which one is easier for a newbie to use? what are the better features of each? i'm just looking for people who have used them to give me some feedback....
i greatly appreciate it

For a newbie both are same, first read the packages of the different hosts, you can get an idea about the rate for each server

Then try to understand the specs then think about this OS, both OS is ok but for some special softwares u need windows unless you run them its better to go for Linux

Hi Rockerchick,

As engineerroy2008 mentioned this is really depending on your requirements. You may require Windows Hosting which is not to complected to use or you can use Linux which is more widely used in this industry. The control panel(s) are very easy to use - don't forget you always have Support available at anytime whether you need assistance with anything or you just have a question to ask.

When you're using hosting, you'll be using the control panel - so in that sense, the operating system doesn't matter to you.

Every control panel has its admirers and its detractors - so what one person loves, you may dislike. CPanel is both widely used on *nix hosts, and is fairly easy for end users. Plesk is another hosting control panel, available on both *nix and Windows hosts. It's far more intuitive than it used to be in 2002; but I still think that it's less straightforward than it could be.

Unless you know that you absolutely MUST have something Windows-proprietary, like the .Net framework or native ASP support, don't worry about which operating system a host is running. Look at their control panel, give that a shot. They may or may not have a demo available (many don't, for security reasons), so feel free to ask the host. Many hosts also have a free trial or money-back trial period - you can use that trial period to try working with the control panel, see if you can easily use a web host's particular control panel.

In fact for a newbie its better to go for a shared hosting in both windows and linux, using it for some one or two months, learn something with that and then decide

Linux would probably be easier for beginners. Start with a small shared hosting account.

Linux shared hosting along with CPanel would be the best choice a beginner could make.

;-)

It really depends on how much of the power you want to access. If you can do everything you need through a control panel, either should work just fine.

As Leslie said, this depends on your specific requirements. Linux does not support .net or ASP. If you don't use either of these, then base your choice on the control panels instead.

I'd personally suggest Linux, not to say Windows doesn't have it's place. If you really want to learn "all about this" then I'd also suggest not trying whatever's easiest because in the long run you'll regret it. Research the best route to go for whatever you need to accomplish and then learn it.