Many website hosting companies nowadays offer Windows hosting. While Unix has always been the most popular web hosting OS, Windows is quickly catching up. Furthermore, there are applications that can only run on a Windows platform, so web hosting firms have started offering dependable Windows hosting to satisfy the demand.
Windows Hosting Explained
This is simply hosting a website on a server running a Windows operating system. This service can benefit anyone who wants to use scripts, programming languages and databases which can only run on Windows operating systems They include;
i) .Net Framework
Windows is an excellent option if you intend to build a website which relies on Visual Basic. It is important to note that Unix does not support .Net framework nor any script or program written in VB.
ii) MS Access
Access is a powerful database management system. If you design your website to collect or save data in MS Access, you will need to use a Windows-ready server to host you website. While you can always use MySQL or any other open-source database management system, Windows makes integration much easier.
iii) Front Page Extensions
MS Front Page is perhaps the most popular program for designing websites. If you plan on using this program, be sure to sign up for a Windows web hosting service. This will make your life much easier, since you will not need to tweak you server to ensure it supports extensions as would be the case with a Unix hosting service.
iv) Active Server Pages
If you must have dynamically database-driven web pages and use active server pages (ASP), a Windows platform will be your only option. After all, Unix does not support .ASP. This makes your decision much easier. Since the popularity of .ASP has been increasing over the last couple of years, many people have been forced to make the switch from Unix to Windows.
The vast majority of personal computers in the world run on a Windows operating system. This means that most people are already familiar with the Windows operating system which makes using a Windows website hosting service much easier for the average person. If you are building your first website or blog, Windows webhosting would be a great option since you do not need to learn a new website language.
Since there are many hosting companies offering Windows-based website hosting services, you need to do your research to identify a company offering the best hosting plans at the most affordable rates. Also check if you can get free domain registration once you sign up for a Windows website hosting plan.