Unix and hotlinking.

What type of hosting do I need.

[Broadway]

I am starting a new web site. I have another web site hosted on a Windows server (shared hosting plan). I have always regreted, related to hotlinking issues, that I have that site on a Windows server.

From what I have read I think, once again related to hotlinking prevention, that I need to find a host that offers Unix on an Apache server? Is this right?

Does it matter that my plan will just be a "shared" hosting plan. Will I have access to the ".htaccess" situation so to prevent hotlinking with a "shared" hosting plan? Thanks.

[Stefan]

I'd say go Apache, for sure. The htaccess was one of the main reasons I moved our site from IIS.

Will I have access to the ".htaccess" situation so to prevent hotlinking with a "shared" hosting plan?

You should. The company I'm using now, (which happens to be the one with a link found on WW), lets you do it with shared hosting... I'd imagine any decent company will.

ADDED: Wrt hot-linking, we get that often. I decided that rather than blocking it, when I see the hits in the logs, to change the code a little on the particular page and let them have a new version of the pic with our URL in big letters on it, (I make the original pic a slightly different file name and change the <img src="">, and edit the jpg that has the hot-link). I figure, what the hec, we have lots of bandwidth and it's free publicity

[zeus]

I have a big problem with hot linking, from blackplanet and all those free comunities, they just link to the pictures and I hate that.

I have a dedicated server, Linux using ensim as software, but .htacces dossent work here, Im not sure how to do this.

I would like Google to be able to show the pictures, but thats it, the other hotlink, must be directed to my domanname or a other picture.

all the best
zeus