Linux is a freely-distributed operating system that was created in 1991 by a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. It was created with the assistance of developers from around the world under an open license that has since made it freely available to everyone. Today, it is robust, reliable, and very efficient. It has repeatedly proven itself as a popular solution for web hosting servers.

Linux uses PHP, Perl, or MySQL as languages for adding access and processing online data. Linux is ideal for websites that display information as a brochure, in newsletter format or as data sheets. Linux works well for interactive display sites like inquiry forms, online purchasing and other e-commerce functions. Site design programs like Microsoft FrontPageR can also be successfully used with Linux technology. In fact, Dotster offers FrontPage Extensions with Linux hosting packages.

As most people are aware, Microsoft is a preeminent giant in the computing environment. Microsoft's solution is ideal for customers that want to use ASP (Active Server Pages) or other Microsoft applications to design their web pages. Microsoft hosting also offers an advantage if you wish to incorporate searchable databases in your website. The Microsoft platform delivers reduced development time and better functionality for databases.