hosting details and fine print.

[MDStidham]

when a hosting company says that i can have 10 mysql databases what exactly does that mean? what would i use those 10 for? also linux vs. windows os running on a server what are the limitations of either? why choose one over the other?

-thanks

[pdstudios]

When they say 10 mySQL Databases it means you can have 10 different places to store data for your website. You can use 1 for everything though.

Operating Systems. Linux allows PHP, Windows Allows ASP. MySQL is only available on Linux. Windows uses MsSQL. Similar but different features.

I would personally choose Linux, My windows server sucked :)

[webmonkie]

Linux base servers are cheaper. Also you don't need Windows hosting on less you are plannig on running ASP/.NET & SQL.

[Tyler]

The vast majority of people use Linux servers, and it's recommended as most stuff out there is tailor made for Linux.

As for databases, basically a database contains an unlimited number of tables, and each table contains various columns and rows (the actual data). Most big programs and scripts, such as vBulletin, use many tables and therefore usually (or preferably) require it's own database.

So you'll probably use a new database for each different site you use or each big script.

[Vince]

When they say 10 mySQL Databases it means you can have 10 different places to store data for your website. You can use 1 for everything though.
You can, as pdstudios says, use 1 database for everything. But for reasons of organisation and cleanliness, it's best to use 1 database for each site.

Operating Systems. Linux allows PHP, Windows Allows ASP. MySQL is only available on Linux. Windows uses MsSQL. Similar but different features.
Simply not true. PHP and MySQL are both supported and run quite fine on Windows platforms. Granted, they run better natively under Linux/Unix platforms.

Windows will be more expensive due to licensing issues for pretty much everything.

I would personally choose Linux, My windows server sucked :)
Linux is generally far more reliable than Windows, particularly if configured correctly. It will also run faster, as Kernels can be configured arround the hardware of the machine, obtaining optiminal efficiency.

The general consensus is...
Windows if you need Microsoft SQL or ASP/ASP.NET, or some other exclusive Windows only software (such as Helix Server, etc).
Linux for everything else.