Windows VPS Why?

[ozgreg]

I been utilising the old 'nix environment with my hosting needs for close to 8 years and although back in my uni days I had exposure to unix I found mostly that running a website in the 'nix environment in terms of the huge volume of open source products the best way to go and the experience not too techy savy unless you want to get your hands dirty (like I do) ;-)

I noticed lately an increase in the number of hosts offering windows based hosting packages and my first (and still reaction) is I would not touch this environment with a 20 foot bean pole..

Now, I do not want to start a debate over operating environments, I work with SAP so I get a lot of exposure to multiple environments and hear this debate rehashed many a time :-) what I am interested in hearing is why would a Windows VPS hosting solution be even considered, when Windows is so much more resource intensive (read memory) and the amount of open source applications in terms of website applications (not clients) is considerably less.

[Hvu]

Which applications are you talking about almost all app on linux can be used on windows. PHP / CGI / Perl etc all work on Windows. People need Windows for ASPX or ASP. Or just not comfortable with shell and want to use remote desktop (: could be a deciding factor.

[ozgreg]

As for the applications, yes the main stream applications work (although a few of them have querks under windows) I never considered ASP which could be because of the history behind the approach that MS took with this "language".

I wonder just how much of a market share this will really generate and just how many debates are going to rage over what platform is better for hosting (stay tuned on WHT for that debate) :-)

I guess powerVPS considers windows VPS to be a good offering path considering the number of posts (read internal time) powervps has spent on getting the Windows VPS offerering to a semi stable state I guess personally I would have waited until it was in a stable post 1.0x state considering the history of Windows and beta software :-)

Certainly going to be interesting which direction the market will take..

[Soul]

Not sure why you asked this question if you werent trying to start a debate. You might as well ask... Macintosh/Windows... or Intel/AMD

1.) Compiled Development - ASP.net has come along way since the old asp days. There are tons of windows programmers that find developing on windows to be a very great development platform. As such it is easy to integrate all aspects of the business when the client is on a windows machine.

2.) Windows as a hosting environment is very stable. Just as stable as linux. The instability comes into play when you implement third party scripts and poorly developed applications.

3.) Some software only runs on Windows. I can't name any specifics but I am sure that are plenty of software that mainstream companies use that only runs on windows. Similarly there are also linux apps that dont run on windows.

4.) Ease of Use - Windows is frankly much easier to use than linux. I have used linux for about 10 years but even still there are times when i find all of the different copile flags and options hard to follow.

Dispite your Microsoft mentality (20 foot pole) I bet if you thought about it you could find some reasons why someone would want to use Microsoft.

[ozgreg]

Not sure why you asked this question if you werent trying to start a debate. You might as well ask... Macintosh/Windows... or Intel/AMD.

Because reading some of the Windows VPS Beta threads got me thinking, about the entire Windows environment in terms of a hosting environment. Why did I start the thread? Very simple I am surprised at the level of interest being shown towards Windows VPS boxs and up to now I would have never considered wanting to run my sites on a Windows OS platform and I do not know if I would ever want to but as I said the entire situation is interesting considering the Windows VPS forums already have over 300 posts and the offering is very much still in beta.

Upto now I would have thought that the market demand to host windows boxes would not have been that high, guess that was wrong :)

[vps-vince]

My concern is that it may affect the fantastic support here. :eek:
Hope not.

- V

[Hvu]

Ofcourse they will hire windows certifed techs (:

[ozgreg]

My concern is that it may affect the fantastic support here. :eek:
Hope not.

- V

I got to admit it was my first reaction as well.. How is this product going to pay for the resources required to maintain it..

I am very sure powerVPS have done all the right sums on this however.. :)

[Robert]

Ofcourse they will hire windows certifed techs (:
You saying I'm not good enough to work on your server? ;)