Web Hosting

Windows hosting
Almost everyone who has ever used a PC knows that Microsoft Windows is the mostly widely used desktop operating system (OS) in use today. Although the tech savvy community is now more inclined to use alternate operating systems, Windows still has the majority share of the basic user (newbie) market because it’s easy to use. Microsoft launched Windows NT in 1994 to be used with network servers. Windows NT had an all new OS kernel different from it previous versions. Since then, Microsoft has released various versions of windows, based on the NT core, to be used as server systems. The latest of them is Microsoft Windows 2003. Like every other platform, Windows has its own benefits and disadvantages. We will examine these in brief.
Benefits
The benefits may vary depending upon the scripting language you use. IIS (Internet Information Services) is a major benefit on Windows. IIS 6 is the latest version of IIS with major performance upgrades and advanced features like XML Metabase, ASP Hang Detection, and support for 64 bit servers, etc. ASP is the widely used language on the enterprise level for custom-made applications that require stability and performance. Windows supports Microsoft’s SQL server—one of the most robust DBMS around. With features is like stored procedures, triggers, etc., it is the favorite choice for performance-based application development. Another major benefit of the Windows platform is the support for the .NET framework. ASP.NET is popularly used nowadays due to its features like memory leak, crash protection, multi-language support, etc. Windows also supports certain enterprise level applications for high end-users. One of them is Exchange Servers, which is known for its rock solid performance in business-critical information handling.
Disadvantages
The most basic thing you should know about Windows hosting is that it involves a lot of licensing cost. The Windows OS itself is not free. IIS, ASP support and .NET support do come bundled with Windows, but MSSQL and Exchange servers need additional licenses, which are not cheap. Any additional component that might be needed on the server is also paid. The concept of open source software does not apply much in the case of a Windows environment except for MYSQL, PHP and some other components, which are open source and compatible with windows. Windows hosting cannot be cheap because of these additional set up costs. The other disadvantage is that very few open source scripts compatible with Windows are available on the Internet. You have to purchase licenses for mostly any ASP or .NET scripts you want to use. The security, stability and performance of the server depend upon how it was set up largely.

Blog hosting
Before blog hosting became a niche product in the web hosting industry, the act of 'blogging' has been fully has been fully entrenched within the online community. Blogging basically involves a means of chronological publication of personal ideas, beliefs and thoughts that is frequently updated for general public consumption.


History of blogs
Blogs were established since the beginning of the Internet before the term 'blog' was even fashioned. It was done in the form of mailing lists, Usenet posts and bulletin board systems (BBS). However, people wanted to go more personal by publishing content that represent their personality or business. This is where blogs were introduced. By following a similar format to a website, blogs were meant to simplify posting of items by non-tech savvy users.

History of blog hosting
When the blog bandwagon began to jump, companies started creating remotely hosted services that allows users to sign up and start their own weblog. While the publication of content to the blog was easy, it lacked some advantaged functionalities for professional bloggers who needed more control of their blogs. Then came the developer hosted blogs whereby users can download and install blog application on their hosting account. Today there are hundred's of such applications for different development platforms. The blog bandwagon turned into an explosion with millions of blogs being launched by web enthusiasts.
It didn't take long for web hosting companies to realize the revenue-generating potential of blogs. They started creating plans geared for blogs and developed their own blogging applications or offered pre-installed blogs.

Starting a blog hosting service
Decide if you want to build your own blogging application or offer pre-installed developer hosted blogs. Fantastico is a cPanel add-on that offers easily installation of web applications including weblog.
Create different plans with different bandwidth and disc space allocation that will allow and motivate your customers to upgrade.
Offer blogging tips and tutorials to those unfamiliar with the concept of blogging or the blogging software that your company offers.
Consider offering other products like image/video galleries, RSS and podcast technologies that customers can easily integrate in their blog.
Choosing a blog hosting service
First decide if you want to install your own blog application or you will use the one provided by the hosting company. If you are installing your own blog application, make sure that the hosting package meets the requirement of the application.