Should You Use Windows or UNIX Hosting?
Whenever people first start looking at hosting for their websites, one of the things that they run across is the possibility of using either Windows or UNIX to host their servers. There is a reason why there is so much confusion, and it is quite simple but you need to get beyond the confusion in order to make a logical decision.
Most of us are familiar with Microsoft Windows and the majority of us use this operating system on our computers every day. Yes, there are a few of us that use other operating systems, perhaps Mac OS or even UNIX based operating systems, but almost all of us are familiar with Windows.
It would seem like a logical choice, therefore, to use windows whenever you are choosing your web host as well, right? Actually, there are a number of different reasons why you would want to choose UNIX, even if you have never used UNIX before.
The operating systems that run the servers are different than the operating systems which we have on our computers. For example, the majority of us are either running windows XP or Windows Vista on our computers. The operating system which runs a Windows server is different than either of these. Just because you’re familiar with Windows on your computer does not mean that you will be able to run a Windows server with ease.
UNIX, on the other hand, was developed by a large group of individuals, most of which were working at a university level. It continues to be an ongoing project and for this reason, it is much more stable, faster and has more of a universal reach than its Windows counterpart.
To put it plainly, you are going to be able to run more scripts and to do many more things on a UNIX server then you are on a Windows server.
That is why we always recommend that you go with UNIX hosting and only use Windows hosting if you have an absolute need to do so.
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