Web Development: Linux v Windows

Nintendo Specialist Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 1889

I need to know which is better and why.

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:48 am

Linux all the way, i have found it to be more widely supported by server driven applications and software, eg. game servers. I have been using Unix based hosting in which are systems such as Redhat and nginx.

Overall Windows has quite a few good features overall but in the long run Linux will be better for security, peace of mind and ease of use.

Nintendo Specialist Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 1889

The bonus is linux is cheaper, but both are way cheaper than what im paying now and i get more perks with the site im looking at.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 1702

Linux, as it is awesome for servers. Linux in general is pretty stable, secure, and usually has high up time. I'd say to go with a host that uses Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, or Debian.

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 2075

Linux for web hosting is a no brainer. Team XLink used to run on IIS under Windows back in the day. It was awful. Needed restarts every few days.

When the Amsterdam server crashed and Andy passed the project on to me, I set it up on Apache under Linux using backups I managed to scrape together. It's been relatively smooth sailing ever since. That's my real world experience.

In terms of reasons, I would say flexibility is the biggest. You have many more options depending on your needs. For ultimate speed, especially for small files like TX avatars, I've found Lighttpd handles thousands of simultaneous requests with out breaking a sweat. It's great for video streaming as well. For ease of configuration and some wicked proxy features, NGINX is pretty slick. If you are down with server-side JavaScript coding for real time Ajax apps, Node.js hauls ass. And, of course, if you are into off the shelf Drupal, Wordpress, and other CMS offerings, Apache has your back for a quick install.

For actual development, I've never used Linux. Like all contemporary webheads, I'm an OS X guy for coding. Panic Coda ftw.

Kai Lover Joined: 23 Dec 2007 Posts: 911

windows, had a bad experience with macs

Nintendo Specialist Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 1889

what does mac have to do with windows or linux?

Kai Lover Joined: 23 Dec 2007 Posts: 911

I'm refuring to what prestige posted

Nintendo Specialist Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 1889

OOOH ok lol

Team XLink Administrator Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 2075

Thinking about it some more, I don't think the OS is really as important as the applications. It might be more useful to ask what editor or server software do people use and why. Many are cross platform, many are not.

On windows, I was a very loyal to HomeSite+ for many years. Dream weaver always felt bloated, over complicated and created code that was difficult to maintain. There were plenty of other non-WYSYWYG offerings but Homesite stood out because you could creat snippets of code for your most common tasks.

Later, I began using Zend IDE because I was heavily in to PHP work. Here I was introduced to intelligent code completion, syntax helpers, code folding, and an overview panel of functions I'd written for quick code navigation. It's a great cross-platform app, but being Java-based, it feels and looks a little wonky. Also, it was not extensible as Homesite in that I could not easily add custom code commands. It is, however one of the best cross platform IDEs I've ever used.

Now, I use Panic Coda. Like homesite, I can easily add some killer custom command. For example, I frequently need to convert a list of items into an unordered HTML listing. I simply highlight the text and click the custom list plugin I wrote and boom, the text becomes a neatly formatted list. The plugin itself is just a PHP script I wrote in a couple of minutes.

My approach has always been to directly edit files on a remote server in real time. I need an IDE that uses FTP or SCP to allow me to do so. The proper approach is to edit your shit locally, then promote it to the production server. I don't have time for that. If I want to change something on a page, I just want to edit the existing file on the server and be done with it. I have tried revision control systems a number of times and it just feels unnecessarily cumbersome for very little pay off.

What software do you use to create websites?

-p

Kai Beginner Joined: 10 Nov 2011 Posts: 5

At the moment I am also looking for the right web hosting package and I am also not quite sure which one is the best for me. I think at the moment I would tend to choose Windows over Linux but there is no final decision on that.

Nintendo Specialist Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 1889

my site now is using a tweaked template from my provider. ive used dreamweaver in the past but the only thing to my avail is iWeb. im trying to make it as easy as possible. adding google adsense is REAL EASY in iWeb.

id love to learn CSS but i dont have time and my latest training was HTML in 2003. I dont like making my own site cuz im too picky and cant decide or settle on a design. i get tired of it after a while. and yet i dont want to pay someone to make it for me.

Im mainly gonna be hosting my films and my web shows. the shows will be hosted via blip.tv so i can make money from ads. once i figure ou how to transfer everything ill go with linux just because its a little more flexible for stuff i want to do later on like online commerce ( i want to sell merch from the web shows like rooster teeth does).