The debate over deciding which is better, Windows or Linux, has been one which has been ongoing since the early days of the internet. However, the debate is more or less based on their factors in relation to the web hosting business and what customers want, but factors such as security and usability do come into consideration. Linux is rarely used as a desktop operating system, as its main use is as a server OS; however, Microsoft has released many different versions of Windows meaning that it can be used in almost any scenario.

Linux

Linux is a free, open source operating system which comes in many different versions – these are known as ‘distributions’, ‘distros’ for short. Each distribution has been made for a different use in most cases, but all can be used for similar things; an example of this would be Ubuntu Linux – it was produced mainly for the home user but can be used as a server operating system as well. Linux also has the advantage over Windows that it is less resource intensive meaning that it can be used on older machines or lower specification machines. Security wise, Linux also comes out better than Windows; although viruses do exist for Linux, the number is far less than the number of viruses which can have an affect on the Windows operating system. In most cases viruses can sit in a Linux environment and not have any negative effect, in other words they can sit there in harmony doing nothing.

From a web developer’s point of view, Linux is much easier to work with than Windows is; this is because there is a greater range of free resources and scripting languages that will work within a Linux environment. Also, Linux web hosting is much cheaper than Windows web hosting because the cost of the server software is little or nothing when compared to Windows software.

Windows

Windows is a premium operating system which comes in many different versions, that you can only buy. It is the world’s most commonly used computer operating system and is what has made Bill Gates the richest man in the world. At this moment in time, the current main versions of Microsoft’s operating system are: Vista and Server 2003; Windows Vista is Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system and Windows Server is run on servers. As Windows is widely popular, it is a virus magnet meaning that there is thousands of viruses at the current time capable of causing damage to someone’s computer; this means that people have to fork out more money for anti-virus and internet security software to ensure that their computer is safe.

Windows was the first main-stream computer operating system which gave it a head start within the market; however, Unix based systems like Linux and Mac OSX are starting to eat their way into Microsoft’s market share. If you are a web developer Windows isn’t a very versatile system to work with; you are limited to the languages which will run on Windows, the main ones being Microsoft’s classic ASP and ASP.NET – however, you can get RoR and PHP to run on Windows.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a robust system then you can go with either Windows or Linux, but if you don’t have any experience with Linux then you shouldn’t go with it as the only support that you will receive is community support which may not always give you the answer you need. With Windows you are paying a price, but you are guaranteed support from Microsoft – there is also enough websites on the internet to help you along with both. If you want better security then go with Linux, but if you have the ability to fork the extra money out for Windows’ security software then go with Windows

Scripting languages are a type of programming language that controls a specific software application. One example is JavaScript, that controls slight behaviour of a Web browser. For example, JavaScript in a particular fashion is an event-driven scripting language, so in this way, upon an event taking place, JavaScript “springs into action”. One JavaScript code could wait for an event when the user tries to close the tab or browser, and a message box will appear upon the event happening. As such, JavaScript is a client-side scripting language.

What is a client-side scripting language?

Client-side scripting languages are like any form of scripting language but the browser in some form is the interpreter. As such, a server-side scripting language would be a different type of scripting language genre, but in this case the interpreter is a virtual machine inside a server. In this case, the server is a physical machine that has the virtual interpreter installed on it. Basically, a virtual interpreter reads the scripting code, and translates it to HTML code of that specific result, which the browser can understand, and the same pattern would happen with the browser (HTML code -> bytecode -> screen). In this case, the screen part is where the text is displayed on the users screen.

Why have scripting languages?

Unfortunately computers aren’t like humans, and as a result can’t understand human speech commands that we say. For example, in a command-line interface, if we wanted the computer to open a specific file, we couldn’t just say “open notepad.exe” – the computer would just respond and say “unknown command”. The reason there are scripting languages are for a computer to accomplish a specific task. There are many variety of scripting languages out there, and different scripting languages are for different tasks. For example, JavaScript is a client-side scripting language and mainly an event-driven scripting language, and hence, it usually waits for events to happen. JavaScript is commonly known to be used for pop-ups, and in use with web-forms for validation purposes. Another good purpose of JavaScript is that it is capable of changing images as the mouse moves over them. Much like desktop programming languages which are mostly event-driven as well.

There are other scripting languages that are used for general-purpose activities, for example creating dynamic Web pages to create interactivity to the visitor. In such a sense, we mean that, for example, a page could display two different things. If the user is using Firefox, some text with “You are using Firefox” would be displayed, conversely, if the user is using Internet Explorer, some text would display “You are using Internet Explorer” instead. This is one form of dynamic Web pages, but of course many scripting languages could do things at a much higher-level scale than just this. Another example is creating a text-based game, completely coded in a scripting language.

Just for your information, there is a distinct differentiation between scripting languages and good old HTML. HTML alone cannot create dynamic Web pages, as such some of the examples explained in the preceding sections. HTML was created for the building of Web pages, and as a result, it is a static language, and is the structuring of Web pages (and in some cases the styling of Web pages, too).

How do I learn a scripting language?

First of all you need to understand whatever scripting language you want to go for and what exactly it does. If you want to go for client-side scripting languages, JavaScript may be a good option. And in another criteria, for server-side scripting, PHP may be a good option, as a general-purpose scripting language. Nonetheless, whatever scripting language you go for, you need to look into what exactly it is, and understand the concepts of it first. If you want more information on PHP, you can pop on over to PHP’s official Website, PHP.net and JavaScript resources and tutorials can be found with a little searching with Google.com.

Good luck!

ALT Designs has officially launched their new flash site design. Check it out here.

Why did we delete all of our comments for years that we had on our blog?

Well, it is not really deleted. It is deleted off the blog, or no longer showing.

Instead, we have now decided to use a new FACEBOOK comments as our blog comments.

Why did we do this?

DUH….

#1 – Almost all of our site visitors are already logged into Facebook and with their new “Social Graph” API’s like the “Like” button you are now seeing on every page on the Internet (including mine here) they will see their face asking them to post on my blog as comment. If they are NOT logged in, they can log in to Facebook without having to leave the page.

#2 – It will get more people posting feedback and leaving comments. People like the fact that it is part of their 1 universal Facebook account. You can see it working at here at CNN.

#3 – It looks better and fall into more of a social media vibe.

#4 – Blog comments are soooooo 2010. (Oh well if you are on the Internet you know anything you do today is outdated.)

#5 – It PRE CHECKS  ”Post comment on my Facebook profile.” as you see here

Post to my Facebook profile

What does that mean?

Well, that means the best form of Viral Marketing called SMVM “coined here” or (Social Media Viram Marketing). Actually Social Media and Viral Marketing are one in the same now days.

But back to the checkbox. Every time someone posts it gets added to their profile and their updates. All people that are connected to this person will get a link to my blog and then learn about my post (and my site) as well as post them selves and there starts a viral storm of interested social traffic.

There you have it.

Why on earth would we use anything else.

Oh.. reason #6 – It just kicks ass!

Resources:

- for WordPress “like Button”
- for “Facebook comments for Wordpress”

Thanks,

Mike Holownych
PG Enterprises Web Hosting

PS – leave a comment and lets get new comments on this blog so it does not look like no one cares about us any more (and thank in advance)

The Emabee Wish Project is a non-profit division of ALT Designs, a local Kitchener/Waterloo children’s photography shop. They are taking nominations for single parents that deserve something special (some honey) for being a wonderful single parent.

One lucky single parent will be chosen from the nominations received every other month to receive a free photo session and prints courtesy of ALT Designs.

Do you know someone that is a single parent? Why not submit their name to this special offer.

The Customer Site of Review feature is updated periodically when we deem a site worthy of mention. We are primarily interested in showcasing sites that are well-designed, comprehensive, intriguing, up-to-date, and/or high-profile.

Originally posted 2010-04-07 23:14:44.

Ever since the start of the Internet the phrase “.com” has been used as a way to talk about websites. However, there are many other domain extensions available as well, in fact most people wouldn’t  even be able to name all of the domain name extensions available. The real question is not whether or not you can find another domain extension suitable for your website, but rather “Will any other domain name extension allow you to achieve maximum success with your online business”?

The Power of .com

As mentioned, “.com” seems to have a uncanny hold on the minds of the general public, since it has really become an interchangeable term with the Internet itself. The “.com” extension actually stands   for “commercial” meaning the website is a commercial property. However, it has become much more than that; and most people aren’t aware of the original meaning of the term. Instead, “.com” is now used for blogs, personal sites and every other type of website imaginable.

If you were to take a course on how to choose a domain names, then you will most definitely learn that greatest domain names are easy to remember. The problem with domain extensions other than “.com” is that many people will type in “.com” after the domain name regardless of the domain’s actual extension. In other words if your domain name is “somedomainname.org” then they may type in “somedomainname.com”. This will inevitable take your potential visitor to a website that either is not yours or is owned by someone else. In fact, many of your competitors may try to take advantage of this by purchasing the “.com” version of a “.org” or “.net” domain.

.Org and .Net

If the “.com” name that suits you is already taken, then you could register the “.org” or “.net” version of that domain instead. “.net” and “.org” domains can and do rank just as well in the search engines as “.com” domains. You should also consider the purpose of your website before deciding on the domain name extension. “.net” traditionally stands for network, whereas “.org” traditionally stands for organization. Both of these terms could be applied to a business, so most people opt for “.net” as it is the second most popular choice behind “.com”. Both “.org” and “.net” should be considered if you cannot find a “.com” name that is suitable for your business.

Regional Domain Extensions

Regional domain extensions are domain extensions that end in an abbreviation for a particular nation. The original purpose for the “.com”, “.net” and “.org” domain extensions was for US based use, although there are US based regional domain extensions as well. For example, the domain extension “.co.uk” is an extension that is used to represent a commercial site in the United Kingdom, whereas the domain “.ca” is used to represent a Canadian website, etc. One reason to one might choose to use regional domains would be to rank higher in the search engines in a specific location. This is especially true if you are selling products or services locally. For example, if you have an landscaping business in Canada, then you may benefit from a domain name like “markslandscaping.ca” etc.

Conclusion

The domain name extension you choose will have a great bearing on your success as an online business owner, but it will not ultimately decide your fate in the online community. Instead you will need to learn proper search engine optimization techniques and learn to market your site effectively.

Originally posted 2010-04-06 21:07:08.

Blogging has revolutionized how people do business online. Gone are the days where people were content to deal with a faceless entity when conducting business online.

Instead, people are looking to interact with a human being; not just a corporate name.

A blog is not going to be the be-all and end-all for your business. Just because you have started a blog does not mean that customers are going to start flocking to buy your services and products. However, if used properly, you will be able to take your business to the next level in Internet marketing. The results for businesses that have done so speaks volumes.

Are you looking to integrate a blog into your business’ online marketing mix? Even if you are starting from scratch, this article will be a lot of help to you!

What is a Blog?

A blog, abbreviation for weblog or web log, is a dynamic website which consists of regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other materials such as graphics, audio and video. Blog entries are typically shown in reverse chronological order.

When used as a verb, to blog means the act of maintaining or adding content to a blog.

What is Business Blogging?

Business Blogging is used to refer to using a blog for the purpose of business and marketing strategies. The integration of a blog into online marketing strategy is something that any business should consider.

Lets face it… Your customers are talking about your company; good or bad. If you do not provide an avenue for your customers to provide feedback and get their issues resolved, some may even start their own blog about how terrible your company has treated them.

Business Blogging is a method of communication between the corporate business and others: employees, clients, prospects and/or customers. The business blog represents the business personality through a fellow human being rather than through a faceless corporate entity.

Who Uses Blogs?

From corporate giants  such as Research in Motion to Disney, software developers and engineers at big companies, small business owners, service professionals and entrepreneurs, they are all are using blogs to establish communication and build relationships with their audience.

The Benefits of a Blog

A blog is just another website, but it allows you to dynamically manage your content and build a web presence much easier than traditional web publishing mechanisms. Here are some benefits of a blog:

• Blog software is easy to use. You can focus on content creation and relationship building rather than struggling with technical details. Once you get it up and running, managing and publishing your content can be done by anyone, regardless of their technical know-how.
• Cost-effective alternative to having a web presence. If you don’t know anything about HTML or other web programming languages (ie. ASP, PHP, cgi, etc.) you can avoid having to hire a web designer by installing and using a blog. Good web designers are not cheap!
• Search-engine friendly pages. The structure of a blog (with some tweaking) is search-engine friendly. The robots will easily be able to crawl through your content because of it’s link structure.
• Organization. You will not have to edit or recreate web pages just because you have added more content to any category. Blogs automatically organize your posts into categories, archives and tags based on your choices during post creation.
• Instant update and distribution. Most blog packages have integrated RSS feeds and pinging to allow you to distribute your content to search engines, directories and your subscribers (readers).
• Multiple authors. You can have as many authors contribute to the blog as you wish.

Why Blog?

These days, business owners use blogs as a part of their online marketing activities. Independent publishers use blogs to get their content on the Web in order to build their audience.

From traffic building to lead generation and nurturing, a blog most certainly has it’s place in your marking mix. Whether it’s to communicate to your internal employees, use them as project management or even customer retention tools, blogs are an easy and quick way to get the message out.

Here are a few reasons why you should be blogging:

• Establish expert status. You can share your expertise and build a following in the process. This is especially helpful when you sell products and services in the niche in which you are blogging.
• Driving sales. Small businesses use blogs to help build anticipation about their next product launch or to showcase their products and  expose them to their readers.
• Public relations. A blog provides a quick and easy way to communicate with other bloggers and readers. It is a great tool for promoting your company vision, share news about the latest in product development, and manage crisis.
• Research and Development. You can use the feedback functionality of a blog (comments, ratings, etc.) for research and development of your future products and services.
• Customer Relations. Use a blog to build relationships with potential clients or foster customer loyalty by providing a human touch to your company’s online presence.
• Brand Awareness. Your brand is and extremely important part of your marketing effort. A blog is an amazing opportunity to place your brand in front of the market. Blogging makes it quick and simple to reach a global audience effectively.
• Internal Communication. Blogs can be used to pass on training, project management and communication to your employees.

Can’t Wait to Get Started?

We offer a variety of hosting plans to suit your every need. Check them out here.

Originally posted 2010-04-06 23:46:28.

You’ve decided to start a blog.. Congratulations! Now you want to establish yourself in the online world and hopefully, if everything goes well, make some money while you’re at it. I know that it can be quite the daunting task to even start… No matter what it is that you’re doing with your blog, you will need to start somewhere.

So without any adieu, I’m going to help you get your WordPress blog setup with some handy resources:

Hosting and Domain Registration

We here at PG Enterprises provide a variety of hosting and domain registration options. Check out our Linux plans on our main site here.

CMS

Our focus is on WordPress (which can easily be installed on any of our Linux packages using the Fantastico Installer with a single click of the mouse). But there are some other options as well that I will touch on briefly here.

1. WordPress (Is installed on my website) – Extremely large and widely recognized CMS platform.
2. Blogger – I believe this is Google’s solution to blogging.
3. SquareSpace – Another way to create your blog online.
4. TypePad – Paid CMS services.

You’ve made it this far. Now you should have a functional website and hosting so that the world can access your information.

Designs/Themes

1. CSSVault – CSS and design resources updated daily.
2. SoloStream – Lots of inexpensive blogging templates
3. WPThemesFree – Huge compilation of free WordPress themes available for download.
4. WPSkins – Browse the latest and greatest blog templates and get access to tons of free designs.
5. Real-Time HTML Editor – Enter your code and preview it to make sure everything is working just right.
6. CSS – Find lots of information and several different tools all related to CSS.

Now that you have a great new look for your new blog, lets get you some discussion started about all your hard work. Here are some forums that visit to boost your traffic.

1. NamePros – Discuss domain names and design. Great section for advertising.
2. SitePoint – Find lots of design discussion and lots of ongoing contests to bring out your inner designer.
3. TalkFreelance – Advertise your site, sell your designs, and talk freelance.
4. DigitalPoint – Discuss domain names and sell your designs. Find new business here too.
5. Entrecard – Free advertising. Sign up and watch the instructional video to learn more.
6. BlugRush – Advertising service via widgets and credits.
7. Bittbox – Great design forum with lots of freebies.
8. Elance – General freelancing website.
9. Guru – Advertise your designs and get jobs.

Now that you’ve spread the word about your new site, lets get you in touch with your new readers.

RSS

These are just some of the great RSS readers/resources

1. FeedBurner – Now run by Google
2. RSSReader
3. FeedReader
4. RSSFeedReader
5. Sharpreader
6. JetBrains
7. RocketInfo
8. Pluck
9. RSSOwl

Inspiration

You’ve managed to get this far.. that’s great! You now have your site up and some visitors coming to see your site. You also have some way of maintaining contact with your customers. Now for getting your site filled with lots of great content. I know this part can be a little hard at times. Here are a few resources for you to get some inspiration for your writing.

1. Host in the Shell
2. IconPond
3. SmashingMagazine
4. JohnChow
5. ShoeMoney
6. Blogtrepreneur
7. CSSBeauty
8. StylishLabs

Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2 of this handy group of resources.

Originally posted 2010-04-02 18:54:26.

A Web Host is a company that provides server (computer) space available for websites so that they can be viewed on the Internet. This company enables the site of an individual or company to be accessible by using an Internet Browser anywhere in the world. There are several ways that web hosting can be done. An individual, if so inclined, can even do it themselves. This option provides this individual complete control over the hardware, software and network connections that make up the web site hosting environment — This particular individual would also incur all the costs involved in obtaining and maintaining the hardware, obtaining software licensing and maintaining a dedicated Internet connectivity for the site.

This brings me to the most common reason (the huge investment) most people, even small companies, avoid taking on this task. Another common reason is that taking on the hosting of one’s own website can be a daunting task. One needs to have an in-depth knowledge of the technical requirements of everything involved. So, unless you are already a Systems/Unix Adminstrator with a background in network technologies, it becomes advantageous to hire the best Web Hosting company possible. If you are so technically inclined, you could even host your website on your desktop computer (of course there would be limitations on how much traffic your site could handle with this option — definitely not an option for a large process intensive and highly trafficed website). Yet another common reason is that with the need to constantly keep up with the technical requirements of running the web hosting for your site, you can quickly lose the ability to focus your efforts on your primary business focus — your products or services.

So, if you are searching for a top Web Hosting company, the web hosting reviews can be really helpful. There are many such review sites around listing quite a few of the big and small web hosting shops around the world. The best fit for you will depend greatly on what technical and business requirements that you have for the project. IF you have a large in-house web design team with a lot of technical knowledge chances are you are just looking for a company that can provide your with the reliable hardware and network connections. Your in-house team will manage the rest of the project. On the other hand, if you are a single person running a little store and need technical assistance as well as some other periodic help.. You may be better off with a company that has the support resources that are going to benefit your individual needs.

Still, there are a few things that everyone will want to make sure regardless of their individual requirements. First is the uptime of the host that you have chosen. The more your website is up and available, the more your prospective customers will be able to access your site. The last thing that you want is for your customers not to be able to reach your website. A good web hosting service will surely give you a minimum of 99.8% uptime for your site. A bad hosting service might let you down at the time when a client is striking a deal on your site. It is at such a time that you actually realize the value of a good web hosting service. So, instead of regretting later it is better to take the right steps from the initial stage only, and select a web hosting service that suits your needs in the best way possible.

Originally posted 2010-04-01 18:36:44.

You’ve gone and spent hours of your time and effort creating a new website. Now, you must choose how to get it on the internet. You have 3 options:

1. Host the site on your computer
2. Host the site on a dedicated server
3. Get someone else to host the site

The first 2 options, while quite worthwhile at times, are geared toward big businesses or people with fast dedicated lines. Keeping a webserver running is difficult and requires constant attention to monitoring and upgrades. You will require a fast connection (multiply the number of simultaneous connected users by their average connection speeds [usually around 56kbps] and you will quickly see just how much bandwidth is really needed).

Much easier is using a webhosting company’s shared hosting offering. They will put your site on their server using their connection. You will have access to upload your files through several methods (most common: ftp or web-based control panel file manager) and will be able to change your files at anytime. This is the way that the majority of websites out there are made available online. There are 3 main categories of web hosting that are worth a look: shared, VPS and dedicated.

Dedicated hosting is when your website is hosted by you on a sever that you rent from a hosting company with their connection. It is expensive and is only really a good idea for big websites. The other options are shared and VPS hosting.

Why not Free Hosting?

Now, you may be thinking to yourself: but Mike, there are Free Hosting options out there, why should I pay for it if I can get it for Free? This is a very good question. Paying for your web hosting has several advantages over Free hosting:

• You will most likely get better features with your hosting plan
• Technical support is usually faster and better
• They have more connections to the internet and your will be more reliable
• They will try their best to please you, as you are a paying customer
• They will not place banner advertising on your pages

As always, there are exceptions to this. There are some Free web hosts that have good connectivity to the internet. There are others that have great technical support. There are even those that won’t place any advertising on your pages.

Like most things, though, you do get what you pay for. You will never get as good hosting and service from a free web host as from a paid one. If you require your site to be available at a very minimum of 99.8% of the time, then you really do want to choose the paid host route (This is pretty much anyone that has a website… Imagine having a site that is down 50% of the time).

Features

Web hosts will offer you many different features. I will explain some of them so that you know what you will need:

• URL/Address: This is only important if you’re not going to be using your own domain name. What’s better to you? http://www.somehost.com/this/might/get/very/very/long/ or http://you.somehost.com (a subdomain).
  
• Space: Most websites take up very little space. Quite a few websites (including all graphics) are under 100K, of course with the increase in use of video and music on many sites, the size of the average website is growing every day. Most hosts these days offer as much as 500 MB for their base packages. Just be wary of the hosts that provide unlimited space — This in itself can be a danger to your site.
• Bandwidth/Transfer: This is quoted monthly. It is the total amount of files which can be transferred from your site in a month. Your requirements will depend greatly on how large your site is and the amount of traffic that you receive during the month. There are usually various options for this.
• CGI-BIN: This is a requirement for running cgi or perl scripts (*.cgi or *.pl). Although still in use, these are not as common these days as PHP, ASP or ColdFusion files.
• SSI: This is a special function which allows you to tell the server to include something on your page. It could be some text or some CGI generated code. It is not an option you should need for a small or medium site.
• MySQL/Postgres Support: These are database formats. If you are planning to include a database on your site, you will need this.
• PHP/ASP Support: Planning on running a dynamic content site like a blog, chat board (forum site), news portal, etc? Then you will most likely need this option. Many hosts have auto-installers for a variety of scripts that can help you start one of these sites.
• Technical Support: What happens if you have a problem? How quickly can you get help? You should get at the very least get e-mail and ticket based technical support. Phone and fax support is good and could be offered by a paid host.
• E-mail: Most hosts will redirect e-mail for you (especially if you have a domain name). Watch out for ones offering POP3/IMAP mail. This will allow you to actually connect to their server to get your messages which is better than redirection.
• SSL/Secure Server: You will need this if you want to have secure ordering on your website.
• Statistics/Log Files: These will give you information about your users. What files are downloaded? What pages are accessed? The server logs will tell you.
• FTP Accounts: These allow you to access you website to upload files. If you have anonymous FTP, users can log into an area of your site to download files.

As you can see, some sites will need all these available options and others will only require a few.

How Much?

Paid shared hosting will usually cost between $5 and $75 per month. VPS hosting can be found starting usually around $20 per month and Dedicated servers will usually cost you over $150 per month.

What Should I Ask?

There are a few questions you should ask a web host, especially if you are going to pay them. You should always ask for a list of some of the sites hosted by them (if they don’t have a list on their site). Visit some of these sites and e-mail the owners asking what they think of the hosting service. If you are not sure if something on your site will be supported or allowed by the host then ask them. They are there to help you.

The speed they answer your questions is important as well. If they can’t reply quickly to a potential customer, what will their technical support be like?

Read the Terms and Conditions

This is just a quick reminder to always read the terms and conditions. It has been known for free web hosts to claim the ownership of the copyright of your pages or not allow you to put your own advertising on the site! There may be special restrictions on what you can or cannot have on your site.

Originally posted 2010-03-29 09:34:13.