 Intro
to Linux &
 windows
2003
Eserves's
Guide
Summary
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When planning an Internet venture,
one of the most basic questions for any Webmaster is what platform
to base the Web site on. The two most popular platforms, Linux and
windows 2003 are widely available and offer various options and
have differing 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 or windows
2003 platform it is important to keep in mind what Web host will
host your site. Established Web hosts (such as eserves) offer service
on both platforms, while others offer service only on windows 2003
or Linux, this doesn't give a professional impression on such a
host. Any Web Host can offer service in either platform but the
main difference is in customer support, eserves offers one of the
largest and most valuable support arena to support both 2 platforms.
The fundamental difference between Linux and windows 2003 stems
from how they came into existence. Linux was designed to integrate
with large network systems, while windows 2003 was made to serve
the needs of individual users or companies that don't want to deal
with the complexities of Linux administration.
Linux has been around, in one form or another, for the last twenty
years and as such is a very mature platform. 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 2003,
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 2003, you get
a platform that runs a series of naturally compatible programs and
applications that mesh easily within the ubiquitous Windows environment.
The main thing is to decide which system suits the projected needs
of your Web site.
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When you are planning your site, think of how your visitors
view your site. The technology is improving every day and
users are upgrading their systems in kind, but it is important
to remember that a great number of users are working with
technology that is a few years out of date. This concept is
important at every level of Web site planning, even when deciding
what platform to use. Creating a complex web site that requires
a lot of data transfer will be slow on older equipment and
this may be counter productive for you. Remember to think
of your visitors when deciding what software you are planning
to use. This is important because the software you want can
some times determine what platform you must use!
FrontPage 2000 by Microsoft, Cold Fusion by Allaire, CGI scripts,
Cybercash, and Java servelts are just a few off the many names
and buzz words that float around the Internet business. Deciding
what software you need and what features you want, and therefore
what kind of platform you run your site on, is one of the
most important decisions you will make. For instance, if you
or your are skilled systems administrator you might choose
the Linux platform so that you can take advantage of it programming
flexibility. On the other hand if your Web site is and accessory
to your business and your time and staff resources are small,
you should work with an integrated package like Microsoft's
FrontPage 2000 and run on an windows 2003 platform.
When you are making the plan for your web site try and think
of how large it is going to grow. Is your Web host going to
need to support a lot of features? Do you need Real Audio,
Video or chat capability? Are you going to have a lot of web
pages and a lot of traffic, e-mail accounts and E-commerce
activity? In the beginning, even if you start out small, on
a virtual host (or shared host), remember that one day you
may grow large. At the present time, you may be advised to
go with a Linux platform because of its flexibility, its multiple
application possibilities and its proven robustness in large
Web site environments.
Keep in mind, however, that recoding from one platform to
another is difficult and time-consuming. Many believe that
Microsoft will soon have features comparable to Linux: Features
that are not only easier for the average Webmaster to use
but ones that will integrate easily into already existing
Web sites.
In this category, Linux is generally considered superior.
This is because its system allow for programming closer to
the base of the programming hierarchy. In Linux an experienced
Webmaster or Web developer can fine-tune a Web site, using
CGI scripts, to create applications and site features specific
to their needs. In fact, some Web hosting services even offer
free CGI scripting as part of their Linux packages. Find out
about these when choosing your Web host. But the question
is 'how much administrative control do you really need?' Many
users do not need the kind of direct control that Linux provides
and are better off with the simpler, pre-prepared (and integrated)
programming that Microsoft supplies for the windows 2003 platform.
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In the end, it will be the needs of you and your visitors that
will define what programs and applications you want to work with.
Once this is decided the kind of platform you need will become apparent.
If you need help answering these questions, ask a professional Web
developer or sales representative from a reputable Web hosting company.
They will be able to help you wade through the details and decide
whether you should use a Linux or an windows 2003 platform. Defining
whether one platform is superior to the other is relative to you
and your visitors needs. Linux is older and offers some network
and programming advantages, but you can be sure that Microsoft is
working overtime to produce similar capability in a Webmaster friendly
environment. windows 2003's simplicity and integration may make
it a better long-run solution for your web site.
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Introduction
to Linux and windows 2003
