The biggest difference I have found myself between the two is that accessing the Apache server at its command line is possible whereas as yet I have not ever accessed any windows server in that way. Moreover, the scripting languages I get to use with the Apache server hosting are far more complex and versatile than those which I am limited to on my windows sites.

Using Perl and shell to match patterns in amongst gigantic batches of data is child's play - you can sit and churn out amazing Perl scripts till the cows come home and you'll never be short of easy ways to do anything your website needs to do, from uploading customer's files, to emailing subscribers about the latest goings on of whatever it is they care about.

The major problem which my windows-hosted sites suffered was that their access logs were not comprehensive - some data had been lost. However, since I was not accessing it via the command line I cannot be sure that this is not just a flaw in the hosting provider's service, but since they are 1and1 internet, one of the biggest hosts in the world, it is clear that if they cannot do anything about it, few can - and that means using a Microsoft server comes with this problem often, perhaps always. For precision marketing work, which is what mints the most money on the internet, you really need 100% logging of usage, so that you can charge people properly for the money you make them.

It was when one of my clients found that my Apache servers were monitoring pages round the clock and automatically emailing him every single access to certain pages whilst the Windows server was losing as much as 10 to 15 per cent of the access data. Access data is pretty much one of the most vital accounting resources (in terms of accounting for where the money comes from or goes to) for a modern internet-based business and this flaw I have found with my Microsoft hosting is something unacceptable. The client had been completely against Apache and in favour of Windows years ago when we first set things up, but now the client has seen this flaw, they are adamant that they will switch to Apache during the current Tax year.

So the webmasters are going with Apache Web Hosting instead of Windows web Hosting