Servers are the computers that hosting companies use to host your website. These are large computers with a lot of storage space, and can store hundreds if not thousands of websites on the same server.
The computers use an operating system just as your home computer does. There are two main types of operating systems used by servers -- Linux and Microsoft Windows.
Linux is by far the most common and most popular operating system for servers all over the world. The majority of hosting companies use it, even though they may have a few servers on the side that use the Windows system for those clients that specially request it.
Linux has a few advantages over Windows.
Open Source System
Linux is what is called an open source system. In other words, it is not owned by a private corporation, and thus no one has a copyright over it. This makes it possible for software engineers to modify it, and change it to suit their needs. The major modifications are called distributions, or distros. There have been many distributions made of the basic Linux system, and the most stable ones that have passed the test of time have been adopted by the web hosting companies and are being used in their servers. With the Windows system, it's not possible to modify it because it is owned by Microsoft. Therefore, if there is a problem with the operating system, then the server operator has no choice but to contact Microsoft and wait for a fix.
Compatibility With Other Programs
Linux has another big advantage over Windows in that it is compatible with all other programs expect those that are owned by Microsoft. Most software designers that create software for servers design it specifically for the Linux environment. Thus, there is a large amount of all kinds of software and scripts available for webmasters to install on Linux servers. As far as the Windows servers, all their software and scripts are designed by Microsoft or by companies under contract for them. This limits the choices that webmasters have compared to what they can get with a Linux system.
Reliability
Because Linux is much more widely used, it has had the advantage of being the more reliable system. There are virtually thousands of software engineers that have contributed to its development. Because it is an open source system, that has encouraged some of the most gifted programmers to work on it, and hence it is by far the most reliable and stable of the two systems.
If your needs involve the specific use of certain Microsoft software that is not available in the Linux environment, then that is perhaps the only time you would choose a Windows server. However, if you just need the usual software to install on your website, such as e-Commerce software, blogging software and many others that are in common use for either business or personal websites, then you will find them available in a Linux server at a much cheaper price than a Windows server.
John Guinn is the Publisher of Complete Hosting Reviews, an online magazine that tests and reviews Web Hosting Companies.
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