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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    Price Parity between Win and Lin

    Does it really matter to the end customer if Windows VPS's are the same as Linux.

    Do potential customers really care.

    Thoughts about this would be appreciated.
    Wahid
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  2. #2
    What do you mean by "end customer"?

    If you have a site hosted on a VPS that I visit, then I couldn't care less about what OS you run. Run OS/400 or VAX for all I care

    If I'm buying a VPS from you, then yes I care. There's an expectation that Windows VPS is a little more expensive due to licensing.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    What do you mean by "end customer"?
    Apologies should of been clearer, end customer being the person coming to our site and purchasing a VPS from us.

    There's an expectation that Windows VPS is a little more expensive due to licensing.
    Your absolutely correct (its actually a true fact), we found in a survey that customers who buy a hosting account already know what OS they want to buy (the hosting company does not influence the majority of them)

    so interesting it does make a difference to you, I wonder how other people feel...
    Wahid
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by W4HDS View Post
    ... customers who buy a hosting account already know what OS they want to buy ...
    Because they have a specific need. That simple.
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  5. #5
    I think it's mostly irrelevant because they're two different ecosystems. If I have Windows apps I want to run or I only know how to use Windows, I'm going to buy a Windows VPS. The $10-15/month extra cost to use Windows is not a significant factor in my decision.
    raindog308
    LowEndTalk administrator, LowEndBox editor

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by raindog308 View Post
    If I have Windows apps I want to run or I only know how to use Windows, I'm going to buy a Windows VPS.
    For a workstation I would agree with you, but not for a server. I've talked to a lot of Windows server operators who swear by them, and I understand that, but I had a bad experience with a Windows early-on that cured me.

    Microsoft marketed NT Server 4.0 as their flagship enterprise solution back in the late 1990's. On impeccable recommendations, I bought it. If I recall correctly it was over $1000. Once installed I started a career of manually applying one service pack and hoxfix after another. Still, even with the attention I was giving it, NT Server would simply stop doing a server function that was critical for my business (actually, that function was the reason I bought NT Server). There was no error generated, and no blue screen of death, it simply stopped doing what it was supposed to do until I restarted the machine.

    In an attempt to fix it, I called Microsoft support. The wanted $125 to speak to NT Server support, so I paid it. After reviewing my settings with the tech, he agreed that I was configured properly. Then the tech told me that I can't expect it to work ALL the time.

    The tech asked my what I wanted him to do about it, and I said "You can start by refunding my $125!" To his credit, he did.

    In desperation I turned to Linux (Red Hat 6.x, at the time). I admit that getting accustomed to Linux was awful, but once the server was configured it provided me with the stable environment I needed. I've never paid for any Linux products or support (maybe some minimal CD duplication fees at eBay, but that's about it).

    Maybe I'm being unfair for not trying contemporary Microsoft server products, but I have no real reason to. So far as I'm concerned, Windows servers will always leave you with the following conditions.

    • A bloated graphical environment, which can't help but create stability problems.
    • A resource hog, which will almost certainly create greater ongoing costs for memory resources.
    • A commercial product that will have licensing fees.
    • A less standard server platform for hosting services.


    There's an old saying that Linux is only free if your time is worth nothing, but I believe learning Linux is an investment in time that will payoff for a hosting provider.

  7. #7
    I'm not saying Windows is a good OS or that I would personally use it

    But from a service sales perspective, if your customer has an app that runs on Windows, he wants a Windows VPS and is not likely to be interested in switching to Linux. The reverse of course is also true.
    raindog308
    LowEndTalk administrator, LowEndBox editor

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by raindog308 View Post
    I'm not saying Windows is a good OS or that I would personally use it

    But from a service sales perspective, if your customer has an app that runs on Windows, he wants a Windows VPS and is not likely to be interested in switching to Linux. The reverse of course is also true.
    I suppose there's something to be said for having both, but most apps that hosting customers are looking for today are written in php, so they are platform independent. You can offer an entirely satisfactory hosting product with Linux.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    Speaking to industry individuals their active base always seems to be 70/30 to Linux. I have not met any hosting provider (unless they are dedicated to Win hosting products only) that has a bigger base of Win compared to Lin.

    Price parity (if it works) basically means the hosting company is getting less money but because of licensing and because Win sells less than Linux (on average) anyway.

    It seems to date the extra cost for a Win hosting package to cover that licensing cost has not helped MS grow significantly on market share, hence why initiatives such as WebsiteSpark, bizspark etc are out there offering free licensing to certain verticals.

    Personally I believe price parity is a good move for any hosting company but it just seems a shame that there is not enough Win users out there compared to Lin
    Wahid
    Domains | Web Hosting | SSL | VPS | Dedicated Servers | Cloud and more
    www.123-reg.co.uk | www.webfusion.co.uk/.com/.es

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    shame that there is not enough Win users out there compared to Lin
    meaning on the web hosting side we know MS has cornered the desktop side of things
    Wahid
    Domains | Web Hosting | SSL | VPS | Dedicated Servers | Cloud and more
    www.123-reg.co.uk | www.webfusion.co.uk/.com/.es

  11. #11
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    You'll find most Windows servers are in closed corporate or educational environments, not offered as general hosting to the public. Price alone is one reason more people flock to Linux servers. I came from that corporate + educational environment, and knew ASP + Access (later MSSQL) a decade before I knew PHP or MySQL, so I've long had Windows servers. Over time, I've come to adopt mixed setups, using each OS for what it does best, for the needs of the project.

    Most anti-Windows rhetoric is nonsense myth.

    They're just tools. Use the right one for the task at hand.
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