Windows Host or Unix Web Host - Know Thy Difference
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Frances Rhea
Web Host with Windows or Linux
I spent hours searching for a good web host and thought I had finally found one. My new web site was completed with forms coded and was just waiting for the final touches after locating my new web host.
The sign up process was easy. It was a free web host and everything seemed to be going great. I was excited and got all my files uploaded quickly. I could hardly wait. Now was the time to test the week of work I had done.
I opened Internet Explorer and typed in my new URL. The pages were returned to me quickly and looked great. I sighed with relief. Clicking on the link to my contact form brought up everything just as I had created it. I typed some test information into the spaces I'd provided and clicked submit. Instead of sending the form data in an email, I received an error. Okay. Just a small problem. I can fix it.
I went to the host site and looked in their help section. For the first time I noticed they indicated that there server was Windows. I looked through the help section anyway hoping to find some clue as to why my form did not work. No luck.
Searching on the Internet brought no help either. I could not find out how to make my form work. I had coded everything as I had with previous Unix hosts. I had to admit I was stumped. Finally I sent an email to the technicians at the web host. The next day I received an email telling me how to make my forms work. It was not like Unix at all!
Web Hosts - the Difference
Windows web hosts use a different language that Unix. Windows hosts serve many of the webs most powerful and complex sites and applications. One common misconception is that if you use a Windows PC, you must use a Windows host. This is not true. For most web sites a Unix plan is all you will ever need. If you need support for Microsoft products such as ASP, Access, or VBScript, then a Windows host is needed.
Asp (Active Server Pages) or Php
Many web sites use more advanced scripting than basic html. The most common are either ASP or PHP. Typically PHP is for Unix while ASP is for Windows. Microsoft also has a new technology called .NET which also needs a Windows web host.
Your Web Host Database
A common Unix database is MySQL. Windows hosts use either Microsoft Access or MS SQL as their database.
Making Your Choice
If you had to ask Windows or Unix, then a Unix plan is probably the best choice for you. The scripting language is much simpler and in most cases the plans cost is cheaper than Windows hosts. A Unix host also has a few more features, is far more reliable, and is easier for the technicians to repair making less down time.
