Whether you're considering starting a website or you
have one and want to possibly move it, this article
can help you decide what the best webhost means to
you.
To begin, every website is hosted on only
3 platforms:
Unix Windows NT Macintosh
Very few sites are hosted on a MAC server, so the
majority of webhosts use Unix or NT. For these reasons
we will focus on only those 2 platforms.
Unix and NT both offer various options and have different
abilities. Your choice of which platform to use depends
on what applications you want your site to run and
the amount of control you want to have over your site.
Unix
Unix is the oldest and one of the most widely used
operating systems. It is the basis of the internet
and most webservers originally ran on a version of
Unix. Unix is know as a multitasking operating system
which means that it can run many applications at the
same time without them affecting each other. This
is very important when you consider that hundreds
of websites, running thousands of CGI scripts, all
receiving thousands of hits could be running on one
webserver.
Why Use It?:
It's reliable Ability to host many websites on the
same machine. Almost all CGI scripts run better on
Unix. Programming flexibility. Much more administrative
control.
With Unix, webmasters can really tweak their websites
(assuming they know what they are doing) to run at
optimal levels. Developers can run CGI scripts and
create applications specific to their needs.
Down Sides:
Is case sensitive. It is not an easy operating system
to learn. Must use telnet or Ftp to make changes.
Windows NT
NT is a relative newcomer to the webhosting game
but it is fast gaining a large share of the business.
NT was built to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft's
web authoring tool, Frontpage. As such, it is often
the perfect solution for newcomers who do not want
to learn HTML or CGI programming or deal with the
day to day hassles of administering a webserver.
Up Sides:
Can use Microsoft Frontpage to publish your website
as opposed to using Ftp or telnet. Can use Cold Fusion.
Somewhat easier to administer (especially for the
average webmaster). Is not case sensitive.
If you do not plan on learning the in's and out's
of the web and administering your site, NT is probably
your tool of choice.
Down Sides:
Provides poorer security than Unix. Because of the
security issues, the hosting provider will usually
institute tighter security measures. Cannot run all
CGI scripts although this is changing.
Your needs as the webmaster and your visitors needs
will determine the type of webhost and the platform
you need.
Once you have done some more research into what platform
you need, stop by an independent website like: http://www.tophosts.com
and choose one of the top 25 hosts to fulfill your
needs.
Some issues to consider while pondering which
host to choose:
1.Uptime: This is probably the most critical piece
of information you need to know to make an informed
decision. How often a server goes down means lost
business and lost sales and no one needs that. Our
webhost is up 99.9% of the time as compared to the
first one we had which was more like 25% of the time.
2.Bandwidth Usage: Some hosts actually charge you
for the amount of traffic you get once you pass a
certain percentage. Why on earth would you want to
be charged for that? Our webhost offers us unmetered
traffic at no extra cost (this is what you should
look for). 3.Server Space: Look for hosts that give
50-500 mg of space. As the technology changes sites
will take up more space. You should try to get as
much as you can right now even if you don't use it
all. 4.CGI Access: This is critical. You need the
ability to use CGI and especially custom CGI. If a
host doesn't offer it, run screaming! 5.MSQL; Real
Audio; Real Video; Cold Fusion: This is the future
of the web and in particular web marketing. Make sure
a host offers support for these applications even
if you don't presently have a use for them.
You will be glad that you spent your time doing this
research before you jump in and choose a host or switch
to a host that provides you with nothing but problems.
You deserve the best, go for it.
