Windows vs. Linux or cPanel VPS Hosting – Part II – Similarities, Price Advantage & cPanel

<<< Go to Part I – Scripting Languages & Windows

In the first part of this two-part series, we discussed advantages and disadvantages of the two major operating systems used for hosting: Linux and Windows. The basic differentiation was that Linux is open source, more widely available, and usually much less expensive; but Microsoft is necessary for coding with .NET & ASP. After discussing the pros and cons of each OS, the first part took a closer look at Windows VPS hosting (specifically with Windows Server 2012 R2).

Now that we have discussed the differences between the two operating systems, this second and final installment of the series will discuss what Microsoft and Linux have in common (such as usability and performance). Also, since we discussed Windows in a bit more detail previously, we will provide fuller description of the Linux environment below.

Note that cPanel is the standard control panel used with Linux, so this series encompasses cPanel VPS hosting as well.

Commonalities between Windows & Linux

What is truly remarkable about the competition between Linux and Windows is what strong contenders both of them are, as indicated by the five shared characteristics listed below (courtesy of the previously referenced article from Host Shopper):

1. Speed – The two operating systems both excel with regard to performance: neither one stands out as preferable to the other. Your performance is more likely to be determined by the strength of your equipment, quality of your hosting service, and the way in which your environment is constructed and managed.
2. Stability – Windows hosting systems used to have a reputation as being “notoriously unstable,” according to Host Shopper. That is no longer the case: both systems are incredibly stable, multiply redundant, and unlikely to crash.
3. Static pages – Both of the systems are capable of static hosting of HTML files.
4. Usability – Typically the method by which you interact with your VPS will be FTP (file transfer protocol) or the control panel (which is typically cPanel, Plesk, or the hosting provider’s platform). Windows gives users access to a UI, but most users ignore that interface anyway, accessing by the above means.
5. Security – This topic is one of heated debate between adherents of each of the two operating systems, partially because it gets to the core of the battle between proprietary software and open source software. The fact is, security is similar.

Fuller exploration of Linux & cPanel VPS hosting

Linux, like Windows or OS X, is an operating system: it enables the user of a computer and desired applications to complete tasks and access hardware (such as communicating between an application and the device’s CPU). It is a basic infrastructural component of any computer – server or client – necessary for building, running, and managing environments and applications of all types.

Linux.com notes that one way in which the operating system stands out is that it is open source, built through collaboration without one individual owner. When we look at the OS in action, though, what makes the OS distinctive – says the official Linux site – is the nature of each of its elements: the kernel, the operating system, the environments, the applications, and the distributions.

• Kernel – Every operating system has a kernel, which is basically a central brain of core instructions to guide the behavior of the hardware. The kernel is the basis for layers of additional tools that are constructed as modules. With Linux, the kernel is highly adaptable because it is also built as a set of modules.
• Operating system – Along with the kernel, the operating system is additionally composed of tools capable of communicating with the kernel and apps that make kernel interaction simple for third-party software. Linux is built in a developer-friendly way, making it easier to take code and convert it so that it can communicate with the kernel and do what a development team intends. Like the kernel, the entire OS has a modular design.
• Environments – What many people think of as the operating system are in fact separate layers called the desktop environment and the windowing system. In Linux, a user has the ability to determine what desktop environment or windowing system they want to use, whereas in Windows, that is not possible.
• Applications – There are two basic kinds of applications used within an operating system: core software and user-installed software. A closed, proprietary OS such as OS X or Windows does not allow users to determine the basic software, such as the compiler or windowing system. Linux gives you the flexibility to determine these components yourself.
• Distributions – A distribution is considered the top layer of the OS. Its developers – part of a community that is sometimes sponsored by a for-profit organization – determine the kernel, OS tools, desktop environment, windowing system, and other tools to include in the Linux flavor or distro.

Choosing a VPS hosting provider

Whether you are interested in Windows or Linux with cPanel for your VPS hosting environment, Atlantic.Net offers a full range of solutions for your project or organization. We have been in business since 1994, and our data center in Orlando, Florida, is SSAE 16 Type II audited and certified. Here are our cPanel VPS hosting packages for your review.

By Kent Roberts

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