Building a website can be a very technical endeavor. Until now most people shied away from building a webpage because it seemed like a strange uninviting land. More and more web hosts are aware of the general population, and small businesses desire to have their own website, in fact in some cases need their own site, and are making programs available to the less technically inclined. There are several operating systems most often used in website design. These are Microsoft Windows, and Linux, with UNIX and Macintosh also common, but not as often used.

The Microsoft product 'Windows' is among the most popular operating systems in the world today. It is the standard most personal computers come equipped with, and the system the average person is most likely to be familiar with both at home, and at work. In the past many technical operations were solely based on Linux systems and required great technical skills that were beyond the scope of many individuals. With the advanced popularity and need for websites scripts and software programs began to be developed for use with Microsoft Windows and made to be understandable by the average person. Windows allows for a vast array of scripting languages to support the desired website functions that are most popular today.

If you find a website needs to be hosted incorporating the use of Microsoft products it is advisable to use Windows as a platform so that you know the applications will operate correctly. An effective Internet Information Server (IIS) is one of Microsoft's many features. If your hosting environment uses ASP, Microsoft access, and SQL then IIS is absolutely required and you must use the windows platform to create your website. A Windows webhosting environment has a lot of plug-ins and pre-made programs and components such as CGI specifically for use on Windows web servers.

Windows compared to UNIX

Windows and UNIX websites can be accessed internationally by everybody. The main difference exists in the software provided to the host servers data. Windows most always provides the best software and services in all of its purposes. It is a very reliable operating system and its programs are effective and functional but UNIX remains a little ahead in these areas due to increased stability and the ability to run long periods of time without rebooting. At the same time, in the modern world Windows meets the needs of its users better than UNIX.

Windows is used where Microsoft products are into application like, MS Access databases, ASP for delivering dynamic content, and VBScript for site enhancements. UNIX is not devised to accommodate the mentioned technologies. Therefore those who are in need of these technologies will ultimately have to depend on Windows. Moreover what UNIX provides, is already there with Windows.

Windows compared to Linux

Both of these programs uses and supports the Cold Fusion, HTML and JavaScript programs that make the most commonly desired applications available. It was once difficult to use Linux with FrontPage extensions but they have made that a possibility in the newer Linux operating environment. The biggest difference is Linux supports PHP where Windows supports ASP.

The main compensation for using Windows based systems over Linux is that it is able to run on Microsoft's software such as Access and on MS SQL databases too. A Window's server will give its developers the ability to use the Microsoft programming systems like Visual Basic Scripts, Active Server Pages (ASP) MS Index Server. Linux is not able to operate on those technologies and the user will be unable to access them to use its development tools for their websites so it is best to use Windows where they are involved.

The best method to choose between the various platforms is to study what Windows has to offer. Not all of the Windows packages offer every component so you need to examine them carefully.

Below are some of the features that will have to be there in the Windows-based hosting package.

* .NET Support

This is the most commonly used feature web hosts use to provide their service. It is the most modern offer that Microsoft's Active Server Page provides. It is a valuable tool in the creation of web pages and is necessary to use with IIS.

* Databases

Most businesses offer the Microsoft Access 2000 database as a way to use their systems. If a company is larger and requires a lot more space for such information then MS SQL is a requirement for use.

* PHP and ColdFusion

These are advanced features that not all web hosts make available. They usually only give this option if they have it to the most specialized of websites.

* Control Panel

Your control panel is the way you communicate with and access your website. It is important to use the same operating system that your host uses to provide this feature.

Other options you might expect from your web hosting service that uses Windows are POP3 email, IDs and Aliases, Bandwidth, Backup, IP, Webmail, STMTPs, and FTP accounts, CDONTS and ASP support.

Windows will remain one of the most popular forms of hosting supports because there is a large popularity in the general public in regards to Windows as an operating system. The company has done well to brand themselves as a stable, reliable computer environment system. The company's public presence also gives the impression of long-lasting stability and there is less fear that the system will go out of style, or disappear requiring a new purchase. Most web hosts now provide services specifically for the Windows based platform users. All of this makes Microsoft Windows a massive force in the computer operations world.

Another reason for the massive popularity of Windows as an operating system is the company's extensive support available to everyone who uses their products. They go over and above most other companies to give tech support, online free tutorials for all of their products and many upgrades and additions to each program.

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This article is published with permission from www.webhostingmadness.com, a publisher of web hosting company reviews, comparisons and detailed articles about the web hosting industry.

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