Rodrigo Rehn asked: It does not really matter whether you have selected Linux web server or Windows web server for hosting your website in terms of transferring the files to the servers, since the process of transferring files to the web server is practically same in both of the cases.
However, there are of course significantly different factors influencing each of these server types. This is why many people are simply confused about choosing the particular type of web hosting option for their business needs.
Granted that both the web servers will be dealing the same type of data files, however the difference lies in the way they are dealing these data files. The majority of the web-hosting service providers employ a several versions of UNIX based software.
The most commonly used UNIX based software are FreeBSD and Linux. These are not only free but they do not need any licensing fees as well. This makes the UNIX based web hosting service much cheaper than Windows based web hosting service.
On the other hand, the cost of Windows operating system is much higher, nearly thousands of dollars. This is why web server hosting companies charge much higher fees for Windows based web hosting services, even if they offer both the options to their users.
So, the buyers may experience a significant difference if they compare both of these options, UNIX based web hosting versus Windows based web hosting, based on their price difference. Therefore, if you are more concerned about the fees you are going to pay for your hosting option, UNIX hosting offers the best solution for you.
If your site requires MS Access, VB Script or Active Server Pages support, quite obviously, UNIX hosting solution is not an ideal option for you, since these programs are not compatible with this hosting type. UNIX hosting type is able to offer dynamic content support similar to Windows hosting option by using other software like CGI, PHP, and MySQL.
Additionally, these software options are also available in the Windows based hosting system. Since the cost involved in the Windows based web hosting is high, many hosting companies only offer this option with a Windows based dedicated hosting option.
When you are looking for cheap or free web hosting, you can just be sure of that your site will be hosted on UNIX server.
This is because that UNIX web hosting runs on completely free software, leading to have a budget or free hosting options. One more important concern is there with the UNIX server that it comes with slightly higher reliability compared to the Windows based server. So it can be definitely an important consideration for setting up business.
So considering all these above mentioned aspects, now it is your turn to decide which option is the best option for your business needs and budget. If you are concerned about budget and reliability, UNIX is definitely the best option for you. On the other hand, if you are concerned about running your programs on ASP or VB Script, certainly Windows based option should be your choice.