Why are Linux Server's better for your web site?

Linux is reliable. It's not unusual for a Linux server to run for several years without any major downtime. The most common reasons for a Linux machine to come down are hardware failures or major Operating System upgrades. And with quality hardware from Mansei Design, plus properly configured RAID controllers and Tape Backups, hardware failures are few and far between. Doesn't your network deserve servers that don't need to be rebooted once a week or once a month "to make things work right"?

Linux is fast and efficient. Linux is very efficient in both memory and disk usage, and its big-name internal OS features (caching, symmetric multiprocessing, RAID, etc.) allow it to achieve levels of performance undreamed of on "big iron" hardware configurations. But probably more important, you don't have to spend $25,000 on "big iron" to get excellent performance. Many, many Linux boxes are running with just 64MB of RAM on older 486's or Pentium's and giving yeoman performance.

Linux is inexpensive. Not just because it saves you money on the base hardware as above. Huge amounts of highly reliable, incredibly useful software is available on the internet for free or nearly free. No more seat licence's to be purchased when adding users! No more outrageous software prices. Because Linux is available for next to nothing, even the commercial software available for Linux is reasonably priced!

Linux is free. Linux OS is absolutely free, but more importantly, the source code to almost all of Linux is freely available. This makes it easy for developers to start with existing products, but customize them for your specific needs. Don't have a driver for a new hardware device? No problem! Get the source, and have someone like Mansei Design develop the drivers you need! Need an embedded operating system for a special application? No problem! The source is available and generally free for use.

Linux is internet integrated. Linux, like most Unixes, was designed from the ground up around networking, and specifically the Internet. Better than half of all the web sites on the net are running on Linux servers. A large number of the email servers on the net run Linux, and the number is growing every day. These days, almost all of the cutting edge Internet research and development is being done on Linux boxes, because universities can easily afford Linux for their research labs. Don't be surprised to see all the new innovations appear first on Linux... we told you so!

Linux is flexible. Linux is being used in "small" applications such as dedicated network routers and firewall's where it loads off a single floppy. And in Beowolf Clusters where multiple Linux machines act as a giant supercomputing engine. And everything in between! One of Linux's greatest strengths is the flexibility with which it can be used to solve all sorts of problems!

Linux is compatible. Almost all the new hardware being introduced is being supported by Linux developers, and there is a huge list of older hardware that is still being supported on Linux, even though it's been "abandoned" by mainstream manufacturers. Since the source code to Linux is freely available, anyone who has an interest in maintaining drivers for specific hardware is free to do so, and thousands of developers around the net are doing just that.

Linux is scalable! Linux runs on almost every major hardware platform available, from Intel to Apple to Sun SPARC, to DEC Alphas. And new ports to new processor families and new hardware platforms such as IBM and HP are being announced every single day. No matter how big (or how small) your requirement, there is a Linux platform which can serve your needs. And the operating system is the same across all these platforms, meaning you can start small and grow the hardware as you need it with minimal retraining, recoding, and hassles!

Linux is secure! With so many people using and testing Linux every day, and with the open and free availability of source code for the whole operating system, security bugs in Linux don't last for very long. It's not unusual for security problems to be discovered, and FIXED in less than one or two days! No other operating system or OS vendor can react that quickly to problems with their source! Properly configured and maintained, Linux is one of the most secure operating systems available today.

Linux is the fastest evolving OS in history. Literally thousands of developers around the world are working on Linux. There are more developers working on Linux than on any commercial software ever. And the number of developers is growing at an exponential rate as Linux's popularity spreads. Many new Linux versions, patches, upgrades, and software capabilities are announced every day. The number of new applications becoming available for Linux is truly staggering!