Are you a new webmaster trying to choose a web hosting company? Well, many of the people face huge problems and confusions when choosing web hosting packages out of the many available in the market. Some web hosting companies offer Linux based operating systems, others offer FreeBSD, and still others offer Windows. Newcomers often ask me about the platform they should choose and ask for advice on what requirements they should base their decisions on. Some people even go on to ask if they should choose a package based on the configuration of their PC or Mac. In this article, I have discussed and given a wide view about whether and who should go for Linux hosting and who should go for Windows hosting.
You do not have to look for a host similar with the operating system you are using now.
Many people have the misconception that they should look for the host that will run on their operating system. There is no need to look for a host that supports Mac or that runs on the same platform. This really does not make any sense. It is neither well suited nor less suited and it does not make it easy for you to use the same system.
The main criteria that you should look for while choosing the web host platform are:
Always check the requirements of your websites and based on these requirements, you will have to choose your web hosting company or webhotel firma as known in Danish. Whether it is using a Mac, Windows, or Linux, it does not matter. What you have to focus on is what your website demands.
If your website requires the Windows-specific technologies such as ASP, .NET or MS Access, or MSSQL, it is always convenient to go for any one of them. You do not need to check whether your operating system supports them or not.
If you are not familiar with those technologies, this should not be a concern to go into details in this because you do no need to consider much while choosing a web host.
If you want to do blogging or want to sell with a shopping cart or a simple website, then you can go for choosing a Unix-based host. This is a web hosting package that uses the systems like Linux or FreeBSD. When you have free access to blogging and shopping, assume that your website is using a Unix-based system.
Even if you have some specific needs like PHP, Perl or MYSQL database, you should go for Linux or FreeBSD package. Keep in mind that not all these can run properly on Windows machines.
Many a times, you try to design your website but your web hosting fails to provide you with the proper tools. It might be a big challenge for you to get the right design at the wrong place. If the website allows you to do things easily, then this is the right place for you. Always use the tools very carefully when installing on your computer.
Conclusion
If you want to use ASP, NET, MSSQL or Access on your website, then use Windows. If you do not know what these terms really mean, then just ignore them and use a Unix-based solution like Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris.