Which web hosting platform does she or he wish her or his server to be located on proves to be among the most complicated choices that any novice will have to make. The two platforms you really get to choose from are either Windows or Linux.

-FTP commands and control panel- These considerations are represented well by both the Linux and the Windows platforms, but there are differences between the FTP commands in the operating systems because different FTP programs will usually be designed anticipating use with a particular operating system. This could be the reason for some error messages you may encounter when attempting to run certain FTP commands on each server.

-Support- the support for the Linux platform pales in comparison to that offered by Windows and is also sometimes more expensive and frequently more limited in its capabilities. As opposed to Windows, which uses more generic technologies, Linux used much more specific ones.

* Security and reliability – As Windows is widely used for home PC, there is a tendency that the security features incorporated for this operating system is not as high technology as those for Linux, which are mostly used by developers and system engineers only. The probability of successful hack attack on Windows OS is a lot higher than Linux OS may also be contributed to their end users as people tend to look for flaws in these common systems.

-Performance- Linux is generally thought to be a slightly better performing system primarily due to the manner in which the Linux server is packaged. Linux plans are more specifically designed for their target customers. Windows usually operates in a different manner and prefers to offer a one size fits all approach with a more generalized set of tools.

* Conversion – if there are plans for you to change your OS in the near future, then having a Linux web server now is fine as this conversion should be smooth and easy to have your website converted from Linux hosting to Windows hosting. On the other hand, however, it can be much more difficult to say the least to convert your website form a Windows hosting system to that of Linux.