What Platform To Use

By Vonda Rose

Which web hosting platform does she or he wish her or his server to be located on proves to be among the most complicated choices that any novice will have to make. The two most commonly used choices are the Linux web server and the Windows web server.

-FTP commands and control panel- These considerations are represented well by both the Linux and the Windows platforms, but there are differences between the FTP commands in the operating systems because different FTP programs will usually be designed anticipating use with a particular operating system. This could be the reason for some error messages you may encounter when attempting to run certain FTP commands on each server.

-Support- the support for the Linux platform pales in comparison to that offered by Windows and is also sometimes more expensive and frequently more limited in its capabilities. As opposed to Windows, which uses more generic technologies, Linux used much more specific ones.

* Reliability and Security - Linux has the reputation of having better technology for security protocols, as it is generally utilized by system engineers and developers exclusively, while Windows proves to be the main system employed on personal computers in homes, so its security protocols are typically not so advanced. It is much more likely that you will have a successful attack against you when using Windows than Linux if no other reason than the fact that there are a much larger number of Windows based attacks than Linux ones.

-Performance- Linux is generally thought to be a slightly better performing system primarily due to the manner in which the Linux server is packaged. Linux plans are more specifically designed for their target customers. Windows usually operates in a different manner and prefers to offer a one size fits all approach with a more generalized set of tools.

In regards to conversion, if you plan on changing your operating system and you have a Linux server, it is very simple to convert your website from Linux hosting to a Windows operating system hosting. On the other hand, if you start off with Windows hosting you would do much better to just stick with it because attempting to convert from Windows to Linux can be a disaster.

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