FragSwitch: Hosting Tutorial: Linux or Windows? - FragSwitch

Welcome to our Hosting Tutorial series. We're going to be covering Windows vs Linux in this post, with information on their differences and uses to give you the information to make the right choice.

What is Windows/Linux?
Windows and Linux are both Operating Systems (OS). You might be familiar with Windows on your home PC. The OS provides the foundations on which applications run. It allows your applications (like your web browser) to use your PC hardware (such as the processor or graphics card). It's an important part of any computer, as without it, the programs which you use, wouldn't run.

What's the difference then?
Linux and Windows are fundamentally different pieces of software, Linux is a Unix Like operating system which is engineered differently to the Windows NT system, the current version of Windows used in Windows Servers.

Stripping back both systems to their heart (otherwise known as the Kernel), Linux uses a Monolithic Kernel, which means that modules of code can be loaded and unloaded as the system is running. Windows NT (the current generation of Windows Server Kernels) uses a Hybrid Kernel, often the Kernel must be rebooted for modules of code to be loaded (hence why Windows Update will often reboot a PC after it has been updated).

Most applications used in the hosting industry are available to run on either Operating System. An example would be PHP, which can run on either Linux or Windows, but you cannot run a Linux version on a Windows machine and vice versa. However, there are exceptions to this where either applications have been ported, with reduced functionality, or are not available at all. This is normally the case with Microsoft software, such as Microsoft SQL Server, which primarily runs on Windows.

Besides technological differences, Windows and Linux differ in their development and distribution. Windows is developed as closed source software, where only authorised Microsoft employees/partners may view and change the software. Some say this allows Windows security through obscurity. As Windows is closed source, the only way to use the system is to acquire a license from Microsoft, normally at a cost (this cost is passed onto the customer). Linux is released under the General Public License (GPL) version 2, which allows the source code of the Operating System to be viewed and modified. Some say that any bug in the software will be spotted quicker as there are thousands of people that see it.

Which is better?
In the hosting industry, there really is no such thing as the best (although the question comes up a lot). Certain applications cannot run on either Linux or Windows Operating Systems and this should be your main concern when looking for hosting. When looking to start a community, Linux hosting is a good way to start as communities can be started with free software which runs well on the free Operating System, this works out for a low start out cost in total.

In the end, it must be a choice of what you need, if you need Microsoft SQL, Windows hosting is the best choice, if you need MySQL or PHP, Linux is the best choice. One point must be mentioned before we close up this post, you do not need to have Windows hosting because you have Windows on your home PC, there is a very high chance that you will notice no difference between the two.