Hosting is a real bug-bear of mine. I grew up before the advent of Microsoft, and my introduction to computers was our junior school’s one and only BBC computer, along with out Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum and my friend’s Atari! When we got our very first PC running Windows 3.1, we used Lotus instead of Office!

Microsoft changed computing and made it accessible to everyone. For that I thank them.

However, because it’s a well known name, people who don’t understand hosting will go out and buy Windows hosting because they have heard if it. While there is a need for Windows hosting, most people that are looking to host a simple website only need the less expensive Linux alternative, whether that is Ubuntu, RedHat or any other version.

The ONLY time you need a Windows server is to host sites written in ASP or ASP.NET.

Windows servers offer less flexibility to the user and requires much more upkeep due to the constant flow of security patches that need to be installed, hence you pay more.

Like Domain names, you should consult your web professional to ensure that you have the right hosting to help you achieve your goals. Just because you have heard of one server option i.e. Windows, is not a valid reason to choose it as your hosting platform.