Linux Solutions

Etelos, the software-as-a-service provider announced a new addition to its offerings last weekend: hosted installations of some major open source projects.

What this means is that you can use the Etelos site and provision your own hosted copy of Wordpress, phpBB, Media Wiki or SugarCRM. The idea is that this is another way for open source developers to get their applications in front of potential users, and an easier way for businesses to set up this type of software with out in-house expertise.

The process has been made very straight forward by Etelos. You firstly, select an application from their catalogue then click ‘Add to Cart’. You then commit yourself to paying $4.95 per account per month, and they do all the technical stuff for you.

Essentially, with this model, Etelos is trying to remove one of the traditional problems for small businesses who are trying to move to open source, i.e. the difficulty of setting up and maintaining servers.

Out of the four applications, Wordpress is the most out of place. Consider the fact that Wordpress is free from the source itself, why you would want to go through Etelos – paying $60 a year for the privilege – when you could just do it yourself?

All in all, this is a pretty strange offering, Etelos will have to justify their unique services to attract any businesses, but with most other companies giving away Wordpress - and even Wiki - for free, it’s going to be a bumpy ride for them.

For those who follow the development of Linux and the companies that have a heavy exposure to the operating code, you will surely have come across Red Hat. This company is one of the largest developers and distributors of Linux based systems and at the forefront of many developments over the years. So how large is Red Hat?

Red Hat is actually listed on the US NASDAQ technology based stock market with a current market value in the region of $4 billion. While the share rice is currently near the 12 months high at $21, the shares have been as high as $160 in 2000 and as low as $3 in 2001. These wild swings have often reflected the prospects and marketability of Linux, although the company does also develop other open source systems to compliment their main Linux based brands – the recently released JAVA open source code being one of the more recent additions.

The Red Hat company has seen turnover increase from $278 million in 2006 to $523 million in 2008, but unfortunately profits have not gone in the same direction. The Group reported net income for 2006 of some $79 million, only to see 2007 figures fall to just under $60 million and then rebound back to $76 million for the year ended February 2008. Even though we have seen a major slump in worldwide stock markets over the last 12 months, the fact that the Red Hat share price is nudging its 12 month high says a lot for the prospects for the company.

Many analysts are forecasting a very productive and lucrative time over the next couple of years for Red Hat, a time when Linux is knocking on the door of the mass market and Red Hat is at the front of the queue.

While the web hosting industry continues to expand we are seeing the position of Linux growing stronger by the year. Even though we all know that web hosting is vital to any business, how many of us actually know that Linux is by far and away the main operating systems used in the hosting industry?

It is this base with the web hosting industry which has allowed Linux to look at the desktop market over the last few years and try to compete with Microsoft Windows. However, while Linux is the more popular operating system in the hosting sector, Windows is still very much available. So why choose Linux over Windows?

There are many benefits which Linux seems to have over Windows based web hosting systems which include :-

Reliability

It has long been recognised that Linux gives a stronger foundation for any hosting company, with Microsoft Windows not being able to compete on this factor. That is not to say that there are no benefits to Windows, just that overall the reliability is not yet there.

Cost

As you might expect from an open source operating system, Linus is very much cheaper (often free) compared to the high commercial cost of a similar Windows based system.

Development

While there is no doubt that Microsoft is one of the more proactive of computer companies in the world, and release software and operating system updates on a regular basis, it is difficult to compete with Linux. In affect Linux has thousands of developers working on the system at any one time, and all free of charge, ensuring that new elements and changes are rolled out on a regular basis.

Summary

The Microsoft Windows web server package is probably more relevant to those who will run predominately Windows applications. However, the need for variation, reliability and lower costs has seen Linux push itself firmly to the front of the queue.

Linux Hosting

After registering a domain name, it is a time for a website owner to find out web hosting service provider. Remember that Linux web hosting is more cheap, secure, efficient, reliable and dependable. Linux web servers have fewer chances to lost data because Linux OS contains additional security features. Many Linux web site hosting plans are there and it depends upon website requirements which will explain that which package you should take. Usually, a Linux web hosting plan contains the following features.
Control Panel:
Control Panel or CP is used to manage website and it is sometimes also known as nucleus of a website. Control Panel is provided with Linux web hosting plan while you are taking a new web hosing account.
FTP Accounts:
FTP Accounts and Virtual FTP in web hosting allows webmasters to upload all files or contents into website and update them.
POP3 Email Addresses:
POP3 addresses let you to manage emails easily and it is possible to handle emails of different website separately. POP3 IDs are in the form name@domainname.com. Linux web hosting can provide plenty of POP3 accounts depending upon the size of package.
Backup:
Linux web servers automatically take backups, this make Linux web hosting reliable. Customers always care this feature because it is very essential.
Bandwidth:
While you are looking to get more bandwidth, Linux web hosting contains this feature because Linux web servers are very much efficient. While deciding about web hosting package, select that one which provides sufficient bandwidth.
PHP and MySQL Support:
Linux hosting plans highly support PHP and MySQL and these features are included in every package which you have purchased because PHP and MySQL are mostly used in web industry these days.
Webmail and SMTP:
Linux web hosing contains webmail feature so that you should be able to get emails from web-based interface. However number of webmails depends upon package size of your account.
Web Statistics:
Visitor analysis always plays a major role in the success of a website. In Linux hosting a statistics application runs in the backend of the server which could be used to views daily visitor report.
Spam Filters:
Linux web hosting is secure because it protects from all types of spam attacks. However spam filters should be installed on Linux web servers to protect all websites hosted on it.
Dedicated IP:
Without having dedicated IP, it is not possible for your website to support SSL features. So, you need to pay for dedicated IP if you are looking to get this feature.