Web server thoughts

[Frinavale]

Hi there!

I've been toying with the idea of setting up my own Linux web server at home to help show off my development portfolio.

Where most of my stuff is cross platform, and some of it is specific for Linux, I also have a lot of .NET web applications I'd like to feature in my portfolio.

I am wondering if there is any support for the .NET Framework in Linux or if I'm going to have to some how set up a Linux Server and Windows Server to serve all my needs...and link them together some how. (Hmm I think I know why I haven't actually done this yet)

-Frinny

[Motoma]

The most important part in deciding which platform to use for a server is to determine what, specifically, each platform will offer you that the other will not.

You want to use the .NET framework. Linux can do this using Mono, however, the framework is shakey, and it does not support all of the .NET 2 language.

What are the reasons for wanting to use Linux? It is cheap, robust, and secure.
What is the reason for using Windows? .NET.

Maybe you could list the pros and cons for the two platforms as you see them. If you give some reasoning and a litle background on the projects you are trying to host, I could give you some better insight.

[Frinavale]

The most important part in deciding which platform to use for a server is to determine what, specifically, each platform will offer you that the other will not.

You want to use the .NET framework. Linux can do this using Mono, however, the framework is shakey, and it does not support all of the .NET 2 language.

What are the reasons for wanting to use Linux? It is cheap, robust, and secure.
What is the reason for using Windows? .NET.

Maybe you could list the pros and cons for the two platforms as you see them. If you give some reasoning and a litle background on the projects you are trying to host, I could give you some better insight.

I have a bunch of different projects that I'd like to host in my portfolio.

Some of them are written in Perl and PHP and have been developed on a Linux machine.

Other projects include a couple of small Java web-applications that use some web-services developed in Java. I've successfully set up TomCat on my Linux box and have serviced these web-applications with no problems in the past.

I've also developed some websites using JSP pages, Java Beans and Java Enterprise Beans. I have hosted these on a Linux environment too.

I have never tried hosting these projects on a Windows box...so using a Linux server does seem like a logical choice for hosting these, but some of my bigger projects (a web-based point of sales project and photo album with multiple user accounts/file sharing etc.) are done using .NET.

My portfolio is kind of lacking right now as it simply shows of a silly Flash website I've developed. I'd love to show off some of these other projects that I've developed...especially since I'm much more proud of them than I am of my rather sad looking Flash website

I am currently using a ISP to host my portfolio but have found that I am very limited to what services are available to me. It seems that no ISP can meet all of my Server needs. Using my current ISP (which is a windows server) I can't even set up my .NET projects....and getting support on my troubles is very hard and frustrating.

That's why I'm thinking of setting up my own....except I have no idea of the types of risks I'm going to run into by having my own web server...and Linux is a bit overwhelming to try and set up...but I don't know if I really want to use Windows either.

-Frinny

[Motoma]

I would suggest, then, that you install Linux on a spare machine you have kicking around, and try out the Mono framework to see if it will give you the functionality you need.

Tomcat, Java, PHP, and Perl all run on Windows just fine, and with a little modification, your apps should too. However, being able to claim your apps are completly cross-platform is a very rewarding experience.

[Frinavale]

I would suggest, then, that you install Linux on a spare machine you have kicking around, and try out the Mono framework to see if it will give you the functionality you need.

Tomcat, Java, PHP, and Perl all run on Windows just fine, and with a little modification, your apps should too. However, being able to claim your apps are completly cross-platform is a very rewarding experience.

Thanks for your advice
:)