Using Linux and Unix Based Web Hosting

By admin | Published: May 28, 2009

Most people simply assume that all web servers and computers run either Microsoft Windows or the Macintosh operating system, but that’s not true.  In fact, many web servers actually use either Linux or Unix, two very similar operating systems.  In fact, it’s possible your web hosting server uses one of these two operating systems and you don’t even know it!  That’s because people using shared web hosts really don’t need to know anything about how the server operations.  However, if you’re using a virtual private server or a private server for your web hosting, you may need to know what operating system it’s using.

Many people haven’t heard about Linux/Unix, however, because until several years ago, they were mostly used by those in the computer programming field.  Few average users used these operating systems on their home computers because they are much more complex than Windows or Mac OS.  Recent upgrades, however, have made them more user-friendly.  However, for the most part, you won’t have to worry about actually using either of these operating systems since all you’ll need to do is upload your website to the hosting server.

Both Linux and Unix are open source operating systems.  This means they are platform independent.  It doesn’t really matter what operating system you use, although there are some specific Windows applications and programming languages, such as ASP and Visual Basic, that may not work on Linux/Unix servers.  However, basic web design, Java applets, and all other programming scripts like Pearl, Python, PHP, C/C++, and Shell will work just fine.  When it comes to databases, though, you’ll also need to be aware that while Linux/Unix both support mSQL and MYSQL, they don’t support that Microsoft MSSQL database.

While you may not be able to take advantage of as many Microsoft products, Linux/Unix does claim to be much more reliable and isn’t as often targeted by viruses as Windows is.  This is why many in the computing world prefer to run these operating systems.  Since they’re open source, programmers are able to modify the system to their needs.  Linux/Unix is also designed for multitasking.  The two operating systems can run a large number of processes all at once, putting all of the server’s resources to use.

The cost of Linux/Unix is also much cheaper than Windows.  In fact, since they are both open source, there is usually very little cost involved with installing and using either Linux or Unix.  This means web hosting costs in generally are cheaper since there’s no operating system cost or licensing fee involved.  Often, you’ll only pay for storage and bandwidth use.

The downsides of using a Linux/Unix hosting server is that you won’t be able to use Microsoft FrontPage extensions, advanced ASP scripts, or some of the Microsoft databases and other programming languages.  However, if you won’t be using any of these on your website, then there’s no reason not to consider a Linux/Unix server.  You may even find that Linux/Unix web hosting offers more for your website than a Windows server does.

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Tidbits to consider when you plan to build your own website

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

If you do not want to hire a special person that will help you create your own website so you can conduct businesses.  Then you can do it yourself; of course, if your knowledge on internet language is somehow limited or outdated this activity might take you some time and effort.

Many software programs available will help you create the perfect website that will suit your needs and preferences.  In accordance to the software, there are levels of expertise and of language knowledge that are required in order to fully operate them, while others are simple enough to be used by anyone. Sadly, the programs that are simple often lack the important features that can make your website stand out from the rest.

So you must first need to realize and accept the degree or lack of software language management that you have, and then look for the adequate software that you can find. Nonetheless, when you search for the right software either freeware or free to try, you need to consider whether this software requires you to purchase additional products in order to be able to use the entire product as simple as it is advertised.

In addition, you need to check the type of programs that the software includes for you to use in the creation of your website. Elements such as buttons, bars, attention grabbers and even wallpapers are just as important as the entire concept is.  If the software that you decide to use does not have a sufficient amount or variety of these elements, you might need to search the internet to acquire them.

Fortunately, most of these elements are shareware, which means that the only thing that you will need to do is to provide the rightful acknowledgements to the website and/or webmaster from where you took the elements.  This is not a duty and there is little to no penalization other than the moral one in failing to do this, however, it is simply internet manners.

Naturally, to have a hired person will allow you to ask and have specialized and custom made elements that you can protect from being at any other website in the entire world.  Nonetheless, if you do not have the intention or the building budget to have a hired person, you can create a unique and interesting website without having to have custom made elements.

Searching the internet to find the right elements for your website will require some time from you as well as patience.  But this is a search that you can do while you are still sketching the concept and basic information that you will be placing on your website.

Most of the times, all you will need to do to store one of these elements is right click on top of it and “save as”.  It will help you to have the address of the website written down in a piece of paper or notebook for future reference.

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Photographs and pages of your website

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

There are many sections and pages that you can place on your website that will enhance the overall aspect of your website.  However, there is no need to put a FAQ page on a website that is devoted to providing information and not selling anything.  At the same time, having a website that is intended for selling goods and services and not have a S&H page will be pretty discouraging for potential customers.

You need to make clear the information that you have on your website and, at the same time, provide as much of it as you can possibly do so that your potential customers and surfer can have an accurate idea of how do you conduct your business.

If you are making a purely informational page, then make a sketch on how many pages do you want to have published and what will be the main focus.  For example, if you are making a page based on the traditions of your country, then you can divide it into four big sections:  Traditions of the north, south, east and west.

On the other side, if you are providing accessories for the celebration of such traditions such as the specific traditions that a sector of your country has at a given season, then you will need to mention the traditions of the country in general, of the area in particular and of the celebrations that you sell accessories for in specific.

Remember to add as many photographs as you can possibly find that will allow the viewer to understand better the traditions to which you are referring.  Ideally, it will be that you take your own pictures and then upload them in the internet; this way you will be able to focus on those things that are particularly important to you and disregard those things that are not important.

But if you are not able to find the right type of photographs, you can easily add drawings and any other graphic items that will enhance the opportunity that your customers and surfers have to understand what it is that you are saying.   If your website is a store, then you will need also to provide high-definition photographs of the products and services that you are selling.

If you are selling, let’s say, courage in a bottle, you will need to make a close up shot of what does courage looks in a bottle and the type of bottle that you will be using to pack courage up.  Make sure that you can provide the same bottle every single time or add a corrective note clearing that the bottle might change according to disposition.

As you can see, having the adequate pages can and will vary according to the type of website that you are building.  And in terms of photographs, they will also vary according to what information you can and cannot place on your website; nonetheless, make sure that all photographs are high-definition.

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Low cost website advertising

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

Advertising your recently built website means that you will have to register it in all the major internet searchers so that when a person makes a query search, your website will be added to the increasing list of search results.  However, this does not assure you that you will be “clicked” upon as a potential result.

Still it is one of the most basic and elemental steps to make your website store or personal website a part of the increasing interactive community.  Using search engines as the place to position your website will require some financial investment from your part so you can register in programs such as “pay per click” and the like.

But if you do not have the sufficient money or you are not yet buoyant enough to subscribe yourself in such programs, there are still alternatives that you can use and that are virtually free of charge.

Naturally, when something on the internet is free of charge it will cost time and effort to learn how to use them as well as time registering.  One of the alternatives is to register in a ring.

* Website rings

A website ring is a grouping of certain websites that are devoted to specific themes, topics, services or goods.  Each website that is part of the ring will have a ring banner placed strategically on their website so that surfers and other potential customers of the site will be able to visit alternative stores and sites that are ring members.

If the potential customer does not find what he or she was looking for on one of the stores of the ring, it is likely that he or she will find it on any of the other stores in the ring.  Ring subscription generally requires to submit your data and then wait for the ringmaster to visit your store and determine whether it is worth being in the ring.

Fortunately, there is no limit to how many rings can a website be subscribed to, so you can have as many rings as you deem adequate.  Each one will be free advertising to your website.

* Banner exchange

There are some websites that will allow you to create your own banner with no

charge, once again, all they will ask is the right acknowledgement from your side.  The banners that these websites will provide you are simple in their structure and image, but they will act correctly in terms of what it is that you expect them to do.

These banners will allow you to register at any of the many banner exchange programs that are also free of charge.  These programs have a simple way to provide their customers with what they need:  Advertising.  You in turn, will also be asked to place on of their switching banners in your website, in the strategic page or even all through it and every 5 to 10 seconds the banner will change.

This is probably, the best low cost advertising.

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When creating the overall design

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

When you are programming or hiring someone to program your website you will need to make some considerations as to the general look and aspect of your website.

•    Do not divert far from the original idea or concept

If you are creating a Halloween website then using decoration that resembles Christmas or Easter will fall out of the picture giving the website a bad look.  The same will apply if you instead of using decorations that are directly related to Halloween end up using a seaside wallpaper.

Obviously, using skeletons, witches, cauldrons, black cats and all other imagery of the Halloween celebration is something that has been done to exhaustion and you might not feel inclined to continue the tradition.  Innovation comes to play when you decide to alter or modify these classic icons and add them some innovative features such as glitter or interactive characteristics.

If you are hiring someone else to create your website or if you have the budget that can allow you to, it might be a good idea to have a graphic designer custom make at least three or four characteristic icons that are directly linked to your website.  If you are creating a website that is focused on extreme sports, even an ambulance can be a good idea.

•    Use surrounding elements

Christmas is a celebration that is devoted entirely to the birth of Jesus.  It has become also a celebration where most stores make huge profits in sales of goods and services that are then used as gifts, making this one of the top websites on the internet.

But it also requires some work.  As said before, the elements that are characteristic of Christmas are often over used; if your budget is not strong enough to allow you to have a graphic designer custom make or alter one of these elements, simply turn to surrounding elements.  Surrounding elements are those who are not directly linked to the theme like the Christmas Tree or Santa Claus but that are also viewed as cute, loving and that might even transport you to the celebration.  An example of a surrounding element is Peace and the Turtle Dove.

•    Music?

One of the things that haunt designers and webmasters the most is whether to put music in their websites.  Regulating the music volume and the piece in itself might be something that is particularly problematic.  What you find as a good piece of music might be a piece of crap for someone else.

Therefore, music should be used in a very moderate manner when building your website and the controls to turn it on and off should always be available.  Consider that most of your potential customers will be viewing your website while they are at work, which means that they are trying to pass as unnoticed as possible.  If you have a loud piece of music this will not happen and you will be loosing money as well as a potential returning customer.

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Typical Types of Web Hosting services

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

So you’re done creating your website. You have found a catchy domain name and have perfected the layout. After a sleepless fortnight, you are ready to share this informative, sleek, oh-so-interesting website to the world. Well, next step is — web-hosting provider hunting.

The rule of thumb in making websites available to the public is to avail their own service space through a system called web hosting. Websites need to reside on particular server because the computer itself has its own limitations, particularly on the security settings or features of the machine. Through the web hosting, websites and their associated multimedia content are made accessible 24/7.

Web hosting functions like a vehicle, which enables files to be uploaded using the file, transfer protocol– better known as the FTP. Said packages have data support and they come with application developmental platforms. In toto, the basic and primary purpose of web hosting services is to permit you to increase your accessibility by making your website operations expanded.  There are several types of hosting including shared hosting, Virtual Private Sever or the VPS, and Dedicated.

A shared web-hosting service or a derive host pertains to the system where a number of websites reside on a particular server which is connected to the Internet. The concept is to have each website housed in a particular section of the sever thus separating it from the rest. One major advantage is the mere fact that it is economical as many people share the maintenance fee. I t is a requirement to have a system administration as it is shared by a number of users. Though it is a disadvantage for users who demands a much more extensive software development, it is considered beneficial for users who do not want to mainly deal with it. Usage is limited and is usually controlled through a web-based systems including, Plesk, DirectAdmin, cPanel, Ensim and H-Sphere. In shared web hosting, servers are normally based on the LAMP and Linux OS, which is operated by the inexpensive cost of open source software.

We also have what we call the Virtual Private Server or the VPS, which allows the service provider to separate a single physical, sever computer into multiple ones to that each of these servers can run or function on its own dedicated machine.  These Virtual Private Servers enables its own copy of the OS. They can likewise install any software that is compatible with the OS. In much simpler lexicon, VPS hosting allows the user to gain more control without requiring extended resources of a dedicated server.

A dedicated hosting service on the other hand allows a client to take full control of an entire server. This way, the clients need not to share it anyone. Dedicated hosting service provides more flexibility than other web hosting services as the client can choose the specific operating system, hardware and other applications to be installed. Websites with higher traffic is best managed and hosted by a dedicated server.  A dedicated server can also be a way of gaining larger ROI as compared to other services.

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Web Design for Beginners

By admin | Published: May 23, 2009

Creating a website might seem intimidating however these days there are limitless tools for even the least internet savvy of users. There are a multitude of free website hosting services and most offer templates which allow you to simply insert your text and images while the template completes the more complicated web design elements such as placement, links, colors and fonts, and more.

Before you begin creating your website, consider some basic elements of web design which will help you in making a website that others will find pleasing to the eye and easy to read.

First, choose colors which do not clash or offend the eye. Black backgrounds can be not only annoying but can also hurt the eyes, especially when combined with a bright colored text such as hot pink or bright yellow. There are so many websites from which to get information that most web surfers will not stop long at a site that is not easy for them to peruse.

Choose a font size that is appropriate for most readers. Too large a font will result in an amateurish website which is difficult to read because the reader will need to scroll through more often to get to the bottom. Too small a font and you will lose anyone with vision problems, aside from the fact that having to lean in to the screen to read is highly annoying to any web surfer. Good web design means that your website is accessible and easily viewed by almost anyone.

Resize your images before uploading them to your web hosting account. Huge pictures are a good way to frustrate web surfers who are on a dial-up connection and those with smaller screen resolution. Your pictures should load quickly and be of a size that does not take up the entire screen. Approximately 500 pixels at its widest point is a good rule of thumb in web design for the size of your images.

Use your web host’s tools. Don’t be afraid to test out all of the web programming tools that your host has to offer. Most are point and click and make it easy to incorporate entire color themes and interactive elements into your website. Let your choices reflect your personality – there are contemporary, romantic, eclectic, and professional looking designs available.

Protect yourself – do not ever publish your full name, address, phone number, location, or children’s names on a public website. In this day and age it is easy for anyone to look up your personal information using just one piece of data obtained from a website. Particularly with identity theft concerns, it is wise to protect as much information as you possible can. Only give out your personal website address to friends and family whom you want to keep updated on your activities and easily share photos with.

The internet can seem like a large and confusing place, however with a little research and a lot of creativity you can create a website design that is attractive, functional, and fun.

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Dedicated Web Hosting

By admin | Published: May 19, 2009

Hosting needs will vary from project to project and from webmaster to webmaster. Dedicated hosting, although typically the most expensive form of website hosting, does provide for many very attractive benefits not possible with other hosting options. You are leasing an entire web server, for only your use, from the hosting company. This differs from shared hosting options in which multiple webmasters share one server, and you have zero control over their activity and their actions.
1.    You control your own server – With a dedicated hosting package you are leasing an entire server from the hosting company. Whereas with other hosting options you are sharing a server with other webmasters, with a dedicated server you control the server, its content, its operating software, its modules, and its operation. You are able to do with it as you wish. There is peace of mind in this setup and it offers the greatest degree of professional control. However, at a price, which often includes an initial one-time setup fee.
2.    You alone manage the server – Being responsible for the complete management of the dedicated server is an advantage in that you entirely control how the server operates, what sites you host, and all other aspects. This is also a disadvantage if you are inexperienced in managing servers since you and only you are responsible for fixing something that no longer works, or if you want changes to be made. Managed dedicated server packages are available, typically for a higher price, in which technical teams will help you manage your server and fix it when something goes wrong.
3.    You benefit from the full resources of the server – If the server has 500GB of disk space, 4MB of RAM, and a quad-core CPU, that is YOUR disk space, RAM, and CPU bank. You don’t share it with anyone else. This advantage comes into play if you have high traffic sites, or sites requiring intensive CPU load. Your server is more likely to handle these situations when your alone have access to the server resources. This is not the case in shared server setups where sites compete for the server resources and situations can occur where performance of your site(s) are affected by other peoples’ sites on the same server.
4.    Greater freedom with add-ons and configuration – Shared hosting systems are often cookie cutter solutions and since the entire server is shared with other webmasters, your need for increased or changed resources cannot always be accommodated without moving to another server. In a dedicated setup, modules and add-ons can easily be removed and added to meet your needs.
5.    Room to grow – In scalable web businesses dedicated hosting allows for ‘room to grow’ that is not afforded in other hosting options. If the traffic for one of your sites doubles within a week often simple upgrades for RAM, CPU, or bandwidth can be purchased separately to accommodate the increased loads.
6.    Ability to resell – Depending on the hosting company you are leasing your dedicated server from, you may have the option to sell hosting on your server to other webmasters, “reselling”. In cases where you do not fully utilize the resources on your server, or only run a couple of smallish sites, you may choose to offer hosting on your server to other webmasters for their sites.

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