and a viable option to using CGI scripts including Perl. Even with the inclusion of PHP, the Microsoft Windows Hosting Server is still able to hold its own with its inclusion of new .NET services, running its own flavor of PHP and the many varieties of databases usable on other systems as well. Yes, if you want diversity, a Microsoft Windows Server can provide it.

One characteristic of Windows Hosting is the cost. Traditionally Windows Shared Hosting accounts cost a small percentage more than Linux shared hosting accounts. Generally speaking, the additional cost goes towards technical and administrative support. The name Microsoft alone, chased by its trouble riddled Operating Systems in the past, have made it a prime target for hackers and malicious software. Keeping a Windows Server up to date and running smoothly can be a chore, and technicians available for these servers need to be paid – the web hosts pass this savings on to you. Another factor in price is the actual cost of Windows Server Software itself. It is no secret that the cost of the operating system is a sore point with small business, corporations, individuals, and yes, web hosts. Again, this cost is shared by the users of the OS (Hosting Customers).

One of the fantastic characteristics of Windows hosting is the number of choices you have available to you. For instance, databases, there are three types of databases that are almost always available to you in one form or another with a Windows hosting account. Microsoft SQL Server that is used by many large corporations as it is – and transferring or integrating your data can be a snap with import and exporting tools. MySQL, which is an Open Source database structure, is widely used amongst smaller companies and individuals. This database engine is actually available for free (without support) and can be run on a PC. Finally there is the popular Microsoft Access Database – which is portable and can run from a desktop and easily be changed and re-uploaded to a web server to continue online processing. The Access database is not a robust option, but can handle a decent number of simultaneous transactions – a great entry-level database.

With your Windows Shared Hosting Account, you can expect to receive an FTP account and possibly access to a control panel for quick routine tasks. A trouble ticketing system is generally in place, and access to most server-side scripting languages including the most recent .NET framework. ASP is still a widely used application language and is being heavily competed with JSP and the later inclusion of PHP. Each of these languages is equally powerful and some experience is required to program in either set. Windows hosting however is not reliant upon this technology and there are flavors of blog software, forums and site builders that can operate without intimate knowledge. Also don’t forget simple HTML processing and SSI routing for dynamic page or template inclusions.

Linux hosting providers are the most common type of web hosting provider in the world of the Internet. Why, you ask? Because they offer the best combination of both ease of use and reliability. Unix web hosting services are also known for their reliability, (in fact they offer even more reliable web hosting than Linux does), but it is often more difficult to use. Windows based services are easy to use, but their reliability is quite a bit less than that of linux web site hosting services.

Many people don't think of the operating system importance, which their web site servers use, but it is rather significant component. The operating system can often limit what you can do with your web site (for example, linux hosting does not offer the use of Microsoft ASP), and it can also make a big difference in the strength and reliability of your web host.

Chances are good that you are a Windows user, or are at least familiar with this the most popular operating system. If you are, you know that Windows operating systems, as popular as they are, have a penchant for technical difficulties and breaking down at the most inopportune of times. This is just as true with a Windows based web server as it is with a desktop, making for not always the most reliable web hosting.

Unix web hosting , on the other hand, is based on the Unix operating system, generally considered to be the most powerful and reliable operating system around. However, Unix is not known for being the most user-friendly operating system around, so while you might find unix web hosting to be strong and reliable, people often tend to shy away from Unix because of the difficulty of using it.

The compromise between these two worlds of power and reliability on the one hand and ease of use on the other is Linux. Linux is an open source operating system that has been around for years and is constantly being improved upon. It tries to offer the power and reliability that one finds with Unix but combining it with the user-friendly interface of the Windows platform.

For this reason, linux hosting has become very popular, and is in fact the most common form of web hosting found on the web. If you are looking for reliable web hosting then you are most likely going to find a company that offers linux hosting.

But how do you know if a web hosting uses Linux for its servers? Oftentimes the company will quickly inform you of the operating systems on which its servers rely, but this is not always the case. You might have to do some scouting around to find the information on their web site, if it is there at all. If you do not find the information readily available, you might want to shoot the company an e-mail and find out whether or not they use Linux. Alternatively, just move onto another company, there are plenty linux hosting provider.