Opinion by Weber Hostetler

Why do so many website builders use Linux web hosting? My guess for this preference in operating systems would be: stability. Linux is perhaps the most stable operating system in the world.

There are two of essential foods: peanut butter and jelly, two major political parties: democrat and republican, and two kinds of web hosting which make up practically all web hosting on the planet: Windows based web hosting and Linux web hosting. The Windows operating system’s proprietary API (application programming interface) which is complicated and which is not entirely open for developers to know the ins and outs of. As a result, computers which run Windows as their primary operating system are suspected of being more prone to crashes.

Why is Linux stable? Servers running Linux web hosting just might be more stable because Linux is an open source operating system. The code is open to the public so that anyone can read it and suggest improvements or point out bugs. Over the years, Linux has been developed in various flavors such as Red Hat and Debian. Thousands and thousands of people have contributed their time and effort to making Linux web hosting run faster and to provide simpler, more efficient and bug free code. With an open programming environment, improvements are made on a continual basis and problems are seen relatively quickly and solved with a minimum of difficulty.

When you are starting a web site, one of your chief concerns is stability. Any time that the web site spends offline as a result of technical problems is time that your customers are unable to use your site, and this is bad for your bottom line. Businesses tend to want the most stable operating system for their web sites to minimize the dreaded server crash.

Another issue the webmasters have to consider when setting up a new online site is whether the operating system they are using will be able to use the full range of software and scripts that they require. Again, Linux web hosting is a winner in this regard. Lots of major web hosting companies offer Linux web hosting and with so many people using it around the world anything that you can do with Windows hosting can also be done with Linux web hosting. Many of the most popular script packages on the web today are available in both Windows and Linux web hosting versions, with the Linux web hosting version generally being more stable and having all of the same features as their Windows cousins. This is of course my opinion and I am sure that there are some who may disagree.

Linux web hosting is typically available at the same price as Windows web hosting. So consider that for the same price you can get an operating system for your site on the world wide web which is:

• stable
• runs popular script packages
• considered the best operating system in the world in terms of these criteria by many of the internet’s most well respected independent sources of judgement.

When you ruminate on all of the arguments for Linux web hosting over Windows hosting (there are more as I don’t even mention the whole Apache stuff), the decision would seem to me to be a no brainer: Linux web hosting wins hands down as the operating system that you should choose if you want to have a stable, reliable and full featured site that takes advantage of the latest in web technologies.

Getting your web server with the Linux operating system is particular important for companies which need to set up eCommerce sites. When customers rely on your site for sending in their orders, you need to make sure that you web site is running twenty four hours a day. Linux web hosting with live support might not be a bad idea for mission critical sites. Some Linux web hosts reviewed at Webhostingfinds.com include:

• BlueHost
• HostGator

Agree or disagree?