Windows, UNIX, Linux Servers: Outline What is a computer server?

Introduction to major servers

Windows

UNIX

Linux

Windows

Why do so many people use Windows?

Advantages

Ease of use

Support

Disadvantages

Cost

Lack of flexibility

UNIX

Advantages

Scalability

Portability

Disadvantages

Not as well-supported or easy to use as Windows for average user

Still proprietary

Linux

Differences from UNIX

Advantages and disadvantages of nonproprietary technology

Windows, UNIX, Linux Servers

In computing, a server provides the necessary support for the functioning of all a user's various applications, including but not limited to "email, web and even database hosting" (Edmund 2014). Some of the most common servers are UNIX, Linux, and of course Microsoft. Because of Microsoft's ubiquity, it is often the default server that most organizations and private individuals choose. However, this is not necessarily the optimal system for all computing needs. Given the challenges of switching servers once one is selected, it is essential to select the best one for the organization or individual at the outset.

Microsoft's Windows server provides support and updates in a hassle-free way. Particularly for organizations which are not specifically IT-related, using outside support is considered to be less troublesome and thus less costly than having in-house expert staff. Also, the majority of individuals, including employees, are already familiar with using Windows...

"Majority of users utilizing the Microsoft server hosting utilize the Active Server Pages (ASP) technology" and users "can even develop a website utilizing the interface of Microsoft tools such as Visual Interdev, Microsoft FrontPage and Microsoft Access" with "Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL as the database" (Edmund 2014). Still, many IT professionals are not enamored with Microsoft. Windows is considered to be a cumbersome resource suck and as it is a proprietary technology, it can force users to rely upon Microsoft products exclusively. As more and more organizations are using Macintosh products and attempting to move away from the Windows monopoly, this can be frustrating.
UNIX, in contrast, is a non-proprietary technology and many IT professionals consider it superior. First and foremost, it is utilizes fewer resources than Microsoft. "UNIX uses its virtual memory efficiently. In UNIX user[s] can run many programs at a time without using most of its physical memory" and a "number of users can have account on one machine and even use it simultaneously. Thus UNIX is a multiprocessing, multi-user system" that is more efficient than Microsoft ("Advantages and disadvantages of UNIX," 2014). Apple, HP, and a number of other major technology companies (other than Microsoft) favor it because of its "reliability" and "scalability" over Windows as well as the fact it can be used on both PCs and Macs ("Advantages and disadvantages of UNIX," 2014). While it does not offer Microsoft technical support, the system is considered to be easier to use than Microsoft by most independent analysts. Input and output operations are simpler in UNIX than in Microsoft and UNIX "uses a hierarchical file system that allows trouble-free maintenance and efficient implementation. Everything in UNIX is file or a process" ("Advantages and disadvantages of UNIX," 2014). In other…