| Linux Operating System |
More than 70% of Web Servers and 92% of super computers can't be wrong.....they all use Linux as their operating system and here is why.
Linux is the most widely used operating system for website hosting and has the following advantages; price, maturity, popularity, stability, security and expandability. Linux also performs well with other leading and popular open source website hosting elements that form the LAMP technology platform, such as; the Apache web server, MySQL database and the PHP programming language. Price and Hosting ChargesThe first benefit of using Linux is that it is free to use and distribute. This simple fact greatly reduces the cost of website hosting. For example and by comparison, a Windows 2003 server license costs hundreds of dollars per server and this is usually reflected in the annual hosting fees charged by most hosting companies supporting an MS Servers. Reports have shown that most windows hosting plans are in the range of 20-30% more expensive than their Linux counterparts. In addition, because there are also more Linux distributions than MS Server distributions, there are more choices for website hosting. Maturity of TechnologyWith its roots in UNIX, a technology that has been around for over 3 decades, old Linux is very much a mature technology. UNIX has been, and is still, superior to all other operating systems. Unfortunately UNIX is a proprietary technology, though Linux is not. Linux fares remarkably well against UNIX because of the incredible similarity of its operation and development of its kernel. Unix and Linux are relied upon for mission dependent applications (i.e. super computers, file servers, workstations, etc.) and are also extensively adaptable. Linux is compatible with devices ranging from mobile phones to super computers, like the IBM Roadrunner (equipped with Fedora Linux). operating system of choice for web serversLinux is the most popular operating system for web servers and supercomputers. As of August 2010, Linux had 74.29% of actual web servers, and 91.8% (459 of 500) of super computers, (with the 14 fastest supercomputers running Linux). The Worlds Most popular programming languageA very important benefit of running Linux is that PHP, the most popular scripting language for websites and website applications, runs better (by far and above anything else) on a Linux operating system and specifically on the Linux/Apache combination. PHP on Linux/Apache is far superior in terms of usability and speed than any windows setup for PHP. The Worlds Most popular online DatabaseAnother benefit that Linux has over the Windows server platform, is the online database that is commonly used world wide; MySQL. PHP’s most common database partner is the free database software, MySQL. Some advocates of Windows like to point out that MySQL can run on either a Linux or Windows operating system. However, it simply runs better under a Linux configuration. more stableAnother major reason to choose Linux over a Windows solution is stability. Even though Windows has made strides in this category, it still can't match Linux in terms of up-time and durability. While both platforms can now stay up for months at a time, Linux is still better at not crashing over long periods of time. Linux also has less people exploiting any security issues, and being open source any issues tend to be found and patched quicker. greater securityLinux is simply more secure. The viruses, spy-ware, worms, and browser hijackings that are pandemic in the Windows world, are almost unheard of among Linux users. A windows server runs a higher risk (five to six times that of Linux) of being hacked at the root level and most of the viruses (about 99%) are actually developed for the Windows operating systems. Even though Windows servers have only a minority of market share, they suffer from a vastly disproportionate share of server worms and viruses, while Linux machines are very seldom infected. This is mainly due to Linux having been designed from the ground up to be secure. Linux has its kernel built-in with security, as does Windows (it's just not adequate enough). In contrast, it is only recently that Microsoft has made securing its Windows systems a serious priority, and it must now battle decades of internal and external (i.e. other people writing applications for Windows) security complacency. So a key advantage that Linux has over Windows is its greater security for your website and its data. Many Linux users promote the absence of viruses, hacking threats, and many other computing issues. SummaryWith the reasons of better software, lower costs, maturity, stability, and security, it is easy to see why Linux would be the operating system of choice for most web hosting purposes.
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