Choosing Unix or Nt for Cheap Web Hosting
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
Cheap Web Hosting: Unix or Nt Web Server
Cheap web hosting is most commonly found with a UNIX server although good deals can also be found with the Windows NT operating system. Before you obtain cheap web hosting from a company, you need to choose which server you want your site to use. There are some things you will need to consider to help make your decision. Your final decision should be based on the technical expertise of you and your technical staff.
Cheap Web Hosting on Nt Servers
Windows NT servers are configured to work with Microsoft applications like FrontPage, Access, and Microsoft SQL. An NT servers offers programming environments such as Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic Scripts, MS Index Server and Cold Fusion.
NT allows companies or individuals with little to no experience in Web development to have advanced features very quickly because of the familiar interface provided. If you use Microsoft's FrontPage to create your Web site, you can have your site hosted in a minimal amount of time.
The cost will be more than similar features on a UNIX server. Microsoft's NT operating system may also require additional resources if stability is to be maintained. Even with additional hardware implemented, NT servers have to be rebooted on a regular basis. This requires that the support staff for an NT host be very knowledgeable about their system and provide reliable support.
If you will be using any of the Microsoft services (FrontPage Extensions, Visual Basic, ASP, etc.) you should select a Windows-based server for your Web hosting solution even though it is not the cheapest solution available.
Cheap Unix Web Hosting
UNIX is the other main common hosting solution. It is extremely vigorous and designed to handle heavy Web traffic and server load. Most UNIX systems with heavy traffic can provide a 99 percent uptime guarantee. This is because UNIX has been around for much longer than NT, and is now very developed and stable.
Many web server applications available on the Internet are intended for use with the Unix OS. So UNIX has come to be a very flexible platform in regards to programming/application compatibility. Most cheap Web hosting plans include a wide amount of features such as, Perl, JAVA, PHP, Miva, Shell Access (remote access to your server through any online connection), and much more.
For the downside, there are some types of server applications, mostly those offered by Microsoft, which will not be supported. These include Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) and Microsoft's SQL database software. However, several companies have already developed software that will allow these applications to run on UNIX. So these issues may not be around much longer.
Overall, it is safe to say that if you know what sort of programming and applications you will use to run your web site, and they are compatible with a UNIX platform, then you should go with a UNIX plan. This will provide you with the cheap web hosting solution that you or your company needs.
