Linux vs. Windows for hosting?

[Mr. Apollo]

I'm looking at hosting a site with 1and1.com. Is there any difference to me, the end user, with choosing Linux over Windows? I'm not going to be running anything fancy on the site.

[rob]

There isn't much of a difference if you just have basic html pages.

If you have now, or plan to have any pages that do any processing (like a contact form) or anything fancy (like a blog) it's going to be A LOT easier to go with a Linux based server.

Windows generally sucks for hosting.

[Bogie]

I'm looking at hosting a site with 1and1.com. Is there any difference to me, the end user, with choosing Linux over Windows? I'm not going to be running anything fancy on the site.I concur with rob. Linux for sure. You can do a lot with Linux, don't be misguided by all those Windows server ads. The control panel system with 1and1 is different than the standard cPanel that most webhosts use, but they have a lot features and easy to implement them. I've got just over 80 sites, on Linux, with 1and1 and have not had any problems with them. They are not my main webhost, but are reliable. Well worth the low fees they charge.

[Mr. Apollo]

I was thinking of running a blog but I guess I didn't consider that "fancy". I might use the FTP function too. I was thinking of going with Linux. Even though I don't know anything about it since it's all managed that won't really matter.

[Bogie]

I was thinking of running a blog but I guess I didn't consider that "fancy". I might use the FTP function too. I was thinking of going with Linux. Even though I don't know anything about it since it's all managed that won't really matter.Best way to have a Blog is on Linux. With 1and1, and any host using cPanel, it is a simple install from their control panels. You just have to customize to your liking afterwards.

[Mr. Apollo]

Yeah, I want to set up more of a "personal" page. Maybe a blog, some links, and other things.

[rob]

Yup... then any cPanel host with Fantastico will make things super easy for you Mr. A.

cPanel will give you easy management - you can create your own emails, view your server logs, etc without any problems.

Fantastico is a bunch of "add on" free programs such as WordPress, coppermine, osCart, etc, etc, etc that can be installed with 1 click.

There are better hosts out there then 1and1 though. You might want to look around. In cPanel there is also a "backup" button where you can download backups so as long as you do that when you make a big change to your site, then you can very easily move to ANY cPanel webhost without any problems.

[Mr. Apollo]

Yup... then any cPanel host with Fantastico will make things super easy for you Mr. A.

cPanel will give you easy management - you can create your own emails, view your server logs, etc without any problems.

Fantastico is a bunch of "add on" free programs such as WordPress, coppermine, osCart, etc, etc, etc that can be installed with 1 click.

There are better hosts out there then 1and1 though. You might want to look around. In cPanel there is also a "backup" button where you can download backups so as long as you do that when you make a big change to your site, then you can very easily move to ANY cPanel webhost without any problems.
Who would you suggest and why would you say they're better? I've always heard good things about 1and1

[kibboy]

Uh oh, the old Window's V Linux debate. Linux is cheaper, so if your not going to do any development they are the obvious choice. The only reason to go with Window's would be if you were anticipating development in a Window's based technology (asp,asp.net) as Linux can't run these.

Window's also has one click eCommerce, Blog, forum setups and everything Linux has, just some slight differences (no anonymous FTP for example). Regarding performance I haven't seen any noticeable difference, it really depends on the host, how many users and the load placed on your specific box. This has been my experience and I use both daily although I haven’t used 1and1 and it may be different in this respect.

kibb

[ChrisK]

Who would you suggest and why would you say they're better? I've always heard good things about 1and1

I'm the owner of a web hosting company in Toronto and we only do Windows based web hosting with support for typical Unix/Linux native technologies (PHP, mySQL, PERL, etc.). I totally agree that Unix/Linux hosting services are definitely cheaper than Windows. This is simply because of the server license.

Though, when choosing a web hosting service, always keep in mind, that you get what you pay for. If you have a basic HTML web site, you should choose a UNIX/Linux hosting provider based on price point.

You'll note that most government web sites are using Windows servers on their backend. Unix and Linux are making some group in this area but are mostly used for testing servers.

Both operating systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. Though, if you can find a hosting provider that combines both worlds in one solution then you have an advantage.

[rob]

I own both windows and linux servers located in datacenters.

Mr. A, if you're still looking, go with Linux. You'll be happier.

1and1 isn't bad - they give you a bunch of software and stuff. But the actual core of their hosting (bandwidth, storage, features) is a bit limited.

I would recommend looking at the (literally thousands) of linux webhosts running cPanel with Fantastico and pick one of them.

[tb8425]

I tend to agree with rob. I manage a bit over three hundred servers. and large data wharehouse complexes. A quarter of these are windows based. As much as I feel ms solutions are easier to manage , in my experience they are much more expensive and from a functional standpoint not nearly as flexible. In terms of performance there simply is no comparison. Unix based servers hands down out-perform (in general)

my opinion

[ssadams]

I'm the owner of a web hosting company in Toronto and we only do Windows based web hosting with support for typical Unix/Linux native technologies (PHP, mySQL, PERL, etc.). I totally agree that Unix/Linux hosting services are definitely cheaper than Windows. This is simply because of the server license.

Though, when choosing a web hosting service, always keep in mind, that you get what you pay for. If you have a basic HTML web site, you should choose a UNIX/Linux hosting provider based on price point.

You'll note that most government web sites are using Windows servers on their backend. Unix and Linux are making some group in this area but are mostly used for testing servers.

Both operating systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. Though, if you can find a hosting provider that combines both worlds in one solution then you have an advantage.

show me how a 5$million dollar Solaris server is cheaper then Windows ?
most Government sites are Unix with windows server front ends
if the world and internet relied on windows.....it would come down in a crash of a scale not known by most users

windows is for small lan or wan networks only, it shouldn't be used as a network gateway,datacentre, etc

[kibboy]

Actually, IIS is slated to have the top market share for web servers this time next year - http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2007/08/06/august_2007_web_server_survey.html (http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2007/08/06/august_2007_web_server_survey.html) . The release of Windows Server 2008 is going to push that even further with enhancements in virtualization, remote access, application pooling and the coupling of server and script security. The Canadian Government has been supporting this trend as it continually drops it’s old Sun Solaris servers in favor of Windows. The vast majority of Canadian departments have used Exchange server for some time now on large LANs of 40,000+ workstations. This from a world leader and international award winner of government on-line services, it makes others take notice.

For better or worse, Billy’s continuing his pursuit for global domination.

kibb

[rob]

There is of course room for a linux vs. windows debate in this area.

However, Mr. Apollo asked for inexpensive, easy to use hosting to start his first blog and maybe share a few files.

Linux is the clear winner for this question.
There are slightly over a dozen different free blogging packages written for linux web servers. The most popular beginner blogging tool WordPress is included with hosts who have CPanel / Fantasitco as a simple 2-3 click installation.

I'm not against Windows servers. As I mentioned, I own and use a few of them. However they are not the right fit for this solution.

I'm sure Mr. Apollo has solved this problem by now and likely even has hosting and a blog setup.

[ChrisK]

There is of course room for a linux vs. windows debate in this area.



Lets focus on the topic at hand.

[rob]

Lets focus on the topic at hand. I completely agree. I think that there is some good information in this thread. Ssadams and Kibboy's posts are starting down the flame war path.

Hey Chris, as an owner of a webhosting comapny, I am interested in why you only do Windows hosting though. Are you just busy enough with Windows customers that you don't want to get into Linux based servers?

[ChrisK]

Hey Chris, as an owner of a webhosting comapny, I am interested in why you only do Windows hosting though. Are you just busy enough with Windows customers that you don't want to get into Linux based servers?

We're a Microsoft partner and have a demand for ASP/.net/SQL services. We've decided to focus on one server platform and be the best at it. As everyone is aware that posted there are tons of Linux/Unix based web hosting companies out there from mom & pop shops to larger GoDaddy/1&1 companies out there.

[rob]

We're a Microsoft partner and have a demand for ASP/.net/SQL services. We've decided to focus on one server platform and be the best at it. That's a really good business strategy, Chris. Do you colo in one of the bigger dc's in the GTA?

[ChrisK]

We have our servers in Montreal, Canada and Houston, Texas. Though our Canadian servers are in Montreal they are still part of the ToRix network.