which is the better hosting?

[adamt222]

Hi all;

I know that there are many hosts that offer
various levels of service, Storage, monthly x-fer,
control panel, CGIs, etc. at various prices

My main point of this post is,
which is the better server to suit my needs?

Should I get hosting that uses
Linux Apache or Windows 2000?

Basically my web pages will be built in PHP/MySQL.
They will have text,
images, database reading/writing functions
(on a light scale), emails sent thru scripts,
and a shopping cart.

Hosts using Linux Apache & Windows 2000 offer PHP/MySQL
connectivity, but currently, the host that I
have uses Apache and seems to have a lot
of trouble with the mail() function.
The function works, then doesn't,
then does again after mailing the helpdesk.
I don't know if that is an issue common to Apache,
or just that the host sucks.
This is a function that i will use regularly,
so it's not something that can be intermittent
or flaky when i use it. It will make look bad. unacceptable.

I guess I am looking for the best mix
of reliability, server uptime, and security.

can anyone help with some advice?

Thanks;
Adam

[stolzyboy]

if you are planning on staying with php/mysql, you will want to stay with an apache/linux host, php/mysql are more stable on the linux platform running apache

as far as your problem with the mail() function, it looks like you may have run into a bad host, and even so, isn't a fault of apache or linux persay, it could be their inability to run a decent mail server, or that they chose a bad one, etc...

so, in short, LAMP(Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), is the way to go.

[greg252]

I have to agree, but for 1 other reason...You can set up a local computer with the same paths as your host for dev (for FREE!).
You can't imagine how much time/energy/embarassment I have saved by testing at home and then posting.

[superwormy]

For PHP and MySQL, stick to Apache / Linux ( or FreeBSD, which is way better than Linux :-) )

[adamt222]

Thanks to you for replying and helping
me out. I will now seek out a host that offers
LAMP as one of you stated.

superwormy

greg252

stolzyboy

Cheers;
Adam