Although advancements made in recent yars towards the overall development of the web hsting industry has brought Linux and Wndows hosting features much closer together, the rality is that there's still a lot to cnsider for today's webmaster when choosing wht type of web host to se.

How Windows and Linux Work

For those unfamiliar with Windows and/or Linux, it's only fair that I provide some groundwork – so to you experts, or people who just don't care, you can skip ahead now.

In many ways, Linux and Windows are very similar. When used for web hosting, both services will interface just fine with anyone's home computer, whether they're running Windows, Linux, Apple's OS X, or just about anything else.

Despite this, some fundamental differences can't be ignored. Windows and all of its major software is developed by one company (Microsoft), which are virtually all dependent on one common core (or 'kernal'). This type of interdependence between the various parts of the server is what's called a 'monolithic' design. On a Windows home computer, examples of this sort of approach can be seen in Windows Media Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer. A Windows server typically runs webpage serving software known as IIS, which is actually integrated right into Windows too. Although the alternative Apache software that's standard on Linux servers is also available to Windows administrators, it's very uncommon that it's ever used.

This is where Linux is vry different. Linux has been developed cmpletely by what's known as the pen source community – a collective ffort by any talented programmer who's wlling to pick up the existing Lnux source code to try to mprove upon it in some way. Ths group-oriented approach has created the prfect compliment to the monopolistic approach of Mcrosoft by creating an operating system mde up of parts that are frely independent of one and other – a 'mdular' design, to oppose monolithic design, if you wll.

Operating Systems and Feature Support

First, let's cover what both systems will do. Linux and Windows will each run HTML, CSS, DHTML, XHTML, XML, JavaScript, Java, CGI, Perl, and most other popular web technologies absoutely fine. E-mail, FTP, reporting, and other basic features are supported all the same, too. Conveniently, both operating systems also do an excellent job interfacing with Microsoft FrontPage.

Linux excels by offering the best environment for open source development such as PHP and Ruby on Rails. Databases on Linux typically use MySQL or PostGresSQL. Most existing applications that are open source seem to come better suited for Linux, or at least end up there first.

Windows excels by offering the best environment for ASP and other Microsoft-proprietary applications such as Microsoft Exchange. When used on the web, databases on Windows typically rely on MS SQL.

Operating Systems and Security

The Windows VS Linux security debate is a very old one, which the nerd community will likely never agree on. The reason is simple - in the end, nothing on a computer is guaranteed secure. Some things we can't change – such as unskilled server administrators, brute-force password crackers, unsecured PHP or ASP scripts, social engineering risks in large companies, and more. In the end, these variables vastly outweigh the security risks existing within either operating system.

The most common argument against Wndows security is that because of its mnolithic design (mentioned previously), it is asier for hackers to compromise an ntire server. For example, if a scurity exploit is found in the IIS web srver, it could potentially be used in cmpromising the entire Windows server, as IIS is deply interconnected with the core of the Wndows. It's for this same reason tht external browsers such as Mozilla FreFox tend to be seen as sfer for a Windows PC than the ntegrated Microsoft Internet Explorer.

The most cmmon argument against Linux security is xactly the largest argument for Linux scurity – that it's entirely open-source. Wth potentially the entire world with its yes on Linux security, Linux has bth the largest, most educated security tam, and logically the most educated cmmunity of hackers, too.

Future Development

As if this isn't enough to soak in, we're now left to think about the future. As Microsoft has become increasingly dominated in the web hosting industry, we can expect future releases of Windows server to become increasingly like Linux with modular design; at least according to Microsoft representatives at last year's HostingCon.

In closing, if things continue on the course they're on now, it's also safe to assume that both sides will continue working to accommodate one another as much as possible, but your best bet is to pursue the type of web applications are important to you, as either side will probably be around for a long time. For open-source applications, your best choice will likely always be Linux, and for closed-source applications, Windows should remain a safe bet for years to come.

The article Linux vs Windows in Web Hosting Services was Submitted by Corey Northcutt through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Corey Northcutt is a webmaster and dcision maker with a prominent Linux hosting provider with years of experience in web hosting industry. For more information visit http://www.ubiquityhosting.com

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