Selecting the Platform and Server – Windows Server, Linux, or UNIX
When planning a paid subscription site, one of the basic questions for any Webmaster is what platform to base the web site on. The most popular platforms, Linux, UNIX and Windows Server are widely available and offer various options and have different abilities. Your choice of platform will define the utility and type of software that you can use, the kind of applications that your site can run, what kind of server can host your site, the amount of control you have over your site and how efficiently your site will work as it grows in scale.
When deciding on whether or not you will choose a Linux, UNIX or Windows Server platform it is important to keep in mind what web host will host your site. Established web hosts offer service on all these platforms, while others offer service only on one of these. Above all, make sure when choosing a host that they have a skilled technical support team that is knowledgeable about the platform you choose.
The fundamental difference between these platforms stems from how they came into existence. UNIX was designed to integrate with large network systems, while Windows Server was made to serve the needs of individual users or companies that don't want to deal with the complexities of UNIX administration.
UNIX has been around, in one form or another, for the last twenty years. Because of this, the system is very well developed and stable, and there is a lot of software and applications designed to work for it.
Windows Server, on the other hand, was created more recently by Microsoft as a system specifically designed to handle the user-friendly software, which it has developed for web page design. With Windows, you get a platform that runs a series of naturally compatible programs and applications that mesh easily within the ubiquitous Windows environment.
However, Linux by far is the most widely used platform. This is because Linux is open-source. That means that for the entire base system, you have access to the source code as well as the right to modify it. Thus, you can write new extensions and drivers as needed for your website. Linux is less prone to crash and is considered more efficient than any other platform.
Linux is also “free” in many senses. In one sense, the Linux consumer is free to modify the system and do anything he or she wishes with it. In another sense, acquiring Linux does not necessarily require any cash outlay at all. Linux offers a host of other benefits in terms of reliability, compatibility, and network friendliness.
|
Home
Tutorial
Home Page
Contact
