hello again everyone,

I am looking for a hosting company that would support ASP, PHP and Access Database all at the same time.

However, I've heard many say that Linux/Unix are preferable to Windows. And I am just wondering whether I am making any sense, to have ASP, PHP and Access on Linux/Unix machines?

Thanks in advance.

You can use ASP on a unix based server with Chili!Soft ASP
http://www.chilisoft.com/

PHP is also available for windows servers however I think the general consensus is that if you use ASP then you should go with Windows and if you are using PHP then stick with a unix based server.

You should decide on Windows or Unix and that should dictate which server side scripting you will need to use.

Yes, I realise that I am suppose to just pick one and then stick with it instead of using both.

However, my site is going to be my portfolio site and some of my work are in ASP while others are in PHP. I even have some in ColdFusion. While the databases are Access and MS SQL.

we are allowed to keep our stuff on the school's server, however, the school's server is very unreliable (I mean very). Also, I think it is not a bad idea to have a domain name of myself anyway.

I believe ASP on Unix variants like Linux are not yet full feature and stable enough. That's not to say that it's not a pretty good solution for ASP on Linux, but it's just not all there yet, like it is on Windows. PHP for Linux, is also more stable than PHP for Windows.

You can convert Databases, but you can't run MS Sql on Linux, and you definitely can't run MS Access on Linux. Again, you can convert it, but you aren't going to be able to run Access and any VB type ASP or whatever. I think your best bet, is to use what best suits your needs and your site. To me, that would mean you should seek out a Windows based server.

Many people think different OS's are better than other's, and while I agree that Linux is better than Windows, for a ton of reasons, I think you have some pretty compelling reasons to host on a Windows server and that will be best for you. Ideally, you'd have the time to learn and implement things in PHP or something and use that and MySQL or the like and run Linux, but you're not going to need to go through all that trouble just for that and it's probably not worth it in the long run, unless you have other plans and desires to use PHP and Linux and MySQL, etc.

PHP and MySQL both work and are made for Windows, but they just aren't there yet, just like ASP isn't there yet for Linux. You seem like everything you have, all your scripts and site, are all based around a Windows environment, and it would probably be a big hassle to get that all moved to and working just as well onto a Linux server or any other Unix variant. Good luck.

Originally posted by chocolate
Yes, I realise that I am suppose to just pick one and then stick with it instead of using both.

However, my site is going to be my portfolio site and some of my work are in ASP while others are in PHP. I even have some in ColdFusion. While the databases are Access and MS SQL.

we are allowed to keep our stuff on the school's server, however, the school's server is very unreliable (I mean very). Also, I think it is not a bad idea to have a domain name of myself anyway. Just a thought but if you're only talking about a portfolio series of sites (at least for a few months) then perhaps you want to consider talking to someone with an NT account who would be willing to let you have a limited hosting package for that site whilst putting your *NIX stuff on your own package... may'be even partner up with someone so you each have both types of account and share them (trust is obviously an issue).

Just a thought but I'm sure someone can help

sorry, WebSnail.net.

I'm not quite sure what do you mean "a limited hosting package for that site whilst putting your *NIX stuff on your own package... "

Do you mean like making a deal with a hosting company or something?

Originally posted by chocolate
sorry, WebSnail.net.

I'm not quite sure what do you mean "a limited hosting package for that site whilst putting your *NIX stuff on your own package... "

Do you mean like making a deal with a hosting company or something? In a nutshell... try a little bargaining yes :)