Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Unix Hosting

Before you decide what UNIX web hosting company to try, you need all the facts about the operating system and why host companies prefer it over any other environment. Once you know the pros and cons of UNIX, you can make better decisions about the hosting company. Here are some advantages:

 

·        Stability: UNIX is the winner hands down. UNIX can handle high server loads and seldom requires rebooting. Any server with UNIX on it has more up-time and more reliability than any other operating system.

·        Performance: Here again, UNIX beats the competition. UNIX servers can handle themselves under heavy loads and is able to outperform Windows easily.

·        Scalability: Here is where Windows wins over UNIX. Windows hosting is more easily made compatible with UNIX applications. And UNIX software is not 100% compatible with Windows.

·        Compatibility: UNIX wins here. Any website that is programmed and designed to work on a UNIX server can easily be hosted on a Windows server. But Windows applications will not work on UNIX. Therefore, UNIX is the best choice.

·        Price: As you know, Windows is very expensive. It cost a lot to host Windows on a server. However, UNIX has a version that is free and this is Linux. It is easy to get, download, and install.

·        Programs don’t run: Unfortunately, there are programs that just won’t run on UNIX no matter what. So these programs need to be marked and avoided.

·        Open market: The only real thing people consider as a disadvantage is the fact that UNIX is an open operating system. This means that the source code is available to be used and updated. However, think about this one. If one company controls the operating system, getting support and upgrades could take forever. Besides that any upgrades you get will no doubt cost a lot of money.

 

It is obvious that UNIX is the operating system hosting companies use. Despite a couple of disadvantages, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.