Internet and Technology

An introduction:

First of all we have to introduce in world wide hosting services provider – Hosting24hour.com is a leading web hosting services provider in the world. We offer all kinds of affordable quality Linux hosting services in our network to grow your business and web site hosting solutions. Before choosing reliable web hosting solutions for your company web site, you have taken a look at some points and not to confuse you about hosting services.

The web pages are designed with various software platforms. This can be done using the Windows or Linux platforms, too. How can a web page, developed with the UNIX or Linux operating system platforms as UNIX / Linux based hosting. There is no great difference between these two, and we can say that Linux web hosting is an updated version of the Linux / UNIX systems.

Choosing a web hosting solutions, there is an important decision. So important that it is quite surprising, this is often overlooked or disregarded. There are two main operating systems are Linux and Windows. Now we will discuss about advantages and disadvantages of both operating systems.

Which is better Windows or Linux Web Hosting?

On the Internet there is an enormous amount of argument over which operating system is best for web hosting solutions. The web hosting servers run the web site and the server software all run on a computer program known as the operating system. If you use a personal computer chances are that you are using Windows ME, XP, NT or some other similar computer program. This is your computer’s operating system. With web hosting servers they also need an operating system, and there are essentially two different competing versions. If you want more about these hosting system and better information about web hosting solutions visit at Hosting24hour.com

Windows Hosting:

All of the first Windows; Microsoft makes an operating system mainly for servers. This operating system allows for a true integration with Microsoft products and also allows web sites to Active Server Pages. Microsoft server also allows integration with its SQL database, which is a powerful database. The downside of Microsoft’s server software is that it costs several thousand dollars for each server. Possible options include Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server and Server 2003. Additional software will be extra costs such as: firewall, remote admin programs, ASP Encrypt, ASP Mail, and many other applications needed to make your server ready for production.

Windows hosting should be used if your site is using Microsoft features. If you plan to have a website that uses databases, you will also want to use Microsoft hosting. Web sites where you can interact with your visitors or customers used Windows hosting. Visitors can easily access database and implement online chat services and so many other interactive features.

With Windows hosting, web sites can use e-commerce functions. If someone has little or no experience webmaster, they should consider Windows hosting. Linux hosting services can be a little harder to manage for someone who does not have much experience but good one in web hosting solutions. Sites that are created on the Windows servers can be difficult to convert, so that they can easily be used on a Linux server. This may be something that you want, when planning your web site or the choice between Windows and Linux hosting.

Linux hosting:

The next version of web hosting solutions is the Linux hosting services is actually a common name with quality website hosting services for a variety of operating systems. Linux was developed by a community of people who come together to jointly write, for the most part of Linux. After this largely developed and refined, other parts are in the program in order to end what the end consumer wants.

Although the Windows hosting platforms are generally reliable, but Linux hosting services have a good reputation in particular for the provision of both stable and reliable web hosting solutions. Customers with sites on a Linux hosting server can be sure that their sites are safe. Linux hosting solutions are usually also very efficient and reliable. However, Linux web hosting becomes a top reputation for able, stable, secure and reliable hosting services. If your site is like a brochure, which is online, you may want to use Linux website hosting services for your company web site. The stability of Linux comes with quality website hosting such a website is very good. Linux hosting is also compatible with e-commerce functions for small business web hosting. Select a best affordable Linux hosting solution for your business at: Hosting24hour.com.

A large number of web hosting companies market Linux hosting solutions and you might have heard of a few: Red Hat, Debian, Slack ware, etc. Linux web hosting is good that it is compatible with the popular web programming language PHP. It is also favored by some best web hosting providers in that it generally has a good safety record and is usually on average to a stable operating system.

Linux software is usually free or inexpensive; APF firewall, Apache, Send mail, BIND and much more. We recommend that you use a virus scanner such as Clam-or F-Prot and Mail Scanner. Linux servers are difficult to manage, in comparison to Windows but provide quality website hosting for your business needs. Everything is done by remote shell access (such as Dos, remember Dos!). There is no right interfaces or buttons to click on – just a huge amount of commands. Although all this console power, you have much more control over your actual server compared to Windows.

Linux Hosting Services Features:

- PHP and MySQL support

- Apache Web Server

- Mod Rewrite Support

- Chmod file permissions

Yes, what is the best? Now it depends on your business or website need. If you want the tightest security you can then Linux hosting solutions are probably for you. But it is very technical to install, and you are not many extras. What about compatibility with PHP? You can see it is much effective as your operating system is the best, but which operating system is best for what I do.

Allows easy if you need to develop your site in ASP then you can use any one web hosting company. If you develop in PHP then definitely go with best Linux hosting Provider Company like Hosting24hour. They provide cheap Linux hosting, domain hosting services, powerful reseller web hosting plans and several shared web hosting packages.

Shared Hosting:

Shared hosting, web or shared hosting as is known, in some cases, than the most basic form of web hosting, as the most common Linux web hosting plans come with very basic resources and the server itself, they are among many different shared hosting accounts. Our shared web hosting solutions allows you to easily start in the Linux web hosting world, since most shared web hosting packages with some affordable web hosting services and the most common web hosting accounts are the cheapest form of web hosting to at the present time.

Shared hosting can be used for the hosting of websites basic research, not much traffic, as you will notice that you do not have much space or bandwidth, the basic common web hosting plans, shared web hosting packages can also as a development environment where you can test all the new sites or applications that you have before them in the use of a live and active web hosting environment.

Shared web hosting accounts are hosted in the normally high specification servers because of the nature of the common web hosting, the server hosting shared web hosting account easy targets for hackers and other malicious attackers. Although common web hosting servers are now safer than they are used, it is not a hacker much trouble to a shared hosting server that has weak security measures in place. However, the performance of a server during a malicious attack also depends on the server load at the time, which means that if one server was to attack if they have a high burden, it would still likely crash.

Web hosting:

Web hosting account also use other services in most cases so that you the complete web hosting experience, for example, you can access your shared web hosting account with a control panel or via FTP protocol.

Web hosting account in the form of backup web hosting hosted usually in highly reliable web hosting server with several disks in RAID configuration to ensure that no data is lost when one of the server’s hard disk fails or Encounters an error. Web hosting space accounts in the form of hosting hosted in the normally high specification servers, though the software may be used, because different web hosting needs to be as easy to manage for both the web hosting provider and web hosting services, as well as for those customers who rent a web hosting provider of web space. A high specification for use with web hosting space can also ensure that customers with a respectable amount of uptime.

Virtual hosting:

Virtual hosting is usually in the form of Virtual Private Hosting Server, which is widely regarded as fill for the large price gap between web hosting reseller for those who need to host several websites and dedicated hosting server. Although, as shared and Linux reseller hosting accounts you have the physical web hosting node with other VPS hosting servers, you have access to your own dedicated reseller hosting environment with your own resources guarantees which means that you are usually allowed to install any program you want on a VPS hosting servers. Virtual Private web hosting servers are the best web hosting solution for you if you want to start your own web hosting company, or seek to host the websites you for your web design clients, this is because If you want to install your own server-side components, or if you want to install your own software, then this can easily do without impact on other web users.

For standard virtual Linux website hosting account, you will notice that your web hosting provider gave you access to the control panel for Linux virtual hosting services. The control panel with affordable web hosting services to be taken into account, because they allow web hosting providers company to manage their Linux web hosting services with ease, and even the web hosting customers to manage their cheapest web hosting plan with ease.

What is a BSD Unix?

BSD family of Unix systems is based upon the source code of real Unix developed in Bell Labs, which was later purchased by the University of California – “Berkeley Software Distribution”. The contemporary BSD systems stand on the source code that was released in the beginning of 1990’s (Net/2 Lite and 386/BSD release).

BSD is behind the philosophy of TCP/IP networking and the Internet thereof; it is a developed Unix system with advanced features. Except for proprietary BSD/OS, the development of which was discontinued, there are currently four BSD systems available: FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD and Mac OS X, which is derived from FreeBSD. There are also various forks of these, like PC-BSD – a FreeBSD clone, or MirOS, an OpenBSD clone. The intention of such forks is to include various characteristics missing in the above BSD systems, on which these (forks), no matter how well they are designed, only strongly depend. PC-BSD, for example, has more graphical features than FreeBSD, but there are no substantial differences between these two. PC-BSD cannot breathe without FreeBSD; FreeBSD or OpenBSD are independent of one another.What is Linux?

Albeit users like to use the term “Linux” for any Linux distro including its packages (Red Hat Linux, Mandrake Linux, etc.), for IT professionals Linux is only the kernel. Linux started in 1991, when its author, Linus Torvals, began his work on a free replacement of Minix. Developers of quite a few Linux system utilities used the source code from BSD, as both these systems started parallelly in about the same time (1992-1993) as Open Source.

Today, there are a few, if not many developers of their own kernels/operating systems (FreeDOS, Agnix, ReactOS, Inferno, etc.), but these guys simply missed the right train in the right hour. They did not lose anything except for the fact that they may be even better programmers, but without the public opinion acknowledging this at large. Linus built his fame also from work of many developers and he went on board in the right time. Linus deserves a credit as a software idea policy maker and he helped very much in this respect.(Open)BSD vs Linux

It is often difficult to say what is better if you compare two things without regarding the purpose of their use. Mobile Internet may appear better for someone who travels often, but for people working at home such mobility is not necessary. In this view, it is a stupid question when someone asks: “What is better, a mobile or static Internet?” It all depends…

If you compare Linux and OpenBSD in their desktop environment features, Linux offers more applications than OpenBSD; but in a server solution BSD systems are known to be robust, more stable and secure, and without so many patches distributors release soon after their new version of Linux slithered to light.

BSD systems are based upon real Unix source code contrary to Linux, which was developed from scratch (kernel).Differences between BSD and Linux

1) BSD license allows users/companies to modify a program’s source code and not to release changes to the public. In other words, BSD licenses allow commercial use and incorporation of a code into proprietary commercial products. This is how Microsoft incorporated BSD networking into their products and how Mac OS X earns money through muscles of FreeBSD.

Linux uses GPL license for most of the time (applications in Linux can also have a BSD license – or any license; it is up to developers how they decide). With a GPL-licensed program anybody can change the source code, but he or she MUST share it with the Open Source community to make sure that everybody will benefit from such a change.

2) BSD has the so-called “core system” (without packages). The core system consists of basic utilities (like ssh, fdisk, various commands like chmod or sysctl, manual pages, etc.) and anything beyond this is strictly seen as an add-on. Linux (not only the kernel, of course) is usually packaged as the whole system where this difference is not seen.

3) On BSD systems, all add-on packages are strictly installed into the /usr/local directory: documents to user/local/share/docs/application_name; themes and other things to /usr/local/share/application_name; binaries to /usr/local/bin/application_name. By application_name we mean a program’s name, so if you install IceWM, for example, its binary will be here: /usr/local/bin/icewm. With Linux, on the other hand, all applications get mostly installed into the /usr/bin directory.

4) BSD systems use the system of “ports”, which are fingerprints of applications in the /usr/ports directory, where a user may “cd” and execute a make command, which will download, via a directive contained in such a fingerprint’s code, the application’s source and the system will compile it as well. “Ports” are actually add-on packages for BSD systems and they are also packaged in packages repository of a concrete BSD system. They can be installed as binaries, too, with use of the “pkg_add” either directly from the Internet or locally. But “ports” have that advantage that if an author of any package makes a new version, a user can immediately get its newest/updated version. Packages released for a particular BSD version (like OpenBSD 4.1) are not updated and users have to wait for a new BSD release (like OpenBSD 4.2).

5) BSD systems have also their stable version. With FreeBSD, for example, you have a FreeBSD-Release (a version that can be used normally), FreeBSD-Stable (system more profoundly audited for bugs and security holes), and a development version – Current, which is not stable and not recommended for a regular use. Some Linux distributions started to imitate this philosophy, but with BSD systems this way of making distributions has become a rule.

6) Of course, the kernel is absolutely different.

7) BSD has FFS file system; it is the only file system on BSD’s contrary to Linux, where you can use dozens of file systems like ext2, ext3, ReiserFS, XFS, etc.
BSD systems divide their partitions internally. This means that after installing a BSD system to a hard disk, programs like fdisk, Partition Magic, Norton Ghost and many others will not see this internal division of a BSD (FFS) disk; thus, repartitioning of a disk is not such a pain when administrators require a rigorous partitioning (for /home, /tmp, /var, /etc directories). As a consequence, the naming convention also differs a little: a disk – /dev/ad0s3b in FreeBSD indicates that you deal with “slice” 3 (“s3″), which is the equivalent of Linux /dev/hda3; the internal “partition” has the name of a letter: “a”, “b”, “e”, etc. (“b” is a swap partition). BSD systems also use different naming conventions for devices (disks, etc.).

9) Unless you make a good kernel hack, BSD systems can only be installed into the primary partition. This is not the rule with Linux. However, as BSD systems offer the above-mentioned internal division of partitions, this is not any pain. PC architecture for disks (IDE) follows the rule that you can have only four primary partitions. We will illustrate this on Linux: /dev/hda1 (note: first partition on master disk on first IDE channel), /dev/hda2 (second partition), /dev/hda3 (third partition), /dev/hda4 (fourth partition). PC architecture allows creation of the so-called logical disk on a physical disk (/dev/hda5, /dev/hda6, etc.). You can have as many logical disks/partitions as you wish and you can also install Linux into these “logical disks”. On the other hand, installing a BSD OS into such a “logical partition” is not normally possible.

10) System configuration is manual for most of the time, but various clones like PC-BSD break this convention. The manual approach is a very good thing, as administrators have everything under control without being pushed to waste time in a labyrinth of bloated configuration menus. A good comparison is to imagine a car mechanic repairing the car’s engine covered by a thick blanket. To give you even a little better example – you will hardly find a Linux distro that does not have a default X startup (graphical environment). Of course, you can switch off the X environment during the installation configuration, but if you keep forgetting like me and forget to switch this off, or you have difficulties to find it in the menu somewhere, you realize that most Linux distributors do indeed impose on us only one approach – to put our fingers first on the thick blanket, then on the engine. If you are a good administrator, you do not usually trust vendors who program you how to use Linux – you are the boss and you must have your own freedom. However, in most cases you lose few hours instead by deactivating various services, which are, unfortunately, not even necessary but almost always activated by default. Linux is praised both for being a good desktop and server, but administrators of a good server do not need X. The more software is stored on your hard disk, the more security problems you will face, because it is impossible to audit every package in every unthinkable situation. Good and secure systems are always tight, light and simple.

11) All BSD systems have a Linux emulation support. Running BSD binaries on Linux is a little harder.

12) BSD systems have less support from driver vendors, thus they lag behind in this view (they are not worse, but many vendors support only Microsoft and Linux). With a BSD system you must carefully research the Internet for supported products/chipsets before purchasing any hardware.

13) BSD systems do not use the Unix System V “runlevel scripts” (initialization startup scripts) like Linux.

14) BSD kernels can be set to several security levels. This is also possible with Linux, but BSD’s have taken a very good care of this kernel-tuning feature, which makes it even impossible to change something in files in higher security levels – you cannot delete them.

15) BSD’s have everything under one ROOF. Various Linux programs are often not even compatible with other Linuces. For example, if you install a SuSE RPM package on Mandrake, it may not work. BSD’s have one solid crown of power. If you move from Linux to FreeBSD, you will soon find out that you got out of this chaos. Do you want a package? Just visit: http://www.freebsd.org/ports/ and download it. Unless its developer made some programming errors, it will always work.

16) Generally, BSD systems boot and reboot faster than Linux. Linux can do this, too, but it must be tuned. It is very surprising that Linux is shipped, on the one hand, on huge DVD’s and, on the other hand, it has a compressed kernel. BSD systems do not use (but they can) a default kernel that is compressed, thus the system boots always faster. As I mentioned earlier in this article, Linux vendors program users to use various, often unnecessary services. I do not need SAMBA (file and print services) and many other things as well. Linux reboot process takes longer because various services running on Linux need time for deactivation. Many Linux users do not even know what is the purpose of these services.

17) In comparison to BSD, most Linux distributions are overbloated. Few good users noticed this some time ago and a new trend in the Linux world started with ideas to get closer to a BSD-style use. One of such distributions is Gentoo Linux, but also Slackware Linux, which has preserved a very good shape since its first release (1993). The Gentoo “About” page (http://www.gentoo.org) says that, “Gentoo is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD…” Therefore, if you use Slackware or Gentoo, these Linuces will always reboot faster than any other Linux.

18) If you compile programs from ports, you will not stumble into compilation errors. BSD packagers prepare their packages carefully, so that users will always compile them successfully. This does not always happen with Linux.Conclusion

I am the author of One Floppy CD Audio and MP3 Player, and a single floppy OpenBSD router. I really like all BSD systems. If you are interested, look into FreeBSD documentation, which is one of the best. It will give you a very good overview of history and hard work done in the development of these robust systems. Today, BSD Unices are the only quality alternative to Linux in the Open Source world.

Copyright (c) Juraj SiposAuthor’s website about FreeBSD and OpenBSD

It was originally designed for the Intel x86 platforms. Now, it is also available for Intel, Mac, alpha, various embedded devices, and a lot of other platforms. Linux is actually a UNIX like operating system which is very consistent, reliable, steady, stable, and flexible. It is used on personal computers, workstations, servers, routers and almost, every other computing platform. Linux is multi-user and multi tasking so it can perform virtually every job or set of jobs rapidly and efficiently. Linux is as influential as any other operating system, and most significantly it is free. Linux was created to be a free substitute to UNIX. This feature enables Linux to significantly boost its user base and to be supported and used by large organizations and even the governments. As it is an open source and technically it is very strong it is widely being used by the users.

A student of the University of Helsinki Linus , Torvalds started the Linux project. He worked to construct a UNIX-like operating system prepared with extra features than MINIX. He produced a Linux kernel that may possibly work with UNIX applications and in 1991; he released his first kernel for the Intel x 86 platforms, which was broadly distributed or dispersed over the internet. A kernel is the heart of any operating system and the “Linux kernel” was built to work like UNIX but there is no use of any of the UNIX code. This is why Linux is not actually the UNIX.

Facts behind choosing Linux hosting for a website:

There is a high security, constancy and dependability of performance in Linux operating system. Linux (http://www.rizhost.com/Linux-Web-Hosting.php ) has been in a state of continuous modification since its foundation thirty (30) years before, and is stand on unwrap values, permiting trouble-free entrance to operating system features and submissions. Linux is working only with text it does not applies on Graphical User Interface. Without graphical Interface, it has the ability and enormous control of the server to our website.

Linux Web Hosting Qualities:

1. MS FrontPage 2000, 2002

2. Flash

3. Shockwave

4. Real Audio/Video

5. Cgi Scripts

6. PHP

7. SSH (Secure Telnet)

8. MySQL

9. Web-Based Control System

10. Anonymous FTP

11. Web Site Graphical Statistics

12. Web-Based Email System

13. Miva/XML

14. Cold Fusion

15. ASP (Active Server Pages)

Script Languages

CGI Scripts are written in a number of scripts languages which are accessible for Linux mechanism but the most familiar script languages are (PERL) & (PHP).

Obtainable Database

Databases are founded in countless tastes which is made for Linux and can be run on Linux but the most significant amng all the web hosting suppliers are given below:

• Postgre SQL

• My SQL

• mSQL

Relational Nature is founded in all these types of databases. Therefore, they allow vastly optimized connectivity and communication with your website for rapid repossession of information.

Outcomes:

Now, there will be no doubt in this fact that Linux is superior than Unix.

Our Message for General Public

We have been offering skilled position hosting services for thousands of business entities and Information Technology experts like you. We dedicate ourself to and recommend only Linux based hosting solutions for inhabitants who demand their website be inherent in a quick, trustworthy servers with the most steady operating system in the world.

For more information about Linux web hosting Pakistan visit: http://www.rizhost.com

Linux has been something like monotony nowadays. Its fame makes it being the talk of the town – various Linux downloads, Linux programs, etc… And what’s great about this is – it’s all for free! However, free programs or software would always come to an end due to the rising number of users as well as the demands them constantly plea. There will really come a time that some of them will be priced just right for its effectiveness and usage. But that won’t tremble any of the existing and satisfied users of Linux because they already know how great it is to use such system.
Most of today’s Linux subscribers were actually using other operating systems and decided to transfer to Linux because of some annoying experiences. You can almost hear their murmurs whenever they talk about their previous systems. A complaint from a lady in her workplace have been heard telling that she got all fed up and totally annoyed with her current operating system and thinks of migrating to Linux. No worries at all because I think it’s just so easy to do it. Another thing is, switching to Linux can be very fast for her since she’s not using the software herself.
Beforehand, switching to Linux will require you to take a closer look around your software as well as to make some research about this new operating system. You should be aware of the software that are compatible with this new OS. Will your software run faster, or will be more user-friendly and effective once you transfer to this new system? Consider the advantages and disadvantages before you finally decide.
A large number of Linux software usually comes for free. And yes, they are indeed FREE! But are that free software doesn’t bother you at all? A colleague once mentioned that the more ‘free’ a software becomes, the more it is prone to get affected by some malicious programs. So before planning to use Linux, better watch out for these unwanted possibilities.
Another thing to consider is the commands that Linux has. Since it is new, there’s a possibility that some of its commands are different from your old OS. You have to get familiar with it first and then see to it that it has some sort of a familiar environment with your previous operating system. In that way, you won’t be caught something like grasping for breath because you have experienced a shock after suddenly switching to something you aren’t familiar with yet. So, it would be better to check everything out in order to get all things done – safely.
Anyhow, if you think you are ready enough to switch and try something new, then better opt for something that have positive feedbacks. Try to look at the bright side of your choice. Don’t worry too much about some adverse comments, for as long as you know that you, yourself can handle any problems that may occur (we could never really get rid of any unexpected failures). Consider the point that Linux has been very congenial to its users and is very friendly to the budget too. You won’t have to fret since some of its software are still offered for free (to download and to use as well).
I guess, the best thing to do primordially is to seek for valuable inputs about the Linux OS. Search and read a lot of reviews. Visit those sites that have favorable recommendations as well as some critics about this new operating system. Check out for software compatibilities and make sure that you’ve done checking the list of important software that you have – of which ones are and are not compatible with Linux. Better be ready before deciding to make a shift.
To finish this off, it will make sense to weigh all the odds and to consider the possibilities first before deciding to switch for Linux. A dissatisfied OS user (of another system) may opt for Linux to try its proficiency and effectiveness. He may go through a lot of new commands to learn and get familiar with, yet the important thing is, he is happy and comfortable with his choice. Well, the bottom lines for this is – if you are already fed up with what you currently have and is already annoyed of its performance, then why stick to that when you have greater options to choose from? So to speak, Linux may have been waiting for you all along.

Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system (OS); thus, most web hosting companies cater to sites running on Windows, as expected. However, there is an increasing demand for hosts that can support websites running on other platforms such as Mac OS and Linux, just to name a few. For this article, we will focus on Linux web hosting.Why do some people choose Linux web hosting? To start with, Linux is an open source OS designed after Unix. It means Linux is free, which is a fact that is easily a factor in some people’s choice of operating system. Aside from being free, Linux is also known to be very stable even in the midst of some heavy-duty multitasking. It’s also known to be flexible, powerful, and portable. The graphical user interface (GUI) looks great, too.Whatever the reason may be, there’s no denying that more and more people are turning to Linux web hosting. If you’re comfortable with using Linux with Perl programming language, now is the right time to go for Linux web hosting. It has its place in mainstream, so any worries you may have about lack of suitable choices for Linux web hosting should be thrown out the window. There are a lot of affordable packages being marketed by web hosting companies for the Linux user.Surprisingly, even if Windows is the most popular OS, Linux web hosting has more presence on the internet than Windows web hosting. The reason behind this is Linux’s open source nature. A lot of technological developments in web hosting are also open source. It’s easier for developers and programmers to experiment with different innovations when high fees and licenses are not part of the equation. Thus, Linux web hosting provides you with a lot of flexibility at almost no cost. When technologies update, you can go along with them without worrying about your budget because they are free.Linux web hosting is also highly standardized because Linux, as an OS, is a standard platform. Thus, you can easily add to your website without too much hassle since everything is streamlined. You’ll appreciate this more as your website steadily and quickly grows. Long-term management with diligent maintenance is one of the most difficult things you need to do as a webmaster; luckily Linux web hosting can help in that aspect.Take note, though, that there’s a downside to all the good stuff, and it’s up to you if it’s worth looking over when you finally choose Linux web hosting. Since Windows still dominates as the number one OS, Linux web hosting does not have a lot of technical support available for applications and languages that are based on Windows. Sure, you have a wide range of Linux-based applications and languages to choose from, but there are very useful ones that are Windows-based. You either don’t use them at all, or prepare yourself to encounter difficulties when you do. Weigh your needs and wants before choosing Linux web hosting over Windows web hosting. Both have positive and negative aspects to them, and choosing what works better for your website is something only you can decide.

The Basics of Linux & Windows : Linux (and its close relation
Unix) and Windows 2000 (and its close cousin Windows NT) are
types of software (known as operating systems) that web servers
use to do the kind of things that web servers do. You do not
need to know any real detail of either to make a decision as to
which you need but here a few guidelines.

Just because you use a windows desktop PC doesn’t mean you have
to opt for Windows web hosting (and the reverse is true as
well). The operating system you use on your desktop has little
to do with your choice of web hosts. As long as you understand
how to use your FTP or web publishing software, your can use
either operating system.

But what is important is that you know what you want your
website to do and what you want to offer on it. This is what
will ultimately help determine the type of web hosting that will
work best for you. As mentioned earlier, interactive websites
usually rely on ASP, PHP, or Perl type languages.

Linux Web Hosting or Windows 2000 Web Hosting ? Make your Choice
!

When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been
widely considered the best OS for Web servers. It’s typically
found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and,
as such, it’s commonly used for the demanding environment of Web
and mail servers. Indeed,Most of the clients websites of aalpha
NET runs on the Linux OS precisely because of this traditional
stability.

The million-dollar question is what application are you looking
to use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scripting
languages you plan to use – if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux
is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows
is what you need.

If your site, like most web sites, is what might be termed
“brochure-ware” then Linux servers are ideal. By brochure-ware I
mean a site that offers the kind of information that in the past
might have been provided on paper in the form of brochures,
newsletters or data sheets. Brochure-ware sites will offer some
interaction through enquiry forms and can certainly incorporate
online purchasing and other routine e-commerce functions.

If however your site incorporates an online searchable database
or interactive chat facilities then Windows 2000 or NT will be a
better bet in most cases. It will cost a bit more but you’ll get
that back in reduced development time and simply better
functionality.

The following are the advantages of using Linux based web server
compared to Windows based web server :

Stable: Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally been
believed to be very stable and robust. A web site housed on a
Linux operating system will have very high up-time (of the order
of 99.9%). Of course, other factors such as power supply,
network admin skills, and network load etc. also matter when it
comes to maintaining the system uptime.

Low cost of ownership: The Linux OS comes free of cost (or at
very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, it
has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes
free along with the OS. These server applications (such as FTP,
Web Server, DNS Server, File Server etc.) being free, are also
very stable.

Ease of use : When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to host
on Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting is
almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you want
to use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading a
web site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that the
Front Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if you
are uploading using HTTP feature (http://www.yourwebsite.com) of
Front Page. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a web
site using FTP. You need to select ftp://www.yourwebsite.com for
up loading using front page FTP option. Note that if you select
“Front Page Extensions” during web site design, you must enable
Front Page extensions on a Linux web server also. These days,
all Linux web servers are coming with installable Front Page
extensions, and this should pose no problem for hosting on a
Linux platform.

You can use almost all types of file extensions (or scripts)
when using Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensions
are supported: .cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .xml, and
others. Basically it means that you can host web sites that use
different types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl,
..php, and .asp (with plug-in).

Easy to move between hosts : A web site designed to be hosted on
a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server
easily, where as the reverse is not always true.

Most widely used : Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widely
used compared to Windows based web hosting.

Scalability : A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site starts
with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit
the customers requirements. It is preferable to design a web
site keeping this requirements in mind. A web site designed for
compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the
scalability requirement easily without making any site wide
design changes.

On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatible
with Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specialized
applications or VB for development of your web site, it is
preferable to host with a Windows based web server.

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Of course if you are used to Microsoft Windows you are familiar with the concept of files. This familiarity means you won’t have to start from zero to learn about Linux files. However, you will have to relearn several concepts and techniques to work with files in the Linux environment, whether using Damn Small Linux or other versions. You can do several great things with Linux files that you can’t do easily or at all under Windows. This could be just one more reason to switch from Windows to Linux.

Files have unique names. This rule is not as simple as it may seem. There is no conflict between a hard disk file named pay12june and a file named pay12june on your removable USB flash drive. In fact, be sure to backup all your important files. Don’t worry if your hard drive file is erased or becomes corrupted and illegible, simply access the one on your flash drive. You could also have two files named pay12june on your hard drive in different directories. Directories, collections of directories and files, will be discussed in the next article in this series.

Linux distinguishes between lower-case and upper-case characters in file names. Microsoft Windows does not. For example, Linux treats pay12june and Pay12june as two different files, as different as pay12june and heighho. Windows users will have to adapt to this major difference. Even though I am a Linux fan I don’t see any advantage in the Linux way of naming files. Maybe I have spent too much time in the Windows environment.

File names should be relatively short. The allowed maximum is 255 characters but working with long file names is no fun and in fact is asking for trouble. Linux file names may not contain the character / which has a special meaning. To avoid misunderstanding don’t include special characters such as $ and & in your file names. Doing so could cause confusion and lead to hard-to-find errors. For the same reason don’t call your files by special Linux names such as etc.

Linux sometimes applies file extensions; common examples include .c to indicate a C-language program and .htm or .html to indicate one type of web page. Savvy Linux users often avoid coding the file extension but rely on the file directory to indicate the file type. Don’t give a Linux file a misleading file extension.

Use an editor to create or modify a text file. The old fashioned vi editor has been replaced by more powerful, user-friendly editors. Most versions of Linux come with several editors. Damn Small Linux, a popular version that runs under Windows, includes several editors such as Beaver that come quite close to being intuitive.

Linux provides an enormous variety of commands for processing files. Many of these commands are mnemonic; for example the command cp is used to copy files. Many commands include a wide variety of options. Consider the ls command, somewhat similar to the DIR command in the Windows environment. This seemingly simple command is quite rich and offers dozens and dozens of options many of which have no equivalent in the Windows environment.

Linux commands can be thought of as verbs. Just like most English sentences include more than a verb (go, jump) complete Linux commands contain the command itself and one or more objects. To copy a file you not only need to specify cp but also What and Where. For example, the command cp pay12june backuparea means copy the pay12june file into the backuparea directory.

Linux syntax (grammar rules) is quite strict and does take time to learn. But mastering Linux and associated technologies can lead to employment. The next step is mastering Linux directories.

Linux smart phones are user-friendly with advanced features of Linux operating system. Though there are many operating systems available for Smartphones like Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm etc, Linux operating systems have been serving its users for many years. You may be interested to buy a Linux Smartphone as you have been used to Linux building-block functionality. Another reason is that you may want to experience new things and unique features available in this OS. Though Linux Smartphones are still in the growth phase, due its open source nature you have the freedom to write programs by yourself if you are familiar with programming. Linux Smartphones are not specially catering to casual and business users, but in the coming years it will have its own significant market share.Most of the interesting functions available in Linux smart phone are due to the fact that it is operated by Linux operating system. Most of the Smartphone functions like Web browsing, Office documentation and editing, Media playback and instant messaging are available. Linux Smartphone permits you to download as well as compile various packages that you can fit in your phone. You can remotely control the PC by applying VNC and can also make free phone calls by using soft phone based on SIP. If you want to talk to somebody during movement, you can use 802.11b/g. You can write to yourself or use sourceforge and find if it’s already written by someone. All these are special advantages for Linux Smartphone users. With all the functions similar to other smart phones, these phones are still in some ways a Pipe dream. Their existence is very minimal and when compared with other Smartphones, there are not many American providers offering Smartphones currently operating on Linux. But its getting improved as the next version of Palm operating system is going to be based on Linux. Other than supporting open source projects on Linux, it also compatible with established Palm Operating system applications and that is a boon to work on both platforms. There is going to be launch of Motorola Smartphones based on Linux platform in the future, as there is already one handheld device with certification from FCC.There was great success in Smartphones running with Linux operating system on hardware designed for other brands of Smartphones. Palm Smartphone Treo runs quite nicely with Linux and so for other hardware also it won’t be that harder. Anything can happen in the future like that we may buy smart phones without any operating system and we can install our preferred operating system on our Smartphone. One of the obstacle Linux faces is its intercompatibility with the other Smartphones in the market    Linux Phone Standards forum (LIPS) plays a main role while the sender uses WiFi to contact you. Access formerly known as Palm source who are the makers of Palm operating system are contract members in LIPS and its next version will be Linux based. This does not imply that Linux Smartphones are not seriously supported. The most successful Smartphones in the market like Motorola, Samsung, Panasonic and NEC are running on Linux. The Latest Smartphone SCH-i819 of Samsung focused for Chinese businessmen offers special version of Linux for ideal input of Chinese characters and touch screen support. The additional feature BREW helps for most of the Smartphone downloads.

Maybe domination is too strong a word. Maybe not. The market conditions for Linux are as favorable as they have ever been. Apple and Microsoft have weaknesses that are either plainly evident, or will be revealed soon.
The general public is becoming more technologically savvy in general, and beginning to understand their options. There are just a few things that stand in the way of the general public’s adoption of the operating system, in my opinion. We’ll tackle Linux’s greatest opportunities and the weaknesses that can and do slow down its adoption as a mainstream OS.
Let’s start with the favorable environment: Microsoft is really hurting with Vista. I mean badly. They’ve made an operating system that has locked itself out of all but the new PC market. Then, it nags you like a small child each time you need install a program, or download something, or sync your mp3 player. The business market will hardly touch this. Now, they’ve hired Jerry Seinfeld to fix it all. Somebody needs to tell them that just because he idolizes Superman, doesn’t mean he is Superman. Microsoft looks tired. They should probably just release an OS called XPlus( for the uninitiated, that would be XP SP4.)
Apple, while gaining market share and shooting at Microsoft, is now worth more than Google. There are problems that lie down the path of growth. Apple has always bragged about security, and the fact that you don’t need anti-virus for their systems. My computer teacher( millenia ago ) told me it wasn’t needed for one simple reason: Crackers(known to the general public as “hackers”) didn’t find it very profitable to crack a MAC. The adoption rate was too low. Now that the adoption rate has increased, the prospect of savaging bragadocious fanboys is almost irresistible. What could be better than humiliating the arrogant, artsy crowd?
Then there’s the fact that Microsoft seems a kindly old grandfather when it comes to openness. Steve Jobs holds his cards ridiculously close to his chest. While this might not bother the average user, it will get on the nerves of those who want complete control of their system. Apple has tighter DRM than Microsoft, and has recently come under fire for their invisible software upgrades. It won’t take long for the more adventurous user to download another OS and find other programs to meet her needs.
Linux has made great strides because of one flavor of their operating system: Ubuntu. Talk all you want about how Debian, Fedora, and SUSE are the pure, unadulterated nectar of the Linux gods. Mark Shuttleworth’s Canonical has made Linux palatable for the average user. The install process is simple, it’s free, and adding programs is a snap using Synaptic. Wireless support is vastly better in this distro, as is printer support. Plus, it boasts the largest Linux community.
That community tends to write programs that solve extremely specific problems. They are also writing programs that meet or exceed closed source, commercially available software. This is the most vital thing for the continued growth of Linux as an operating system.
The security problems for Linux are almost non-existent at present time. It’s pretty air tight, not to say that it can’t be done, it’s just that it is far more profitable to hack internet communications than it is to hack a Linux box. Plus, the Linux community will track you down and make you eat your hard drive if you take out one of their PC’s. This may change as well, with broader adoption, but right now I am not worried about some Windoze script kiddie hacking my box.
If all this is true, then what stands in the way of further Linux adoption?
Sound. I bet you thought I was going to say “the command line”. We’ll get to that later. Linux sound is a pain to configure, and is really horrible if you want to run more than one program that requires sound output. There are a couple of different ways to implement sound in Linux. Some of them are stable, some are not. In 50% of all cases, one application’s sound will work, while another will not. Yesterday, I ran into a case where a sound server actually kept an entire application from running. Until Linux converts to a single, common sound architecture, then it will keep the average user dependent on…
The command line. You knew it was coming, I gave you fair warning. I enjoy the command line, to a certain extent. It allows me to instantly kill a program when it hangs, no questions asked. I can edit configuration files without opening a text editor. Just today, an article came across my screen, in which the author stated that you could use Linux forever without having to touch the command line. While technically true, that assertion is misleading, at best. All help articles in Linux forums start with, or assume you have already opened the command line. If you need to fix something, you will be using the CL, or you will not be using Linux very long.
This is something that people are going to have to come to terms with, unless Linux kernels and library sources are closed. What will hopefully happen is a more accessible command line integrated into the various window managers as part of the default configuration. Predictive commands(and the ability for expert users to turn this feature off) should play a huge roll when delivering the rollout to the average user. The final holdup is…
Developers, Developers, Developers. So we laughed at Steve “MonkeyBoy” Ballmer during his outburst of “irrational exuberance”. Major developers of closed-source software will have to get on board for the full adoption of Linux. Even though I love to GIMP, and am huge devotee, I miss the incredible batch processing abilities, and clean interface of Photoshop CS3(GIMPShop doesn’t cut it). I just do. I miss Flash. I don’t want to dual boot, or use WINE. I want a natively run solution. That is what is currently missing in the Linux equation. I want a peanut butter sandwich, not a bologna sandwich. Just because you can eat it, doesn’t mean you enjoy it as much. The common Windows user feels a far greater fear than I do in this regard, and they won’t give up their familiar programs and OS without a serious fight.
For every flaw, Linux has thousands of advantages. Linux will become a major player on the OS scene, has(and will) be the greatest bridge on the path to platform independent software and cloud computing. It will. The question is, how soon will we, as the Linux community, stop arguing over whose distro is better, and have a conversation about which path it will take to domination as an operating system.

Most people purchase computers to run programs – whether it is to send email, browse the web, meet friends of girlfriends on msn messenger, do office work or just play solitaire.
People buy computers to use programs for their functionality not to run operating systems be in Microsoft Windows, the new Microsoft Vista product , the Mac Operations Systems or the various Linux Operating Systems – be they Ubuntu Linux , Mandiva , Knoppix or Debian.
At the heart of most computer users is functionality and usability. It is as simple as that. It is an interesting situation that the Microsoft Corporation controls the vast lion’s share of the computer operating system market. Indeed it even has a major share holding of the next player in line – Apple with the Macintosh OS (Operating System).
What are the issues?
1) Linux is not really free. Linux, in its various flavors or distros, is given free of charge, whether it is on a cd, DVD or downloaded. You can install the program on your own compute or various computers , at no charge to yourself whatsoever
This is in direct contrast to a commercial product such as Microsoft Windows or the new Microsoft Vista which you to purchase a boxed version or a valid license which comes with most computer systems purchased. This license which comes on most new computers as a matter of course could be referred to as the “Microsoft Computer Tax” and is not an option you can forego, to reduce the purchase of your new compute – whether or not you wish to use another operating system such as Linux.
Linux is given free of charge to install. This is not a shareware or time limited version of the product which requires a registration fee after a period of time.
If you require product support or training commercial organizations do exist which will charge you for support of that product or for training or both. Indeed it can be said that Microsoft itself charges for product support, Symantec the antivirus / security organization charges for basic support by product, subscription fees – sometimes automatic subscription fees and 900 phone number and charge card “Priority Support”.
Indeed you would not expect your local school or technical college to provide computer and compute software training free of charge.
2) Linux is complex and will force you to learn the Linux command line,
Not true simple as that. The various Linux distros all have GUI (Graphic User Interfaces) just like Microsoft Windows, Windows used to come as command line DOS. Windows users use pull down windows to operate the software. So can and do most Linux users
3) Compared to Windows , Installing Linux is Difficult
- The vast majority of computer users are computer neophytes and beginners.
These computer users purchase computers with the operations system Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh Operating System installed on their new computers. These people could not install the Windows Operating system and the device drivers necessary if their life depended on it. How the situation of a Linux is based computer any different.
It is only a matter of time until new computers come preinstalled with the Linux operating system. Imagine if Henry Ford had been told not to build new cars since there were few good roads available in America.
4) My Computer Hardware Just Works Under Windows
5) Again untrue in many cases and soon to be less of an issue as more and more computers will come preinstalled with a Linux operating system. Already Dell Computer (which was a Microsoft stalwart) is selling Linux based laptops. Interestingly the response to the Ubuntu Linux dell notebooks is quite positive, If you think Linux hardware compatibility is an issue try upgrading to the new Microsoft Vista from your previous Microsoft Windows product. You will find to your surprise that few if little of computer hardware are supported. You may have upgraded to the new Vista and found you have either no sound, good video or even internet connections via your network adapter device or wireless network adapter. And try undoing your upgrade to get back to your working windows version – it cannot be done.
Lastly you may say I run Windows since all of the programs I use are available only on the Windows operations system – since that is the dominant player in the market. You may well surmise that since Windows is the more than dominant player in the computer OS market that software developers write their product almost exclusively for the windows operations system and that market.
This is true. If you are using a specialized product for your job, industry, situation or preference you may well be locked in.
In the end most people buy and use computers for functionality and use. Most people use their computers for internet browsing , communication – whether it by email or messenger services (M.S.N. , Yahoo , Skype , Eyeball Chat) , downloading and burning music and in more than many cases for playing nothing more than computer games such as simple solitaire.
In these cases the functionality of Linux and its program base easily allows for this. Indeed many of the cutting edge programs and computer services come out of left field by computer software developers and enthusiasts whose preference of Computer Operating System is guess what – Linux in its various forms.