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John444

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 10, 2011
90
0
Hey everyone, I was wondering if different web hosts allow different operating systems. To be more clear I want to know if it matters on which operating system you are running to upload your website to a web host.

I noticed many web hosts say Linux and Windows compatible, but does it matter, wouldn't it still upload files from a Mac?

I am confused, I do not want to purchase a web hosting package just to find out it doesn't allow mac users to upload files via FTP. (If it helps I am planning to upload my website using dreamweaver).

Any thoughts would be nice.

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For example, Godaddy.com says it supports linux and windows, could I upload my site even though I am running Mac OS X snow leopard?
 
Mostly when they say what they are compatible with it means for the backend programs. For example, a Linux server will frequently use MySQL for the database and Apache for the web server. Often a Microsoft server will use MS SQL Server and IIS.

For basic hosting it shouldn't make a difference. Once you start to try to run custom programs or tie into things like FrontPage or Drupal it may make a difference.

In your case it probably doesn't make any difference.
 
It shouldn't make any difference. Every OS (Windows, Mac, Linux) has FTP applications to interact with your files, so unless you use specialized software or your host requires a unique connection, you'll be fine. If you do want a host that caters to Mac customers, I recommend MacHighway. I use them and they've had excellent service every time I've interacted with them.
 
Linux and Windows refers to the operating systems on their servers. As long as the web host allows ftp access you can connect with dreamweaver or any other ftp client.
 
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