Web site hosting FAQ > page 7

Windows NT or Unix?

This can be broken down into different questions:

1. Do you require 'FrontPage' extensions?
2. Do you require Asp support?
3. Do you have a personal preference?

1.  Do you require 'FrontPage' extensions?
This is going to apply to those sites that are created using one of the Microsoft FrontPage web page editing programs. If your site was not created using FrontPage then you don't need this. If however, your site was created using FrontPage, and the FrontPage extensions were used for some of the various 'plugins' that FP employs, you will need likely want to have your site hosted on a Windows NT or Windows 2000 server.

2.  Do you require Asp support?
Similar to the above - if your site uses Active Server Pages, then you will need to have your site hosted on a Windows NT or Windows 2000 server.

3.  Do you have a personal preference?
If you're content with sticking to a Windows platform because that's what you use at home, or at your workplace, then by all means stay with a Windows product for your Web site.

There are other issues that might sway your opinion, and there is strong debate on both sides about which is the better OS (operating system) for a Web server. Much of this debate centers around security concerns and what some people feel is a vulnerability to attacks by hackers, crackers and viruses in the Windows operating system. I cannot offer an opinion about this, however Microsoft did have some of their own Web sites defaced by people that exploited weaknesses in the security of the Windows servers.

My personal preference is to use Unix for serving my Web site. This is because Unix servers allow me to easily manage the cgi applications that I use on my site. I can modify the 'permissions' for my site from my home computer - whereas with the majority of Windows based servers, a site owner must contact the Web host's support staff to have these changes made for them. This can result in some lengthy delays in setting up various tools on your Web site.

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