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Microsoft versus Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Unix; Which is better, or worse?
On the Internet there is a tremoundous amount of argument over which operating
system is the best for web hosting. There are anti-windows haters, there are
FreeBSD fanatics and more. But which is the best? The truth is it depends on
what you are doing.
The servers which run the web sites and the server software all run on a computer
program known as the operating system. If you are running a personal computer
chances are that you are running Windows ME, XP, NT or some other similiar computer
program. That is the operating system of your computer. With web hosting servers
they also need a operating system and there are essentially three different
competing versions.
The first version is Windows. Microsoft makes an operating system especially
for servers. This operating systems allows true integration with Microsoft's
products and also allows web sites to run Active Server Pages (basically computer
scripts for dynamic web site content). Microsoft's server also allows integration
with its SQL database, one of the more powerful databases. The downside of Microsoft's
server software is that it costs several thousands of dollars for each server.
The second version is Linux. Linux is actually a common name for a variety
of operating systems. Linux was, and is, developed by a community of individuals
which come together to commonly write the main part of Linux. After this main
part is developed, and continually refined, additional parts are added to the
program to customize it for whatever purposes the end user wants. A variety
of companies market Linux and you might have heard of a few: Red Hat, Debian,
Slackware, etc. Linux is good in that it is compatible with the popular programming
language PHP. It is also favored by some web hosters in that in general it has
a good security record and tends on average to be a stable operating system.
Linux software is free.
The third version is Unix-based operating systems. The last version
mentioned here is very close in comparision to the Linux versions. In fact there
are probably more similiaries than differences. The main difference is the history
of how the two versions came into being. Linux is an offshoot of the Unix operating
system, where the Unix-based operating systems are refinements of Unix itself.
Linux basically is a cousin to Unix-based operating systems. The main Unix-based
operating systems are FreeBSD and OpenBSD. The selling point of these operating
system is that they tend to be very stable once installed. The downpoint is
that they are very technical to install. OpenBSD also has the reputation of
very secure in that in the last six years it had only one security hole in the
software itself. But OpenBSD does not allow everything; that it you have to
sacrafice some flexibility for security. These operating systems are free as
well.
So which is the best? Well it depends on what you need. If you want the tightest
security you can get then OpenBSD is probably for you. But it is very technical
to install and you will not have a lot of frills. How about compatibility with
all of Microsoft's products? Well then Windows is the best for you, but be prepared
in that it will cost a lot--the other operating systems here all are free. How
about compatibity with PHP? Well then look at Linux or FreeBSD. You see it is
not so much as which operating system is the best, but rather which operating
system is best for what you need to do.
About the Author
e3 Internet Services Group, Inc. e3 Internet Services Group, Inc. is a privately
held company incorporated in Pennsylvania. Their offices are located in eastern
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania which is one of the largest conglomerates of
high tech industry outside of Silicon Valley. By locating their business in
this high tech area they keep in touch with the needs of businesses and the
tech industry as a whole
e3 Internet Services Group, Inc.'s website can be found here: www.e3servers.com |
