Web Hosting: Linux or Windows?

[Felch]

Okay, I'm totally ignorant of the differences except that Linux seems to be cheaper. I'm trying to help a buddy start a website though, and it would help if I could give him good advice, or at least the biased opinions of Asher and some Linux zealot. So if anyone could help I'd appreciate it.

[Urban Ranger]

Linux of course. Linux is free (both as in beer and as in speech). Windows costs money. Linux is more secure than Windows.

This should be a no-brainer.

[Felch]

But shouldn't there be some reason that Windows is offered? Like does it wash my car or walk my dog or something?

[Ari Rahikkala]

Yeah, Linux is cheaper because it's cheaper (no cost at all, though that does kind of depend on the distro) to license and because the admins have found that it causes less trouble to them. If you have any Windows-specific software that you'll need to run on the server (say the only coder you happen to have available knows only VB.NET) or if you know some other genuine reason to use Windows, use it, otherwise go for the Linux choice.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Felch
But shouldn't there be some reason that Windows is offered? Like does it wash my car or walk my dog or something?

Oh, so you are trying to pick which server to host the website on an ISP.

Windows is offered because some users may want to run some kind of Windows specific server on the box. Flash? Exchange? MS SQL?

[Q Classic]

I'd go with the LAMP system. It's Linux/Apache Web Server/MySQL database/PHP-Perl scripting. It's free, and it's got a lot of support.

Windows 2000/2003 and IIS 6 with MSSQL is all right, but if you're running the server yourself, it'll be expensive.

What are you going to be doing with the server?

[Felch]

I'm helping out an antiques dealer who has been working through ebay and at local shows and such. Now he wants to set up a website where he can put images and recieve orders securely and such. I've found hosts that have eCommerce packages and I was just curious about what the advantages were since the cheapest Windows package was several times more expensive than the Linux alternatives. It sounds like Linux is the way to go though.

[Atahualpa]

Re: Web Hosting: Linux or Windows?

Originally posted by Felch
Okay, I'm totally ignorant of the differences except that Linux seems to be cheaper. I'm trying to help a buddy start a website though, and it would help if I could give him good advice, or at least the biased opinions of Asher and some Linux zealot. So if anyone could help I'd appreciate it.

It all depends on wether you are in control of the server or not. If you are not administrating it for yourself then your choice doesn't matter that much. Inform yourself about the software that is available and that could be installed on both servers.

OTOH, if you have root/administrator access to the server, then I suggest Linux, but only because I don't know the other (which honestly is a stupid ground to base a descision on).

[Atahualpa]

Originally posted by Felch
I'm helping out an antiques dealer who has been working through ebay and at local shows and such. Now he wants to set up a website where he can put images and recieve orders securely and such. I've found hosts that have eCommerce packages and I was just curious about what the advantages were since the cheapest Windows package was several times more expensive than the Linux alternatives. It sounds like Linux is the way to go though.

I guess this means, that you don't have to administrate the server through the commandline. Go for the cheaper then...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Felch
I've found hosts that have eCommerce packages and I was just curious about what the advantages were since the cheapest Windows package was several times more expensive than the Linux alternatives. It sounds like Linux is the way to go though.

Find out if some essential services, such as payment gateway, are not available for Linux platforms. If not, that is the way to go.

[aneeshm]

First , identify your requriements . If reliability is critical , then go for one of the BDS's . If , for example , security is critical , go for OpenBSD .

From what I know ( hearsay as it is ) , BSD/Linux + Apache is far , far better at serving static content . It is also far more stable - the average BSD/Linux uptime is much higher than the corresponding uptime for Windows . I also have anecdotal evidence of this fact - I dual boot Windows/Ubuntu , and till date , my computer ( under Linux ) has not experienced any problem that a "kill-9" could not fix . It is also much more responsive . There are UNIX-based computers/servers that run nonstop for more than five years .

When it comes to getting the maximum juice out of the hardware , the UNIX based systems ( Linux/BSD ) are again , in my experience , much better ( Note that I base my experience on two things - responsivity , and program requirements/performance . I've seem that games inevitably run better than they're supposed to when run under Linux ) .

Remember , too , that if he wants security , then BSD\Linux is a much better choice , if you use systems like OpenBSD or Debian Stable .

In terms of cost - the software is free ( mostly ) , and support ( if he wants it ) can be had from a number of different vendors .


If , however , the systems he is using are not available for a BSD\Linux system , or the ones available for a BSD\Linux system are not suitable to his needs , then he should go for whatever system has those systems .

If he chooses to go for Linux , then , IMO , he should go for a solid system like Debian stable .

[Urban Ranger]

aneeshm - read the fine thread, first

[aneeshm]

I know that my post was mostly redundant , but at least I introduced the third choice into this debate , which was being ignored - one of the BSDs .

And I'm going to post a Wiki link to the Windows vs. Linux debate , so that his choice would be more informed .

[Asher]

If you're going through a web hosting company, it doesn't matter.

If you're hosting the server yourself, Windows would be cheaper and easier and more than sufficient (I'm assuming you get it for free).

Since you're not a computer geek, you'd waste a lot of time wrestling with Linux. And while Urban Ranger will rant about how it's free, not all of us have expendable time to waste screwing around with obscure command-lines. I get paid for doing that sh*t, no way would I do it for free.

[aneeshm]

If he's going through a web hosting company , I admit it is irrelevant . He has no choice in the matter .

Maybe the assumption that Windows can be had for free is incorrect , as he has already stated ? It has been my observation that Windows is easier to set up but a pain to maintain , while Linux is a pain to set up but easier to maintain in the long run .


And Asher , you must have realised by now that "GUIs make easy jobs easier , and difficult jobs impossible" . I've been a victim of this truism . There is a reason you get paid to do comand-line work - it is more powerful and productive .