GoDaddy.com Dumps Linux for Microsoft

RobertB-DC writes "Bargain-basement registrar GoDaddy.com has decided to move all its parked domains to Microsoft servers, saying that they'll provide 'a technology platform that is security-enhanced, highly scalable and easy to manage.' This is a shift away from Linux, a decision met with derision by other registrars such as Gandi.net, which greeted the news with the headline 'Go Daddy and never come back'. Late last year, GoDaddy.com had some 'issues', shall we say, with non-Microsoft browsers."

Comments

Who cares?

[CRCulver]

Since most of these parked domain names are just misspellings of respectable sites or total nonsense, full of links to casinos and places to get prescription drugs, which no one would ever actually register and use for hosting, does it really matter what OS the server is running?

Re:Who cares?

[biocute]

It does, as bragging rights for Microsoft to show that its server solution is hosting xx% of the internet.

Re:Who cares?

[mrsbrisby]

At least one good thing can be said for the Windows-based sites, they do actually do something.

Yup. They get defaced and broken down more than any other system. That despite not having a majority.

most of the windows-hosted sites are ecommerce

Err, no they're not. As the article points out, most windows-hosted sites are parking pages.

Strip out all the 1-page personal websites where you have a thousand hosted on 1 server by the huge hosting companies (eg 1&1) and you'd have a pitiful number left.

While we're at it, let's "strip out" anything else that disagrees with your pretension that Windows are superior.

Let's group all Windows platforms together, and separate all unixish platforms.

Let's ignore any site that didn't pay for vendor assistance! (after all, they're not doing business)

Let's ignore any site that didn't sign up for the survey with a Microsoft browser (after all, they're evil hackers!)

Or do you really believe that it's easier to manage 10,000 customer sites with different needs, than it is to manage one site, with a single need, and lots of lead time before changes?

It is a pity Netcraft don't release their SSL site survey as I think that would be a lot closer to a 50/50 split.

Lemmie guess, one of those gut feelings right?

Or maybe you're basing this on the free report they published in November 2004, you know, when RSA was still patented and you had to get a commercial license to use SSL?

It's just an OS

[BadAnalogyGuy]

An OS is no good without applications on top of it.

If GoDaddy doesn't have the wherewithal to develop applications for Linux, maybe they'll have better luck with Windows. It gives them the ability to use ASP.Net on the server side with all the benefits that entails.

Re:It's just an OS

[pavera]

Except as the article states and then quickly dusts under the carpet, this only applies to their parked domains which host no services, no actual sites, and are just place holders. They won't be developing any applications for these domains anyway.

If they were moving actual hosting to windows, then maybe this would be real news, but they can't do that, actual hosting requires offering windows and linux as the platform, they aren't going to force their customers to rewrite all of their php/apache/mysql web sites in asp/iis/sql server

Re:It's just an OS

[WoodstockJeff]

the "AMP" part of LAMP runs on Windows as well.

But, it doesn't run as well on Godaddy's Windows servers as it does on their Linux boxes. This is because Godaddy has chosen to make liberal use of "Safe Mode" and "OpenDir" restrictions on the Windows boxes, presumably to protect them. Should NOT be necessary, but they feel it is.

If you have a program that opens files in multiple directories, or enumerates files in a directory, you have to ask to be hosted on a Linux box at Godaddy.

Sigh...

[OxygenPenguin]

I use GoDaddy for my hundreds of domain registrations....too bad to see them make this decision. Not to be a blatant Microsoft troll, but it is nearly generally recognized in the server community that Linux/Apache is a more secure solution than Windows. Why would GoDaddy site security as their reason to change vendors?

I wonder why...?

[Zarel]

I think we can all agree that, at the very least, Linux SERVERS are better than Windows servers.

And, GoDaddy should at least know that much.

So, the question is, why are they doing it? Do you think Microsoft is paying them to do this? Did management's preconception that "Windows is what we use on our desktops, so it MUST be good for our servers" override any rational thought? Did they think it would trick customers who didn't know better and think, "They use Windows, just like our own computers, it must be good"?

Any thoughts?

Re:I saw the go daddy pres/CTO speak a while back

[Rogerborg]

I think they're about to find out the difference between pre-sales and after-sales service.