Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

My team can no longer use the school's server for our website, so I'm considering getting a godaddy.com account. Has anyone had experiance with Godaddy.com.

also should I get a Linux or windows account. What's best for designing the site ASP(FREE Microsoft Web Developer 2005 :D ), Dreamweaver, or something else?

I haven't done much web development so I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Look into getting your team up and running with Sevaa (more information here) they provide free webhosting to FIRST teams, and all you have to pay for is the domain. My team currently uses it and it is really simple to use.
If you know how to write the site, (HTML, CSS ..etc) I suggest using Syn Text Editor it also has support for other programming languages but it is useful when writing the page, because if you mess up a syntax the color coding for the page wont show from the error and later.

Dream weaver tends to limit what you can do unless you are an experience coder. I really don't care for dream weaver.

When it comes to making images for the sites, if you've got the cash I recommend either Corel - Paint Shop Pro , or Photoshop. Another good application is The Gimp .

If you ever need any help with it, you can always PM me, or send me an IM.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I dont think my opinion will be of much help since I dont use ASP but, personally I like to run my sites off a LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) set up. I use notepad as my editor.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

We're currently designing our site in HTML/CSS using PHP. My text editor of choice is PSPad, which is very similary to Syn, but I like it better for reasons that I don't fully understand.
If you must use a WYSIWYG editor (dreamweaver, etc), I can't give you advice, except that I don't reccomend it. You can get something quick and dirty that looks good, but it'll probably behave badly. It might not respond well in different screen resolutions, or it might be dependent on page elements that violate W3C standards, or it might just look bad.

Just my $0.02

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I'll reiterate what's been said about WYSIWYG editors. They are a pain, and I never use them, as evidenced by the fact that it took me a while to figure out how to spell the acronym. :) If you haven't done much with web coding, a CMS (content management system) probably isn't a bad idea. There are several out there, and they're usually quite easy to use once you catch on. The learning curve usually isn't too hard if you know a little HTML and CSS.

As for editor, I use Textpad. It is a lot like Syn or PSPad, but I can't explain why I like it better. There is a full version that I purchased, but the free version ("trial") works great and is legal for these purposes.

As for type of hosting, it depends on what you'll use. If you're using ASP, I'd recommend Windows (obvious reasons), but for PHP and MySQL I prefer to use Linux. If you're doing anything with Dreamweaver or *shudders* Frontpage, it doesn't really matter, just be sure that the package allows the Frontpage extensions if you use them.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

While you would want to go with Windows hosting for an ASP based website, you really probably want to do Linux hosting.

Linux hosting gets you the advantages of PHP (scripting language) and MySQL (database), which are free and easy to learn web development technologies. Microsoft's stuff tends to be more proprietary, and a lot less has been developed for ASP/MSSQL in the open source community.

If you absolutely must use ASP, use Windows. If you can use Dreamweaver to make flat HTML or want to learn how to do some dynamic things with PHP and MySQL, get yourself a linux account and save yourself the pain later of fighting to get ASP to do what you want.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I'm personally hooked to php and mysql.. an occasional asp is still ok when the situation calls for integration with M$ components.

Linux or Windows dosent matter, with windows you can still drop in mysql and php into IIS or run apache off it. You got a nice GUI and remotedesktop to play with (esp if you're using windows at home)

Content management system eases your task when it comes to adding/editing content and allowing non-techie people to edit the site too. Try Mambo or Joomla.. but making a site design template takes some php/css and getting used to. :o

For editors I usually use a blend of dreamweaver, frontpage, notepad, acdsee, photoshop and paintbrush (and Google, your best friend) and you can do everything you ever wanted to. :D

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

There is a tremendous difference between managing your own server and purchasing a shared hosting plan from a webhost. You may not have the access required to install the PHP extension, so it's much safer and easier to go with a Linux plan from the start.

Of course, if you're administering your own server, feel free to do whatever you're most comfortable with.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Godaddy.com...we use godaddy.com, but since we're connected to the school's server (who apparantly uses godaddy) I can't help you much there. But so far, the sever's been good to us and we haven't had any downtime. Do a bit of research, though...there might be some other sites that offer better deals.

Personally, I like notepad. ^_^ But I heard that Syn and other similar programs are pretty good. I don't recommend Dreamweaver or Frontpage or any of those programs, mainly because they are somewhat limited...Of course, it all depends on your preference.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Our team uses GoDaddy.com and, as far as I know, we have never had any problems. Dreamweaver is good, but it's also good to know actual coding in case you have to make a quick update and don't have time for Dreamweaver.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Tell you the truth I've been working with both Linux and Windows servers and Windows has been the best. you can do pretty much the same stuff and usually the windows server is easier to work with. also I've coded much of my ASP pages in Dreamweaver and its worked perfectly for me. My recommendation is a nice Windows server account with godaddy, although i must say that Seeva has been very go to us by offering free server space and bandwidth (my site got to about 15 gigs in bandwidth usage one month and we didn't even get a warning).

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I've a windows box.. currently recovered from stability issues, but still up and running.. so I can offer space and b/w for FIRST teams / FIRST related stuff :)
Supports ASP PHP, with mysql and ADO. Also have py but ... see first. :yikes:
But before that I need to find a freeware FTP server software for win2k for multiple users that is reliable and such.. I'm kinda sick of IIS's FTP service. any recommendations?

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Any WAMP discussion? So far, I've only seen WIS vs. LAMP.

Endeavour (where my site is hosted) runs a WAMP. The only instability has been when eAccelerator is involved.

FileZilla server. (No relation to Mozilla.) Free, OSS. Multiple users, groups, multiple mappings, per-user mappings, directory permissions, and other goodies. (Try it on your local machine.)

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I highly recommend Linux. In fact, I only recommend Linux. There's no reason to use Microsoft hosting (unless you desperately want to master .NET).

Not only is Linux less bloat and more stable, you can get cool Content Management Systems for it. A lot of sites use PHP-Nuke, phpBB, WordPress, Mambo(/Joomla), and other fine programs. Look into them. They are quite cool and feature rich.

Just make sure you get a host that offers PHP and MySQL. GoDaddy is very famous (for their edgy ads). I personally recommend 1&1 (1and1.com). 1&1 is not as well known but actually is the biggest host on the 'net in terms of sites hosted. I went with their $5 plan (2 domain names, 100 GB web space, 1,000 e-mail, 1,000 GB traffic). They pretty much destroy everybody in terms of features vs. price.

As for writing code, I say don't bother. Instead, using a content management system relieves you of any coding duty (except for maybe some stylesheets). If you really really want to bother with code:
#1 Learn PHP
#2 Make compliant code (PLEASE)
#3 You don't need anything fancy to write code. I used Quanta+, but Notepad++ (for Windows, I might add) is a very good programmer's text editor.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Wah :ahh: I guess 1&1 does -own- everyone else in terms of space and features... hmm but missing My/MS SQL database which only the developer plan had :/

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Yeah and that plan is $15! MySQL databases should be standard now, ever hosting package should have them.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

I've considered 1and1 for dedicated hosting plans in the future. The guy that taught me most of what I know about web development used 1and1 for a long time and was very satisfied. I'm not sure if that's what he still uses or not, but they're really a great host.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

We use Globat its been pretty good for us...But i think its a bit $$

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Do consider deploying your own server too. Though it may be the most costly, the experience is very good as you also learn about online server security issues, managing resources such as disk space, memory, bandwidth and user accounts. Not to mention you can run other stuff you've ever dreamt off like media streaming servers (FRC video streams?), game servers, and have total control over your databases and such :yikes:

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

That's a LOT more expensive. We got lucky at one point and we had computers donated to function as servers. The problem we ran into there was that we had them set up in the school, but their network was very restricted to access. We couldn't view the site from in the school (MAJOR problem) and they wouldn't allow us access to the computers to install PHP or MySQL or anything more than a basic webserver setup.

If you're able to afford the server AND have access to actually do work on it, it's worth it, but we have since decided to turn the servers into power computers for A/V editing and effectively remove them from the district network restrictions.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

Just be careful about where you host from. Many ISPs have rules about webservers, or even block port 80 (http). If you're using the school's connection, this is most likely a non-issue, but just make sure you check with your school's IT Dept or your ISP before setting up a server.

Re: Linux vs. Windows hosting?
 

haha yes if you're running it off a residential internet connection, likely port 80 will be blocked.
But if youre having a static business connection or having your server located at a datacentre, you are provided an unrestricted connection and usually bandwidth which goes in megabits, a guranteed continuous source of power and some remote management resources (I have remote power control for mine).

If your school has its own website, perhaps they may allow to dedicate you some space, a subdomain or allow you to have your own domain name. That'll depend on your school so you may want to talk to them on that.