I'm currently a student in Web Design and am getting ready to create my first "real" website. The host company I'm looking into has 2 options as a server choice, a Windows server or a Linux server. I plan to use Dreamweaver to create my site, and MIGHT use some Flash, PHP, and JavaScript. Which is my better option?

Flash and javascript are client side technologies, so they have no bearing on your choice of server, which leaves PHP. PHP does benefit on Linux, after all it was meant to run in Apache. Since you aren't personally hosting and maintaining it, you can throw the learning curve of Linux out the window, and I would choose that. Other than that, your host is probably perfectly capable of setting up PHP and a web server on either system. If you expect a LOT of traffic, go with Linux as this should be more capable of handling it.

It makes no real difference but if you are going to use php then Linux is probably the best option.

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Generally to support PHP code you need a Linux machine with Apache webserver installed, and to support ASP you need IIS webserver on a Windows machine.

If you are using PHP, linux is the better choice. Plus most hosts will let you host multiple domains on one hosting package if you use linux. Windows hosting is more for ASP.

let me list you some capibilities: (i have both)

LINUX

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PHP Enabled

JavaScript Enabled

Not very many good flash creators...

Flash Enabled

Fast

or choose

WINDOWS

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ASP Enabled

JavaScript Enabled

Many good Flash Creators

Flash Enabled

Not as fast as Linux

I would choose a Linux server. I use linux for webhosting, and it works greeeaaat!

Windowsss