Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

March 05, 2009

The Power of Windows Hosting

In the early days of web hosting, most customers were serving their pages from Linux and Unix servers.  While these platforms remain prevalent today, Windows has emerged as one of the most widely used operating systems in the server environment.  This article will tell you why Windows makes a viable option for web hosting.

Simple and Dynamic

Microsoft products are known for their ease of use and the components you will find in the Windows hosting environment are no different.  One of the major features of Windows hosting is ASP.  Short for Active Server Pages, ASP is a server-side scripting technology based on Microsoft's Visual Basic client-side language.  Hence the name, Visual Basic is a basic programming language that caters to beginners, a factor makes ASP easier to work with than alternatives such as Perl and even CGI.

Windows hosting offers an ideal platform for creating data-driven sites that allow your visitors to enjoy enhanced interaction.  This dynamic content is enabled by languages such as ASP and ASP.NET with SQL Server and MS Access databases on the backend.  Because the tools are so user-friendly, Windows hosting makes a great choice for learning the basics of web development.  The learning curve with ASP tends to be shorter than other server-side languages while Access is merely a desktop application bundled with the Microsoft Office suite.  Access is easy to use, offering numerous wizards and comprehensive tools that allow you to quickly develop fully functional databases.  The best part about Windows hosting is that Microsoft technologies seamlessly integrate with one another.  This means you can easily convert the content created with ASP and MS Access to ASP.NET and SQL Server for the ultimate in scalability.

Great First Choice for Developers

After developing on a Windows-based platform, there is a great chance that you will have the knowledge to move up to more advanced projects.  Many developers have started with ASP, MS Access and SQL Server databases to work their way up to open-source technologies such as PHP, Perl and MySQL.  This is made possible by the fact that the Microsoft's IIS web server is compatible with most of the components commonly found on Linux and Unix hosting platforms.  Such knowledge will come in handy when you get a hold of open-source software that can be modified with the backend databases of your choosing.  When choosing a host that offers the best of Windows and open-source, you have the flexibility needed to get your dynamic website up and running efficiently.

The Ideal Business Solution

Windows hosting is often the preferred choice for professionals as it allows you to focus more on running the business rather than worrying about all the technical aspects.  The implementation of highly functional Microsoft technologies enables you to deliver the products and services best suited for your audience.  Though traditionally more expensive than other hosting solutions, the power and flexibility Windows offers will help you have both time and money over the long run.  Whether you are familiar with development languages or not, all it takes is a basic knowledge of Microsoft desktop products to excel in this environment.

Tags: CGI,  ASP,  Active Server Pages,  Microsoft,  linux,  FrontPage,  Visual Basic,  unix,  Perl,  Windows hosting,  windows