Windows vs Linux environment - pros & cons?

Discussion in 'Site & Server Administration' started by cav609, May 21, 2007.

  1. #1
    I originally posted in another thread:
    http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=337510

    regarding 301 redirects under a windows environment from oldpage.htm to newpage.htm (oldpage has PR that I want to retain etc etc). All I got was meta-refresh answers and code that doesn't work, so I'm assuming I can't do this under windows environment (I dont have access to the control panel thingy!)

    I've come to the conclusion I may need to move from my hosting services windows environment to their linux system so I can use .htaccess for the redirects.

    What are the pros and cons of windows vs linux - anyone care to volunteer? (Apart from the fact that in linux I can use .htacess for 301's ...) Or IS there a way of doing 301's from one htm page to another under windows ...?

    Thanks in advance for any input
     
    cav609, May 21, 2007 IP
  2. Davidj

    Davidj Peon

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    #2
    Windows is a horrible solution unless you need ASP / ASP.net.
    Otherwise *nix has all of the pros of windows & a whole lot more.
     
    Davidj, May 21, 2007 IP
  3. Cylestyne

    Cylestyne Peon

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    #3
    How is Windows a horrible solution? I've been in the webhosting industry for a very long time, in my opinion Windows has always been more stable and flexible. And that's based on 10 years of server administration experience on *NIX, Solaris, BSD & Windows platforms.
     
    Cylestyne, May 22, 2007 IP
  4. cav609

    cav609 Active Member

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    #4
    Hi Guys, and thanks for the (opposing) views :)

    My interest is mainly from a website creation, development and maintenance perspective. I have a small site hosted under windows, but maybe I should move over to my hosting services linux environment, for the reasons outlined in the first post.

    What difference might that make to me from a day to day perpective. Will I notice any difference in maintaining the site? Do I get more or less functionality?
     
    cav609, May 22, 2007 IP
  5. ellict

    ellict Peon

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    #5
    In a old age, I had use a technique to solve that problem in ASP, I forget actually, need to find it in old files, but as far as I remember the method was in the first line of the page, send response status to requester (301 or 302) and redirect to newly page
     
    ellict, May 22, 2007 IP
  6. DW1

    DW1 Peon

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    #6
    Simple! Google for "ASP 301 redirect". Search people, search! :D
     
    DW1, May 22, 2007 IP
  7. plumsauce

    plumsauce Peon

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    #7
    very wishful thinking.
     
    plumsauce, May 22, 2007 IP
  8. tandac

    tandac Active Member

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    #8
    I don't normally get involved in these sorts of things. If you're a web host, *nix is an ideal environment. Stable, affordable and will easily run the various standard applications out there.

    I would challenge the people who think otherwise, to come up with several good reasons why Linux is not a good hosting platform.
     
    tandac, May 22, 2007 IP
  9. tandac

    tandac Active Member

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    #9
    Hi Cav609,

    To properly answer your question, for a small site on a well managed server you will probably not notice much of a difference.

    Reasons I personally like Linux for hosting:
    - SSH access
    - Lots of scripting possibilities
    - Cron jobs
    - .htaccess files
    - Natural bias (I'm an RHCE)
    - Text based config files
     
    tandac, May 22, 2007 IP
  10. Davidj

    Davidj Peon

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    #10
    Care to tell me otherwise using some statistics?

    Windows:
    1. Proprietary. You rely on Microsoft for updates
    2. Proprietary. You rely on Microsoft to fix (most) bugs.

    *nix:
    1. Mmm, open source & developed by hundreds of thousands of users. Fixes arrive quickly or you can fix it yourself.
    2. Mmm, rsync / scp / shell.
     
    Davidj, May 22, 2007 IP
  11. cav609

    cav609 Active Member

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    #11
    Hey everyone - thanks for the input - I think I might have inadvertently started a lively debate!

    Tandac - thanks in particular for focussing on my question, gives me some comfort in making the switch from windows.

    Just to stir things up a bit more ;) - could the windows advocates tell me what I can get from windows that I cant get from *nix??
     
    cav609, May 23, 2007 IP
  12. Juan Pablo Olivera

    Juan Pablo Olivera Peon

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    #12
    Don't use windows unless you need to run the latest .NET applications or host ASP pages. It's not a good platform for servers, just not designed for that. If you need a server you must *ALWAYS* go for Linux if you can.
     
    Juan Pablo Olivera, May 23, 2007 IP
  13. cav609

    cav609 Active Member

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    #13
    Any windows advocates want to persuade me to stay with windows rather than migrate to linux? I have an open mind ...!
     
    cav609, May 23, 2007 IP
  14. cav609

    cav609 Active Member

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    #14
    Ok, well no-one has extolled the virtues of windows - converted to linux a couple of weeks ago and no problems at all. htaccess has now resolved the issue for me. Thanks for all the advice guys!
     
    cav609, Jun 13, 2007 IP
  15. DW1

    DW1 Peon

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    #15
    Windows is like linux only with closed source (more undiscovered bugs), and unnecessary GUI overhead (takes up RAM). Windows is for games, Linux is for servers! :D
     
    DW1, Jun 13, 2007 IP