| Microsoft windows is the most popular and the | | | | For any webmaster, creating interactive |
| most widely used operating system. However, on | | | | applications for websites is always an area of |
| the internet, it is linux that has the greatest | | | | interest. With Microsoft products, several web |
| market share on web servers. Collectively, | | | | applications can be created easily. Most of the |
| Apache (a Linux program) and several similar | | | | products allow you to create any application you |
| ones, run about three quarters of all domains | | | | want with minimal coding. The user interface |
| according to a June 2009 Netcraft survey. | | | | available with Microsoft products helps even a |
| However, Windows web hosting is not quite the | | | | newbie create a professional looking website. |
| underdog here. It still has a significant user base | | | | When choosing a web hosting package for your |
| that is actually increasing. This may be because | | | | business website, you should consider what type |
| people are familiar with windows as an operating | | | | of hosting reduces your efforts as a webmaster. |
| system and so choose it because of that. Or | | | | The choice of hosting is purely dependent on how |
| they have proprietary Microsoft programs that | | | | you plan to develop your website and what |
| require a windows server environment to work | | | | languages you use for creating your website |
| to their optimum. | | | | content. If you are a strong user of Microsoft |
| Proprietary Programs | | | | applications, windows web hosting is probably the |
| The.Net framework is now widely used for | | | | best option. Fortunately for customers of |
| developing websites. When you have used.net | | | | Windows hosting, Microsoft's hosting product has |
| objects and the programming language visual basic | | | | developed into a very stable, secure platform. It |
| for your website, you need to use windows web | | | | used to be that Linux was considered more |
| hosting. In fact, these services are available only | | | | secure, but the little brother, the Windows server, |
| with the windows servers. When you use ASP (a | | | | has grown up a bit since then. |
| scripting language), you also need to get your | | | | The only drawback with Windows hosting is that |
| website hosted on windows servers. In Unix or | | | | it is a little more expensive than Linux. This is due |
| Linux hosting, you can't find ASP support for your | | | | to the fact that linux is open source software and |
| website. | | | | windows is proprietary. However, the cost |
| Access is a well known database management | | | | difference really isn't that great. And even though |
| system commonly used by webmasters to | | | | you have to pay a little more for windows |
| create databases for use in websites. A Windows | | | | servers, you are guaranteed to get support for all |
| server makes it very easy to integrate Access | | | | types of Microsoft applications. Further, it is not |
| database with your website, even if you need to | | | | really feasible to learn new scripting languages just |
| integrate a large database. Other database options | | | | because you want cheaper website hosting. As |
| are available, however, Access uses a simple user | | | | windows servers use standard software, you can |
| interface to create and manage databases. As | | | | be sure that you get state of the art server |
| Access is a Microsoft product, it is only in | | | | performance because Microsoft servers are very |
| windows web hosting that you can expect | | | | well optimized to host websites. |
| Access support. | | | | |