One of the challenges in making decisions on issues that relate to technology is having too much information. Myths and irrelevant information abound and these do not serve to help anyone. Even when looking for an operating system to apply in your web hosting, these challenges will be experienced. Some of the myths that you may have heard could include the fact that you should host using the same operating system as you run on your computer. This is not true and serves as an example of the abundant falsehoods of this debate.
Both Linux and Windows have their followers, with each group having their won reasons for believing their preference is best. There are situations to use or not use either of these systems as per their strengths. Through an impartial assessment of both, we shall establish where to either apply or not apply each system. The choice is especially difficult for those who are looking for business web hosting because their decision will not only have an impact as a cost but it will also have revenue implications. Need should be the guiding factor here, similar to all other resources. Your decision will be greatly influenced by the kind of website you are looking to host. If you are looking to host a basic static and non commercial website, then you it would be best to use Linux hosting. The main consideration here is cost. Linux is also the preferred choice when it comes to websites that run many processes and experience high traffic. Linux users will often be those who are more advanced as well as among those who are using a managed dedicated server for their hosting.
Windows hosting is especially attractive to beginners. Having a friendly user interface is one of the leading reasons for its popularity with this group. Microsoft products are readily integrated when using Windows servers. On the downside however, Windows hosting is an expensive affair. After purchasing the operating system, the user should also be prepared to pay for all additional software.
You could also find yourself tied to either of these OS by virtue of the programming language you choose to use. An example is ASP which is only applicable when running a Windows server since it is a Microsoft application. Some applications can run on both Windows and Linux hosting with a good example here being PHP.
It is possible to host on any of the two systems without compromising performance especially if you have a qualified administrator. It is also almost unanimously agreed that Linux offers greater stability even under heavier loads and is therefore a preferred choice for bigger and busier websites. The cost of a dedicated server host running on Windows will be higher than that of a similar server running on Linux. There will however be situations where Linux is not able to fully meet your hosting needs. In such a situation, Windows will be the system for you.
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