What is Windows Web Hosting?
The evolution of Web Hosting, over the years, from uncomplicated sites comprising of HTML and simple images to sophisticated web based hosted applications is quite enlightening. Now end users can visit a site, interact with the web site owner and even purchase goods and services all over the internet.
Web hosting platforms vary from different types of operating systems. Microsoft Windows Server and Redhat Linux are considered to be the most well known web hosting platforms.
Windows Web Hosting -
Windows Web hosting uses the Microsoft Windows Server operating system to host websites containing simple HTML pages as well as applications written in ASP or ASP.NET. Windows uses a built-in application or "service" called Internet Information Services (IIS). This application allows the HTML pages to be put on a browser, downloaded and thus, viewed by you.
Benefits of Windows over Linux/Unix
If you have never designed a web page before then any of the two will do but, if you need to use ASP or ASP.NET, then these scripting languages are only available on Windows. The Windows Web Hosting 3Essentials, you have many different options in getting your HTML pages that you design uploaded to your web hosting account.
In Windows, you can use free File Transfer Protocol programs and some that you can buy at very reasonable prices. Using FrontPage or Macromedia DreamWeaver you can upload your pages directly from the application.
One important benefit of Windows is that the function of sending and receiving email is extremely easy. Once your mailbox has been created you can use Outlook Express or WebMail interface to send and receive email from a web browser.
The 3Essentials hosting on Windows along with the control panel software by Sw-Soft called Plesk has made managing of your web site much easier. Plesk is a web based interface that allows you to create e-mail addresses and mailboxes, view your web site traffic statistics, set permissions on your HTML, ASP, and ASP.NET pages among other functions.