We are often asked which hosting platform one should choose, Unix or Windows®2003. Below, we've listed the major differences between the two that you should consider in making your final decision. In the process, we have also tried to dispel any common misconceptions regarding these platforms.
 

Important: One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to run UNIX on your own computer in order for you to host your site on UNIX platform. That is not true. Which operating system you run on your computer is irrelevant in making your decision. This means that if you are running Windows98 or Windows®2003 on your computer, you can still choose UNIX.
 

	UNIX	Windows
Ease of use
Reliability
Speed
Functionality
Price
Integration with Microsoft solutions
Free/Open Source Software

Ease of use:
 

Over the years, many resources have been poured into both UNIX and Windows®2003 platforms to make hosting as easy as possible. Today, there are no differences in terms of ease of use between these platforms. If you are an advanced user who prefers to work in shell environment, then UNIX is your choice. However, if you are a beginner, you will find both platforms user friendly, especially with a help of AdvHosting's control panel, SiteControl.
 

Reliability:
 

The industry consensus is that UNIX is more reliable. However, AdvHosting has made sure that the reliability of the Windows®2003 platform closely matches that of UNIX's. What this means is that you can make your decision based on the differences in features rather than on reliability.

Speed:
 

There is no difference in terms of speed between the two platforms.
 

Functionality:
 

This is where two platforms differ the most. There isn’t much that can be achieved in one platform that can’t be on the other one. The main difference is how the end is achieved. For example, if you need a database driven web site, you can choose either PHP/MySQL combination under UNIX or ASP/MySql combination under Windows®2003. The trend is for solutions to be supported in both platforms. For example, Microsoft FrontPage, one of the most popular web site editors out there, is supported on both UNIX and Windows®2003. Please see below for the list of supported features.

Price:
 

Here UNIX holds a slight edge due to the fact that the most of the software licenses are free and that it’s easier to maintain UNIX servers than Windows®2003 servers for the same level of reliability and performance. You will see that our hosting prices reflect this. Unless you specifically plan to use Windows®2003 platform specific features (see below), it probably makes sense to choose the UNIX platform.
 

Supported Features
Features	UNIX	Windows
MS FrontPage 2000,2002
Flash
Shockwave
RealAudio/Video
Cgi-script
Perl
PHP
SSH (Secure Telnet)
MySQL
PostgreSQL
Agora
ASP (active server pages)
MS Access
Visual Basic Scripts
Windows Media
The following AdvHosting-specific features are supported in both Unix and Windows®2003 platforms
-SiteControl – advanced web based hosting control -Mailing List -Weekly Webstats -Web Based Email
Technical information for advanced users (Web Server)
UNIX		Windows
Apache		IIS (Internet Information Server)
Control Panel Menus
UNIX		Windows
Mail		Packages:Resource Usage
Webmail		Packages:Extra Features
Change Password		Packages:Domains
Parked Domains		Packages:Statistics
Addon Domains		Domains:Webmail
FTP Manager		Domains:Email Accounts (POP3)
File Manager		Domains:Email Forwarding
Disk usage		Domains:Multi-Recipient Addresses
Backup		Domains:FTP Accounts
Password Protect Directories		Domains:File Manager
Error pages		Domains:Domain Aliases
Subdomains		Domains:Sub Domains
MySQL Databases		Domains:DNS Zone Editor
PostgreSQL Databases		Domains:ODBC DSNs
Redirects		Domains:Database Manager
Frontpage Extensions		Domains:MIME Types
Web/FTP Stats		Domains:Custom Error Pages
Raw Access Logs		Domains:FrontPage Extensions
Raw Log Manager		Domains:Web Site Settings
Error log		Domains:Statistics
Subdomain Stats		Billing:Make Payment
Search Engine Submit		Billing:Account Statements
Chatroom		Billing:Recurring Payments
PhpMyChat		Password
Bulletin Board		Personal Details
CGI Center		Online Help
Scripts Library
Agora Shopping Cart
Cron jobs
Network Tools
MIME Types
Apache Handlers
Manage OpenPGP Keys
HotLink Protection
Index Manager
IP Deny Manager
Fantastico