In Web hosting there are two different worlds. One that uses Windows OS and the other that is powered by Linux systems. There are many differences between them but here are a few that are crucial for deciding which hosting type to choose.

1. Supported technologies If you use some of the following languages or databases you need a Windows hosting: .NET scripts Microsoft SQL Microsoft Access databases ASP or ASP.NET scripts

There is a simple reason - they will only work on Windows servers.

On Linux on other hand you will be able to run: PHP scripts, MySQL databases, Python, XML and many other languages yet to come.

The main reason for that is because Linux is an open source system where anyone can contribute to development.

2. Price The fact is that Linux hosting plans are much cheaper than their Windows fellows. Why is that? The reason hides in price of the software that hosting companies have to buy. Windows server software is quite expensive while Linux is free of charge. Smaller costs for hosting company means smaller costs for you.

3. The open source

Linux is an Open Source code, which enables people from all around the world to contribute to its development. That fact has given Linux the leverage to kick out Windows out of hosting game. Because of its extreme versatility Linux has become a platform for many new technologies that became widely used in hosting industry. This means that Linux is giving you far more options as an user that Windows does.

Conclusion

Many people even don't know what their page is hosted on. Currently (2006) Linux servers are dominating the hosting world. If you do not need support for Microsoft products or use ASP go for Linux hosting. It is cheaper, and gives you more freedom.