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| Unix vs. Windows |
Many people believe that since they run version of Windows operating system on their home computer they must choose a web hosting company whose servers run on Windows. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The operating system you run on your PC has absolutely no bearing on your dealings with a host's web server. Even those designers using Microsoft's FrontPage will have no problem publishing their site on any of our Unix servers.
The Unix Operating System
Advantages: The majority of web server applications available on the Internet are intended for use with the Unix OS. This includes many of the scripts, written in languages such as Perl, C, C++, Java, and PHP, which are used to add functionality to web sites.
The foundation of the Unix operating system is its reliability. Built with stability and efficiency in mind, the OS uses text-based commands instead of a graphical user interface. The resulting operating system doesn't waste memory or disk space on bells and whistles and is able to do a lot more with a lot less resources than comparable Windows systems. Many clients who have only 1 domain and need the freedom of a dedicated server will choose the Unix OS because of its scalability even in the lowest hardware sets. A Unix box with 32 or 64 MB of RAM can still run multiple programs with perfect stability. A Windows machine with similar hardware would not even boot up.
In addition, since Unix is an open source operating system it is freely available to anyone who wants to add to or improve it. As a result, there have been a massive number of bug fixes, new features, and additional developments over the last couple of years. For this reason, among others, many professional programmers and designers prefer to work with clients whose web sites are hosting on a Unix server.
Those serving in a Unix environment will also have more freedom within their account on the server than those running on other operating systems. With Unix-based Telnet and SSH connections, customers can do a lot more themselves configuration-wise, including easily managing files and directories, changing file permissions, and debugging programs. Additionally, every Bay State Services account hosted on a Unix server comes with our award-winning MonsterControls, a web-based provisioning tool that allows our clients to completely administer every aspect of their web hosting account.
Disadvantages.
Many new users simply aren't comfortable with Unix. While those with simple hosting needs could run their sites on a Unix server without ever learning a single thing, those users wishing to build advanced sites would need to learn at least some of the basic Unix program commands. A task many aren't willing to undertake. Bay State Services's proprietary automation tools - ServerMonster and MonsterControls allow our clients to administer 99.9% of the functions needed to build, maintain and update web sites within the dedicated server environment.
There are also several types of server applications, mostly those authored by Microsoft, which cannot be supported by Unix. These include Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP), Microsoft Access and SQL databases, among others.
Microsoft Windows Operating System
Windows allows those with little or no experience in the fields of web development and hosting to get advanced features working very quickly. By utilizing Microsoft's catalog software such as Microsoft's FrontPage, Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Interdev, Access, and SQL you can have a fully functional site up in a short amount of time. You'll easily be able to include custom pages, built on the fly, and database integration that will allow you to create a very powerful, cutting edge site. Data from customers can be easily stored and manipulated and large product databases can be constructed. However, unlike its Unix counter-part every Windows program or software package has a price, and many times that price is well into the thousands of dollars.
Disadvantages.
In many cases it may be necessary to spend a considerable amount of time working with these software programs to truly take advantage of their many advanced features. You may also have to attend Microsoft seminars or even hire a professional to provide support for advanced development with some programs.
Again, like any Microsoft product, Windows Advanced Server is very resource-intensive, meaning it will require a generous allocation of resources and hardware if stability plays a key factor in your determination. While Unix can easily be run in a professional environment on a machine with a single 500 MHz processor and 128 MB of RAM, Windows generally cannot. The requirements necessary to maintain relative stability will depend largely on the server's traffic level and the number of applications running at any given time, but a fairly busy W2K server will generally require a dual processor system of at least 80000 MHz and 256-512 MB of RAM. Even with a generous hardware setup, NT servers will have to be rebooted regularly.
Both of these operating systems make excellent platforms for mission-critical Web hosting, and they function well. Below are material differences in the platforms:
Unix - The Better Choice
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