web site cowboys: Unix vs. Windows 2000

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UNIX Web Hosting Plans

Unix-based web servers, like those used for our Freedom Value plan hosting, represent the most reliable form of web hosting. The Unix language was originally created as a large network environment, which, of course, is exactly what the internet and a shared server environment is. The price advantages of Unix hosting are primarily due to two reasons - the lower software cost of Unix vs. Windows 2000, and our use of the Unix platform to create "virtual hosts" on a shared server. In short, Unix is less expensive, but not less reliable. On the down side, Unix does not support some Microsoft components, most notably Active Server Pages (.asp). This type of web language is used to create database-driven web pages, such as those used in shopping carts. If you are going to host your database and shopping cart on your own hosting account using .asp pages, you must choose a Windows 2000 hosting plan. This does not mean that Unix cannot be used for e-commerce. In fact, many shopping carts are not hosted on your web account, but rather, are hosted directly on the shopping cart company's server. If in doubt, just contact us. Our Unix servers do support Microsoft FrontPage 2002!

Windows 2000 Web Hosting Plans

Now available with our industry-leading blueHALO architecture, Windows 2000 is the latest generation of server technology from Microsoft, and has essentially the same reliability and uptime as Unix based systems. In addition, Windows 2000 is compatible with all Microsoft web products, including Active Server Pages and Windows Media files. The Windows environment was originally created to be a user-friendly interface for PCs, and the administration of Windows 2000 hosting accounts is simple to master. Also, the price advantages of Unix become less apparent as the size of your hosting account grows, making Windows more attractive to our customers whose needs go beyond just basic small-site storage. This is why we use Windows 2000 for our Basic, Business and PowerBiz hosting accounts.

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