For the last week or so I've been shopping for a host for my first "real" web site. You know, the ones that you have to pay for that have no ads or banners, etc. All I can say is Wow! what an experience. There are sooo many hosts, with such diverse pricing and feature choices. And thanks to the magic of the internet and cleverly designed web pages, everybody looks like a pro. How could you go wrong? But, don't worry, I'm not going to ask for any recommendations for "the best" hosting company. I've done most of the research and I'll make my decision soon. What the heck, What's a hundred bucks? Worst case, I can always switch hosts if I'm not satisfied, right?

The main question I have for you'all is which Operating System is best to host a web site. UNIX (or equivalent) or Windows NT/2000?

Some sites seem to lean more towards one OS or the other, while other sites offer a choice of one or the other. The offerings seem to be different also. For example, I've noticed generous offerings of subdomains in UNIX based systems, but not with the Windows hosters. Cold Fusion with Windows, but not with UNIX. If the OS doesn't make any difference, I'll just go where the most appropriate tools/features are, right?

However, I have noticed what I think is a difference in performance between the two. I could be wrong, but the web sites that I link to that are UNIX based seem quicker than the Windows based sites. The Unix pages seem to pop up on the screen all at once, whereas the Windows screens appear to get assembled one frame at a time. Is this an accurate observation? Or is my mind just fried from staring too long at all this stuff? (BTW, I do have a quick PC and a cable modem).

Your input would be most appreciated. Thanks.

..my web pages if I were you... Are you using any thing specific like php, mysql (linux type stuff) or is your app leaning more towards ASP, accesss, (windoze type stuff) etc.

If you're just serving plain pages with html I dont think there is much difference in speed and functionality.

I would look at what I'm using to develop.my web pages if I were you... That's a good point. But at this stage, I haven't yet decided what to use. The intended use for this site will be mostly experimental. A major objective is to gain practical experience in web site development, involving apps that would utilize both client and server side programming and databases. Although my background is in PC based "Windoze type stuff" as you would describe it, I would welcome the opportunity to learn how the other half lives, so to speak, and get some exposure to the "linux type stuff". Actually I can go either way. Just looking for some guidance, and still concerned about the performance issue.

If you are just serving plain pages then still go with a linux based host...much quicker.

Mekhu

Much of choosing a Unix host versus an NT host deals with what you, as a client, need from that host. For example, if you use ASP, then NT may be your choice (Although ASP is available on UNIX servers some times)...if you use PHP, then a UNIX host my be your choice. If you are willing to try anything, then I would have to recommend a UNIX host. There are many articles out there that explain some of the advantages of each, but more times than not the UNIX server will come out ahead. Some of the obvious reasons for this are that a UNIX server provides more functionality, reliability, better performance, better security (provided the administrator makes sure of this), faster scripting options and speed, and the list goes on. Don't get me wrong, both have advantages and both have a solid foundation in the industry. But, you asked for input so I just added a little to hopefully help you make a good choice. :)

Originally posted by Mekhu
If you are just serving plain pages then still go with a linux based host...much quicker.

Mekhu

Sorry, dont think so. Linux is only necessary if you need the stuff mentioned by mattan.

Alexander

Just figure out which you want to use PHP/MYSQL or ASP/SQL SERVER ... they are both good but how much money do you have to spend? PHP is good and low cost where as ASP is very expensive. Find out how much it costs to setup both. I'm not even going to guess how much the ASP will be.

In my opinion.

Isn't it sure easier if all clients choose Unix based packages instead of W2K packages?

1) less licensing issues on our side.
2) cheap to operate on our side again.
3) easy to setup
4) technology moving slower than NT/W2K (woohoo, less reading for us)
5) Less security problems (wohooo again)

I'd say go with Unix based hosting packages!


The real difference in a Hosts view......

Originally posted by Cephren
In my opinion.

Isn't it sure easier if all clients choose Unix based packages instead of W2K packages?

I would not say that in general.

1) less licensing issues on our side.

Yes, thats true. This is an issue.

2) cheap to operate on our side again.

Cheap in which relation?

3) easy to setup

This depends on the experience, the used software and what one is used to.

4) technology moving slower than NT/W2K (woohoo, less reading for us)

A slower move does not always need to be better, but anyway, the standard things do not "move" faster than on Unix.

5) Less security problems (wohooo again)

Again this depends on the software.


Alexander

Unless you are going to use ASP, I'd go with Unix.
The security holes in Windows are an extra hassle
and from my research, hosting with Windows tends to
be more expensive (because there is more maintainence).

Windows servers appear to be more vunerable and more subject
to attack than Unix servers.

Elwin,

If you're looking toward making a career out of this stuff, I suggest you do a good bit of research and decide whether you want to focus on Windows technologies (IIS, ASP, Cold Fusion, MS SQL...) or Unix technologies (Apache, PHP, MySQL, Perl...). There are a million arguments either way as to which is better, but ultimately it comes down to what you are comfortable with.

It sounds like whatever you're currently doing with a web page is just HTML and client-side technologies (i.e. Javascript, Flash, etc...), so you are in a position where you don't have any specific needs that would dictate which platform you need. That's a position a lot of us would envy, I think. :)

Personally I go for the Unix side of things -- it's what I've had my hands on for the past 5 years and I feel very comfortable with it. Unix has a reputation for reliability, but Windows 2000 is not far behind. Unix also has a reputation for security, which I can't argue with much, but if the admin doesn't keep up with patches, the box will be insecure no matter what platform it is.

Doug