The Opinion Review

ICDSoft – I just discovered these guys after taking over webmastering for a site that is hosted on their server… They appear to have pretty cheap plans with lots of diskspace and they will register a domain for $1.00 if you sign up with them so it seems like a good deal. They have answered my emails very quickly which is why I have decided to include them on this blog.

IPower Webs – This is another one of those huge hosting companies. They have been around for awhile and have a fairly decent price for all the features. They had a huge marketing campaign when they got started and now they are one of the biggest hosting companies out there. I heard they got hacked recently however with significant downtime but that can happen to anyone. I have included them because I have folks that use them for hosting now. So there ya go.

Media Temple -  This is a new generation of hosting…The idea is to throw hundreds of servers together working on all tasks…That way if something happens the other servers take over the problems and therefore no downtime…They are supposed to be able to handle huge spikes in traffic with no problem…So if your site get’s a shout out on The Dr. Phil show your site won’t get overloaded with traffic and crash…

I have been using them for awhile but at $20 per month that’s a bit steep for me at this time… I am in the process of moving my sites to yet another shared server … I won’t review that one as I have only used them for a few days…

Do you want more choices? Or you want to research a host and see what other people are saying about it? Do some lurking in this very large web hosting forum. Or even ask a question. They will certainly answer you (or try to get your business) it is a good place to research and/or find hosting.

 This is my second post of webhosting reviews. Part of a 3 or maybe 4pt host as I take a trip down memory lane and remember all the ones I have played with over the years.

Hosting Reviews Pt 2

HostGator – This one, like Dathorn is also packed with features and diskspace. They offer several plans to choose from and have all the features you could want and allow multiple domains to be hosted. I have never used these guys but have heard good things about them.

GoDaddy – I have been a godaddy customer since the beginning of my web design “career” They always seem to be the most consistently cheap domain registrar. If you go ahead and buy hosting from them they are certainly the cheapest. They have hosting plans ($3.95 monthly) but I’m not sure exactly how good the service is and what features you get for that price. They are a solid company so I suspect their hosting is pretty good and haven’t heard tons of complaints about them or anything.

1and1 Hosting – These guys have HUGE ad’s out there in the computer magazines. When they first got started they were offering “free 3 year packages” I signed up and played around with it a little but had a bit of a hard time getting used to their control panel. They offer all kinds of services to domain registration to dedicated server to simple email account. They are basically a one stop shop for all things web. And they are cheap. But, when I asked them if I could install PHPNuke on their server to use as a portal they balked and said they would allow it with “limitations”… These big huge hosting companies drive me crazy ya know? But they are consistently staying cheaper than godaddy in the domain game so I may switch my domains to them. (I never did)

Odeon Web – Don’t bother clicking the link… There is nothing there. I have included this one as an example of what can happen. This guy had unbelievable cheap plans with tons of diskspace and all the features. Everything went smooth for quite awhile. I put up one of my domains and installed portal software and everything was just humming along great. Then I started having troubles… I emailed the guy several times with no reply. Then one day it just disappeared. Never to return. I guess I was out $20.00 or so… Live and learn.

Shine on hosting shoppers. 

In order to have a professional website you need a web host. There is no such thing as free hosting. The ones that are out there are ad supported and have very limited features.The hosting game is pretty complicated because there are thousands of hosting companies out there to choose from. This is a good thing because it has forced the cost of hosting to drastically drop in the past few years. But then finding your way through the tons of hosts out there can really make a person dizzy.

So for that reason I have decided to share my insight into the world of hosting and share some of the experience I have had over the years. I have included some links to these hosts and hope you feel compelled to check some of them out. Some are better than others and this is really just my opinion based on experience or what I have heard. And you know what they say about opinions.

Christian WebHosting – I like these guys… I have several domains hosted on their servers and I have never caught them in downtime… They have been quick to answer my questions and as far as I can tell they are believers that want to spread the gospel by using the internet. Their plans are pretty cheap (about $8.00 monthly) and have all the features you need. They were also kind enough to add me to their “Christian web designer’s site”

Yahoo Hosting – Yep, Yahoo! The huge internet portal directory and search engine… Of course they offer hosting. I encounter many people who are already using them to host sites or they have bought a domain and went ahead and signed up for hosting too. Well, don’t do it. They want $11.00 or so for the smallest plan and don’t allow the server side stuff unless you upgrade to a bigger plan. Don’t get me wrong. I love yahoo, it’s my favorite search engine. But you can get better and cheaper hosting elsewhere

LynxWebhosting - I used this small hosting company when I first got started in web design. They have cheap plans and allow multiple domains each with separate accounts. They use the “plesk” control panel which I enjoyed for its simplicity. They always answered my support emails quickly and were willing to help a newbie out with many things that I had no idea how to do at the time. But, they also had downtime. I remember my sites being down for over 3 days at one time… They also had short downtimes every month. This was most likely because they allow “adult sites” on their shared servers which will lead to trouble… And I didn’t really want my site having porno neighbors on a shared server.. Ya know? (this host is no longer in business)
Hostpspace.US – This is a small company I tried out back in the day. I was amazed by the full features he offered for incredibly low prices. This is always a cause for skepticism. But he is still up and running. I contacted him through his site awhile back and told him I was going to include him in these reviews but it took him over 2 days to respond… I remember he was a bit quicker back in the day. His server back then lagged slightly but it appears he has upgraded since then. (this host apparently is not active)

Dathorn – Well this is an awesome host. When you go to the site you will notice the prices seem a bit higher than many of the other ones I am talking about but then look at the diskspace and bandwidth you get for that price. He also allows “unlimited domains” so in effect you can become a “hosting company” on your own and “resell” the server space to others because he gives full access to manage the server backend to set up hosting accounts. His servers have all the features too… Great Host!

Tomorrow I will review some more host’s I have used in this 3 part series

You believe in devil possession ?

I sat around yesterday morning and watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose…That was some spooky halloweend stuff. You dig? The fact that the movie is based on a true story makes it even more scary. It has to be one of the spookiest movies I have ever seen.

So the deep question here is was the girl actually possessed by some kind of evil force (devils) or was she simply mentally ill? Did that priest actually prevent her from getting the medical help that she needed? The meds she was taking obviously were not working. Of course psyche meds are another topic I could easily review.

I remember the Exorcist movie with Linda Blair back in the day… I saw it with my parents at the drive in.. Fortunately I fell asleep. But that was one scary movie too. It’s said that people were “fainting” and vomiting in theaters from a total freak out! Wow.

But Emily is much more real. And brings up lots of spiritual questions for the viewer. For somebody to watch that and not consider something being “out there” is a bit closed minded. There seems to be unseen powers in this universe that can’t be explained by science.

Check it this Halloween season and then discuss God, and the devil. Athiest’s welcome…