What Are Windows-specific Hosting Features?

By Author: Edmund Brunetti
Total Articles: 733
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When it comes to hosting your website, you can choose to run it off a Windows platform or a Linux platform. The choice you make will depend on the features you’ll want to use to build your website, and the price. Linux is typically a cheaper option than Windows, but Windows has certain features that only work when used with a Windows platform. Below is a list of those features, and what they can do for your site.

* ASP: This is an application that web designers use to create the webpages within the website. The application has different features that some designers prefer to work with when building sites.

* MSSQL: If you need to have a database within your website, this can be a great application that will allow you to do it. Often web developers who work on a Windows platform use MSSQL with ASP and Cold Fusion.

* FrontPage: Another webpage builder that can not only create pages for the site, but also forms. FrontPage is very user-friendly and allows web designers or website owners to upload those pages and forms to their website.

* .NET: This software is nearly essential if you’re going to ...
... be running your website from a Windows platform. This framework includes security tools, connectivity solutions, allows for application development, and more.

* Windows Streaming Media: Many website developers think that there’s simply no better way to show video files and allow visitors to listen to audio files than by using Windows Streaming Media. This feature alone is one of the reasons why the Windows platform is the number one choice among radio stations, band websites, and movie trailers.

* Access: Just like there’s Microsoft Access for your PC, there’s also Microsoft Access for your website. The difference is, that many other applications and features within the Windows platform rely on Access to function properly.

While these are all great Windows features, there’s a reason that some developers still prefer to run websites from Linux operating systems. That’s because while Linux applications can be moved over to a Windows operating system, the same is not true with Windows features. While you can try to move Windows features over to a Linux platform, they may not necessarily run properly and you may find that you have a lot of trouble shooting to do. Depending on the features and applications you currently have running on the Linux platform, Windows features may not work at all on it.

This though is not an issue for some. Many people simply prefer the Windows environment and working with Windows applications. When this is the case, the need to move to a Linux platform will most likely never arise. These features however, will still be there and, knowing the fast-paced world of web development, more are bound to be built and created every day. When you want a fully robust platform for your website that you’re comfortable working in, these are just a few of the Windows features you’ll find to help you along your way.

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