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A Linux based hosting service can be appreciated if you have a true understanding about it. Linux is an open source operating system. There are no licensing fees for it. So, compared to windows, Linux is very cheap. Windows have software activation rights. A single copy of windows can be installed only on one computer. In the case of Linux once you have owned the software copy, you are free to install the software as many times as you wish on various computers.

On the other hand, Windows has a monolithic design, whereby it creates a sort of interdependence between the various parts of the server. A practical example can be seen in windows media player and Microsoft Internet explorer. In the case of Linux, it is known for its open source community development. Due to its group oriented approach method, Linux can easily oppose the monolithic based design concept by creating an operating system made up of parts that are freely independent of each other.
Linux and windows can successfully run popular web technologies such as HTML, CSS DHTML, XHTML, XML, JAVA Script, JAVA, CGI and Perl. They can also support Email, FTP, reporting and other basic features too. Also, both the operating systems (Linux and windows ) can do a good job when it comes to interfacing with Microsoft front page. Linux deals with open source development method, such as PHP nad RUBY on rails. Mostly, the Linux based databases use MYSQL. On the other hand, windows deal with ASP and other Microsoft proprietary applications such as Microsoft exchange. Window based databases mostly rely on MS SQL. When it comes to talking about the security risks involved on servers, one must be aware of the fact that one cannot ensure a 100 % risk free security service. I am saying this because even today there exist unskilled server administrators; people involved in brute force password crackers, unsecured PHP or ASP scripts etc.

In a windows based system, it becomes easy for hackers to compromise and entire server. The IIS web server is deeply interconnected with the core of the windows. Hence, if a security threat is found in the IIS web server, it could lead to compromising the entire windows server. That is why, external browsers such as Mozilla, Fire Fox are considered to be safer for a window PC than the integrated Microsoft Internet Explorer. Now in the case of a Linux security based system, there exists a large as well as an educated security team. However, one must also be aware of the fact that there exists a group of educated community of hackers too.

Linux is mainly used for database servers and Internet servers. Many companies prefer to use Linux on their servers as an alternative to other operating systems. Linux can be considered as a very efficient, multi-user multitasking operating system. Linux is popular on the internet as well as by many small companies. Linux is very stable and it uses the resources very efficiently. Linux is compatible with Microsoft windows, whereby it can support fully access to windows file system. Linux runs efficiently on your present hardware. Your older machines can also work on Linux.

In other words, your old hardware which might have discarded just because it was in adequate for the latest software upgrades can now be a valuable resource for your company. You can put your hardware back in service with Linux. Web hosting service based on Linux is easy and cheaper than windows hosting. It is a better choice over windows.