linux vs windows hosting?

[rockhillmanor]

Well I DID get my money back from Networks Solutions after they lifted my debit card number from 'one' purchase and used it without my knowing to debit my bank account for packages I never ordered, and of course that domain name is now forever in their possession lost forever. :R

I am looking at Ipage.
When I read the comparison charts Linux hosting is checked NOT windows.

Does this have any affect in my ability to build a site or my customers using windows?

And if just the question makes you laugh then you know I am certainly not a computer geek!

Just need to know before I buy a hosting site with this company and have yet 'another' domain name lost in space for ever if I can't use the site.

Thank you.
Rock

[wintersun]

If you paid for the domain to be registered to you it still belongs to you. Most providers will send you a form to sign and fax back to have the domain transferred to them and it takes only a couple of days to effect the transfer.

We have used 1and1.com for our company website and our separate e-store for the past 10 years with no problems at all. HIghly recommend them for web server hosting. They also are the least expensive place I have found for registering a domain name and with very low annual fees.

[magicbus]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Well....Yup they hit the my debit/credit card

Hopefully when you said debit/credit meant "credit" because you really should not be using a debit card on the Internet. You just have zero protection from fraudulent charges in front of your bank account when you use a debit card. My HSA gave me a debit card to pay medical bills but when I pay a bill on the web I use my credit card and then reimburse myself from my HSA.

Dave

[1492]

Did you do any research on hosting firms you were considering on Webhostingtalk.com? There are thousands of webhosting companies around, many just one person operations who don't even operate their own servers. Just leasing either a dedicated or virtual server from another host or data center, and selling the space as a reseller. Plus, the hosting company and server can be located anywhere in the world.

Unless you sign up with a major, well known firm, never give out your personal credit card info. Always use an intermediary such as PayPal(PP). Even GoDaddy accepts PP. If they don't accept them, don't sign up.

Unfortunately, many of these hosting firms can appear like large operations on the web, but that may not be the case. Plus, a number cease operations out of the blue, so not a good idea to pay in advance for long periods of hosting. I never pay for anything longer than 3 months max.

The other aspect you have to watch out for is cheap hosting overselling their resources, then attempting to sell their hosting business. What's valuable to the buyer is the customer's credit info included in the sale. Don't ask me how I know.

[rockhillmanor]

Swear to god you just can't make this stuff up!!

Went to iPage started to sign up for their special domain offer.

I did NOT like that they asked you for credit card info BEFORE viewing shopping cart but went ahead any way and then BEFORE hitting send I thought better and stopped the transaction, didn't like that I could not see charges first. Even went and deleted the card number before exiting.

Well....Yup they hit the my debit/credit card without me clicking ok and ever seeing the shopping cart, never finishing the transaction. They charged my card for about 4 options I never clicked on to the tune of over $70 bucks. What the hay is going on with these sites?

I just got off phone and they claim it did go thru but there is credit in the works once it recognized I didn't finish transaction.
There is some pretty good scams going on with all this. It should NEVER have gone thru in the first place.

Just got done with Godaddy. Signed up. Secured my domain name AND got a deal on the registration, free email, free website builder for one year. And they charged me the correct amount.

I guess I should have just went with Godaddy in the first place huh? :S

[trb46]

RobWNY wrote:

As for your domain name purchase, Use GoDaddy. The prices are cheaper and they are a full fledged Registrar, just like Network Solutions.

X 2 on using GoDaddy. I've been very pleased with them. Their live tech support is super. (I am not being paid for saying that; I'm just a satisfied customer.)

I have several sites hosted on a Linux server through GoDaddy. No problems at all.

[LittleBill]

uptime of over a year huh? guess you don't patch your OS


to the OP, if your buying hosting they generally give you a ftp drop folder and everything magically shows up. if this is the case, then its a non issue

if your building the servers yourself, you would prolly not be asking this question

[JoeTampa]

The only other difference from my perspective is that you can do more in terms of scripting processes in much easier fashion under Linux than with Windows. Linux servers are generally more stable; mine have had uptimes of well over a year. You also can get by with less hardware in terms of CPU, RAM, and storage. My low-usage web servers are running on virtual Linux systems with 512M of RAM and 20G of hard disk, and they have very nice performance.

[rockhillmanor]

Thanks RobWNY for the explanation and thanks 1492 for the research link.

[1492]

No difference for serving web pages. Linux Apache is by far the most popular on the web as its basically available for free. Hosting companies have to pay licensing fees to install Microsoft based web servers. I'd suggest you research any hosting company you're considering at www.webhostingtalk.com forums before signing up. May save you some grief down the road.

[RobWNY]

Rock, Whether you use a Linux server or a Windows server to host your website, it will make no difference to the end user visiting your webpages. Linux or windows servers work differently and the coding that is recognized by the server for webpages to work is different but it's really a personal preference and what you are most familiar and comfortable with when making webpages. As long as the code is right on your pages and you upload everything into the right locations on the server you choose, everyone will be able to see your website whether they are using a Windows computer or a Mac. Both are stable platforms.

As for your domain name purchase, Use GoDaddy. The prices are cheaper and they are a full fledged Registrar, just like Network Solutions.