Should I choose linux or windows hosting account?

In theory, for most people Windows is easier because they have graphical tools. That being said, if you are the kind of person that likes to tinker with stuff and will take the time to learn properly, getting a linode and then looking at http://library.linode.com/ for help is a good method. I suggest you leave any websites that need to be up on your current configuration and playing around with your linode, breaking it and redeploying as needed until you get more comfortable

It should also be pointed out that Linode does not provide Windows VPSes. If you'd prefer Windows, you'll have to go somewhere else.

For graphical tools, Windows is ok, though I'm personally not a fan of what they have available.

Linux definitely has the edge for performance, stability, and security, and also allows for a graphical interface. Running an actual GUI, though, can consume a lot of bandwidth when you try to access that GUI from across the Internet.

There are web-based configuration utilities that can give you a decent graphical interface via a web page, which uses much less bandwidth than an actual GUI. You'd only need the command line to setup the web-based configuration utilities, then from there, you can do most (possibly all) of your stuff from your favorite web browser.

Personally, though, I'd recommend doing everything on your server from a command line – it would still use less bandwidth than a web-based config utility, and once you get used to the Linux command line, it will be much easier to fine-tune stuff on your server. For home use, though, Linux offers some great GUIs.

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, I will take a look at the options further :)

In theory, for most people Windows is easier because they have graphical tools.

I personally find Windows harder, I guess because I so rarely use it.

Just an example, HP LaserJet with Jet Direct. Cake to set up in Linux.

Someone came over with a laptop running XP and wanted to print.

Over an hour later, we finally figured out that in order to set up XP to print to a standard network printer, we had to tell the stupid print wizard that we were setting up a local printer, not a network printer. To the MS wizard, apparently network printer means something else.

Crap like that is all through Windows and it drives me bonkers every time somebody begs me to help them with a windows problem.

I will never ever admin a Windows server because crap like that would make me a dangerous admin, as I only know enough about their quirky way of doing things to know I don't like it and never ever want to learn it.

@FunkyRes:

Over an hour later, we finally figured out that in order to set up XP to print to a standard network printer, we had to tell the stupid print wizard that we were setting up a local printer, not a network printer. To the MS wizard, apparently network printer means something else.

I remember figuring this out once. Yeah, network printer means a printer attached to some other computer that they're sharing. Just stupid.

I didn't realize how strange things were in Windows until I switched to Linux. I used Windows for about 9 years before I switched to Linux, so I was brainwashed into thinking that everything made sense :)

It took me over three years to finally figure out what not to do in Windows, but it still always found ways to drive me crazy, mostly giving some sort of error message. I always felt like throwing the computer across the room and out the window, which would be quite fitting :lol:

It only took me a few weeks to figure out what not to do in Linux, and a lot of things made a lot of sense. It didn't take long for me to settle in. Now, three and a half years later, I'm still learning, and I'm nowhere near being an expert or veteran, but I've found that in most cases, any problems I have are things that I caused, and that there's always a way to fix stuff without "running recovery" in order to reinstall everything. I do sometimes reinstall to fix problems, but that's only because I'm lazy :wink: I have yet to put Windows back on my computer, except through a virtual machine, but I refuse to install it to my physical hardware.