Mac Web Hosting Plans
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Mac Web Hosting
Mac web hosting is largely identical to other forms of web hosting. Whether the client operates a Mac, Windows, or Linux based PC, web hosting is very friendly to cross-platform interaction. The main means of differentiating Mac web hosting from other models comes from clarifying whether the hosting is done using a Mac, or if the hosting is performed for a Mac.
For Mac web hosting, performed for a Mac, Apple offers a service called .Mac that provides a small amount of online storage for every Mac owner. This is a form of remote data hosting, and is often used by Mac owners for backup of applications and important documents. Similar services are available through other venues, such as Dropbox or Ubuntu One, which offer small amounts of free storage to users of Windows or Linux. Mac web hosting in this sense is usually cross-platform; Dropbox runs on a Mac, and any common server hosting is independent of the OS of the device accessing it.
As actual host machines, Mac web hosting is rare. Because Mac hardware is significantly more expensive than other platforms, the incentives to use it as server hardware are practically non-existent. Because the various Mac web hosting operating systems are derived from a BSD kernel, a Unix variant like Linux, there are few advantages to utilizing the costly Mac operating systems when functionally similar free operating systems designed for server use are readily available elsewhere.
Because of Apple's focus on making the Mac OS for personal computers, the emphasis of the server editions is on personal computing rather than enterprise-scale use. Linux operating systems are more widespread for web hosting, and Windows operating systems are frequently used due to a wider Windows user base. So why are there Mac web hosting businesses when Linux is more efficient and free, and most clients use Windows?
The main selling point of Mac web hosting is a focus on the strong sense of community among Macintosh users. Mac users want support from fellow Mac users, and generally prefer hosting and technical support services from others familiar with the Mac OS. Mac web hosting focuses more on client service and application specialization than on having premiere technical capabilities. While the various forms of the Mac OS are suitable for web hosting, technical features are not the primary motivation for Mac web hosting.
While the Mac servers are costlier and slightly less efficient than Linux and Windows based servers, Mac web hosting typically offers the same features as other hosting services. Web pages, remote backup, network storage, and email services are all very similar with Mac web hosting. Indeed, the difference should be transparent to most end users, as the only people with the ability to see the differences between Mac web hosting and any other web hosting service will be those maintaining it at the technical level. While an end user may occasionally call in for application support, the services available with Mac web hosting are practically identical to the alternatives. Mac web hosting exists because there is demand from the Mac user community, not because of the technical differentiations between the Mac OS and its competitors.