TimWilborne

Web Hosting

18 posts in this topic

I've been looking into some web hosting services but am still a little confused Some ask whether you want a Linux or a Windows server among many other things. Can someone suggest a simple web hosting package for starting out?

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depens if you want Linux or Windows... check this out: http://www.hostcompare.com/

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Thanks for the links, gave a few thousand more options but some great information As for the Windows or Linux, doesn't look like it will matter for me for now. Just looking to play with some web pages, don't even have a direction for what I am going to do with it. Could just be somewhere for me to throw money away, could be a good learning experience or who knows, might come up with some million dollar idea.

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Ok, you going to help me front it

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Get a hosting package on a linux box. That way it supports anything your little heart desires. Here is one I have used before. Thinking about making yourself a million dollar home page eh? Check this out. That guy sold on million pixels at 1 dollar each.

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What are you designing your web pages with? If you are using anything microsoft(such as frontpage) then the windows server may work better. If you are using asp then you need to specifically ask for that. Most anything else will run very well on linux.

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If you just want to "play around" with some web stuff you could try XAMPP . It is a windows (or linux) installer that installs a web server (apache), a couple of programming languages and interpreters (PHP and Perl), a database server (MySQL), and much more if you want it. That way you could play around with it on your own computer and not have to pay anyone unless you want to.

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I won't do this for EVERYONE here at mrplc, but if you want to play around with something, and I feel like I can trust you....etc etc...I don't mind giving you some space on our server. PM me for some details. If you start making money on your site, then we can talk $$$, but if your putting up a personal site with some family pictures etc....it's no big deal.

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I don't have a million dollar idea yet. I'm still on training wheels with web sites. My only experience is web servers for diagnosing machines. I've never posted one on the internet. Pretty much ugly websites that work Hopefully Sleepy will come up with the million dollar idea for me

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I always liked the motto of THIS coffee website saying I don't know if it actually works or not for them

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I guess I would look at this a few ways. 1. What is going to be my development software. If you answer Front Page, you have two choices. Stick with a Windows server or make sure the Linux server you pick supports Front Page Extension. Example: I like the Cpanel product that is the "backend" of a web server. You can use this control panel for who ever you decide to go with to manage your website. Like setup POP3 accounts, install databases, manage FTP access, and manage your Front Page extensions withing Linux. If you answer Dreamweaver, (your a good man if you say this) then stick with Linux. 2. What script language are you going to use? If you aren't going to use anything, just HTML only, then it doesn't matter once again. Either Windows or Linux will work. If you answer you like visual basic better, then you'll be working with ASP files which go with a windows server. If you answer you like C++, then you'll be working with PHP or PERL files which go with linux. If you want more stability and uptime, stick with Linux. Start out basic, like working with HTML files, images, links and a FTPing your changes to your site. Once you've mastered that, then you can play around with GNU software. There are tons of people in the linux world that give away their software. Visit www.hotscripts.com for some freebie software. If your looking for Windows software for your server, expect to PAY $$$ for it. Windows and ASP programmers follow the role model of Bill Gates, which charges you every nickel and dime they can for their software. Linux was founded on the principles of open source, therefore most everything is going to be free. Linux is cheaper in the long run. However this can be a problem, because hackers can see all the source code to exploit a piece of software, like what happened a couple of week ago. It's important to keep linux software patched, where windows update would handle most of the windows server patching. Linux can update automatically too, but you will not have to worry about this if you purchase what is called "shared" hosting. It's your host responsibly to keep server software updated. However it is YOUR responsibly to keep your script and website software up to date. If you are just starting out, you will want shared hosting. If your asking me what I recommend, I would recommend a Linux server with Cpanel for your control panel to manage your domain. I think you'll see that's it's pretty easy and will have tons of fun with it. If you don't know anything about websites: Step 1: register a domain name, I use godaddy.com Step 2: Sign up with a shared host, that uses Linux and Cpanel. Make sure you get these things: a. POP3 accounts b. Some amount of disk space (100 MB is plenty for a personal webspace) c. Some amount of traffic or bandwidth (1 GB is plenty for a personal webspace) d. Cpanel for your control panel e. At least ONE MySQL database would be good to start, you might need it later. f: Front Page if you are going to be using Front Page with Linux g: Secure Server if you are planning on setting up an online store. Here is an OK place: http://www.1dollarhosting.com/plans.shtml I am sure there are TONS of other places. Check http://www.webhostingtalk.com/ for reviews of different host before signing up. Make sure you get with a host with minmal down time, or hardware problems. Step 3: Find out what name server your new host uses. Might be: ns1.mynewhost.com ns2.mynewhost.com Step 4: Login to godaddy.com and fix your name servers to point to your new host name server. Primary and Secondary Name Servers (DNS) Step 5: Wait about 48 hours for your domain pointer at godaddy.com to update to your new host. Step 6: FTP into your new host box and transfer files, you can do this at Step 2 if you can FTP with a dedicated IP address. Some shared host do not give you a dedicated IP for your website. If this is the case, then you will have to wait until after step 5 to FTP files to your new domain. Step 7: Repeat HTML design and layout and keep updating website. You can configure Dreamweaver to FTP and update files right on your server as well as Front Page. This is called Live Site editing. If your making a personal page, this is probably ok to play with this, it will eliminate the FTP step as Front Page or Dreamweaver will handle all file changed locally and update them on the website. Using the FTP user name and password you setup. It does this without you really knowing it opened an FTP connection to update. Is your brain twisted yet? I'll stop....

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Lots of good information Chakorules, but a little too early in the morning for it all to sink in. I will read again this evening but this is my current thoughts Right now I just use VB.net to write web pages so I have no software preference. It's only a step above using Notepad to write webpages. I also know absolutely nothing about Linux but since I am in no hurry and this is a learning experience I think I will go with a Linux server. What exactly do you mean by using Frontpage with Linux? Does that mean if I am going to use Frontpage to make webpages? Thanks TW

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Another thing is that there are a ton of sample templates for web sites out there and for a small sum all the hard work is usually taken care of and you can concentrate on the important bits such as content..

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I've found that the case of web pages is similar to PLC programs in that Simpler is Better Eye candy will only get you so far....simple, intuitive, and functional contect is where the quality is. $

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Not to confuse the issue. But check with your ISP if your internet access account includes any hosting. I know that my account includes 10 Mbytes of web page space. Just a thought.

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Deciding between Windows and Linux requires an understanding of the pro’s and con’s of each system, as well as how they fit into your hosting needs.

You can work across platforms with Windows and Linux. Be aware that the convenience comes at a cost. You must pay for the software and application licenses if you need to run Windows on Linux.

If you choose Windows, and you get a simple installation and configuration, as well as excellent support. If you go with Linux, you are working with an open-source OS with a community support network—without the higher costs.

Once you have decided between Windows and Linux, look for a provider who can accommodate your needs, based on your companies business model and needs.

 

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Godaddy has some rather nice pricing and generally the most and best of the Content Management Systems require linux, php, and SQL. 
Although they will host either or both.
There are some fairly good website designers in our area but as we both know communication with us techies can get weird.

The two big names in business grade CMS are WordPress and OsCommerce.
ISP hosting tends to be a joke. I would not suggest hosting on COX Business or even worse comcast.

If you have more specific questions feel free to give me a call.
 

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