An operating system is always unique from other operating systems because of its unique features. There is, however, a long list of similarities too.
For instance, Linux OS and Windows OS both have multiple versions available to its users.
- Linux‘s are called distributions, and they include the famous Ubuntu, RedHat, Debian, Fedora, and the list goes on.
- For windows, the versions are 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 in order from the oldest to the latest.
To select a platform for you server, you would look at the unique features of the servers and find that which you need. However, the Linux platform has a number of advantages over windows.
Advantages of Linux Servers
Even though the differences between Linux and Windows are quite small, Linux offers many more pros when compared to Windows. Here are some:
Web Development and Programming
For web developers and programmers, Linux systems are better to work with than Windows. The sole reason for this is because web programming languages like
PHP,
HTML5,
MySql,
Perl,
Python, and
JavaScript, are more compatible with Linux. In fact, most of these languages are build with the Linux Operating System in mind. This makes Linux more a more compatible platform to use them on.
One of the most unique features of Linux is that it will allow you to run instances of the Operating System simultaneously. This is a feature that you would never get on a Windows computer. Additionally, since it is open source, using Linux will not cost you any money. This means that you can get lots of free software to use on your system such as office suite, presentation software, spreadsheets, and more. Windows, on the other hand, is not free. You will, therefore, need to buy its license annually just to use the Operating System. Note that this does not include applications that you have installed.
When it comes to security, it is a known fact that
Linux is more secure than Windows. This is because of the following reasons:
- Most viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans, and phishing software cannot run on a Linux system. But they can cause a lot of damage on a Windows system.
- On a Windows system, malware can easily destroy files, folders, affect the smooth operation of a program, interfere with the Operating System itself, and in some cases, even crash the computer's hard disk.
- While a Linux user can work comfortably without worrying about malware or needing an antivirus software, Windows users must install robust antivirus software to safeguard them against possible attacks and infections from malicious programs.
- On a Windows system, a user does not get to customize the system to suit their requirement. You can, therefore, not change any part of the code.
- A Linux system is entirely customizable, meaning that developers can alter the system to suit their needs. A sizeable section of the Linux community works to customize the system to be better suited for different purposes. Today, several distributions of Linux exist and have become very popular among developers and users alike.
Smaller memory footprint
Thanks to their compact sizes and design, Linux distributions use up much less memory space and, therefore, have a small memory footprint. Windows systems, on the other hand, are quite bulky.
Fast booting
A Linux system will boot faster than a Windows system.
More web design tools
For web developers, designers, and programmers, a Linux Operating System will prove to be more useful because it has more tools to help in the creation of web-based applications.
Compatible with PHP
PHP and MySql were designed with Linux in mind. You can, therefore, run them better on a Linux server.
Because it is open source, web hosting companies do not need to pay for a license to use it. This means that even for end users, a dedicated server hosting on a Linux system will be much cheaper than one running Windows.
Such as
GoDaddy, they providing the Linux hosting with normal price for
Economy plan is $4.99/mo, but you can enter
a hosting coupon code to drop its price to just
$1.00/mo plus 01 free domain. They still have interest because one of the reason is they has used Linux system for hosting all sites.
Despite all these cons, the Windows system has a number of unique features of its own. As a child company of Microsoft, it is compatible with all Microsoft applications. We, however, recommend Linux for hosting. If you are on the lookout for the most affordable hosting services based on Linux, try GoDaddy. GoDaddy offers high quality but inexpensive web hosting services.